Clear Skies Hydrogen (CSH2)

Why have real-world hydrogen fueling costs been higher than those predicted by academic modeling? We teamed up with Dr. Amgad Elgowainy (ANL), Professor Jack Brouwer (UC-Irvine), and Professor Alejandra Hormaza, Ph.D. (Cal Poly Pomona) to explore this question. In our recently published paper, we show how to account for operating factors such as low station utilization (over-building) and boil-off losses in cost models. Targeting these effects in the earliest stages of technology development and deployment planning can drive down fueling costs during the early, critical stages of adoption, like when a fleet introduces a 10-bus pilot with plans to scale up. We incorporate these insights into the design philosophy for our refueler modules, to build right-sized, scalable, and low-boil off stations, and are now working towards demonstrating this philosophy in real world deployments with transit and trucking fleets. The figure below shows the compounding effects of utilization and boil-off for 4 different scenarios: operating at full utilization (Scenario A), 50 % utilization (Scenario B), full utilization with boil-off recapture equipment (Scenario C), and 50 % utilization with boil-off recapture equipment (Scenario D). Link to the paper in the comments below. Anthony Ku PJ Callahan Edward Youn Divyansh Singh Sajjad Rezaei Jimmy (Xianming) Li, Ph.D. #Hydrogen

CSH2 has reached an important milestone for hydrogen infrastructure. In partnership with Verne, another Breakthrough Energy Fellows company, CSH2 successfully demonstrated our modular H₂ refueling station by fueling Verne’s Class 8 cryo-compressed truck. Over the course of the demo, we completed 6 fills of Verne’s high-density storage system, including 4 consecutive back-to-back fills to 350 bar pressure, a key requirement for CcH2 and H35 fills of transit buses.    This demonstration is more than a technical achievement - it provides a strong proof point for the scalability and reliability of CSH2’s modular refueling platform. Coupled with Verne’s advanced storage technology, it highlights a pathway to cost-effective, high-throughput solutions for heavy-duty hydrogen mobility.   We’re proud of the team’s execution and grateful for our partnership with Verne as we work to accelerate the deployment of practical, investable hydrogen infrastructure.   If you're interested in working with us or learning more about investment opportunities, reach out through LinkedIn! #Hydrogen #CleanEnergy #ClimateTech #HydrogenIsTheNewDiesel Anthony Ku Jimmy (Xianming) Li, Ph.D. Edward Youn PJ Callahan Kara Zhang Vishal Shetty

Huge thank you to our friends at ZEBRA and Center for Transportation and the Environment for hosting the Fall Roundtable last week!! Great discussions with transit agencies to understand the industry’s pain points and opportunities for hydrogen infrastructure.

In just one month, our team progressed from successful testing with liquid nitrogen, to testing with liquid hydrogen, showing our #modular station can be set up for refueling in a matter of weeks. During LH2 testing, we showed that our proprietary cryopump can deliver hydrogen at up to 500 bar, sufficient for cryocompressed and H35 vehicle fills. In a few short months we'll be conducting H70 trials at 900 bar.    Hydrogen refueling infrastructure has suffered from a lack of scalability and deployability, leading to long construction timelines and rising fueling costs. Our cryopump enables a modular refueling station that is quick and easy to install and service, unlocking rapid and affordable deployment to meet the needs of growing fleets.   #HydrogenIsTheNewDiesel #TheFutureIsModular #CleanEnergy #Hydrogen Anthony Ku Jimmy (Xianming) Li, Ph.D. Edward Youn PJ Callahan

We’re excited to join ZEBRA for their roundtable event this week! PJ Callahan will share how our modular H2 refueling station can help transit agencies scale initial FCEB deployments to decarbonize their fleets. See you in Seattle!

This summer, we successfully completed initial trials of our modular hydrogen refueling station using liquid nitrogen. Our rigorous, three-month testing phase confirmed our system's performance and durability in pressurizing liquid nitrogen to 900 bar, a critical step in commercializing our technology and preparing for H2 vehicle fills at 700 bar. Great work team! Anthony Ku Jimmy (Xianming) Li, Ph.D. Edward Youn PJ Callahan - and a big shout out to our extended network of partners for their support in reaching this milestone including Mercator Partners   The next testing phase is already underway and will demonstrate the system's capabilities in liquid hydrogen to achieve TRL 5 as we work to deliver a cost-effective refueling solution for growing #FCEV fleets.   #Hydrogen #CleanEnergy #ClimateTech #HydrogenIsTheNewDiesel  

This summer, we had the pleasure of having Thomas Todaro join our team as a summer intern. Tom hit the ground running and provided immediate value to our team, supporting LN2 testing work, developing data analysis capabilities, and developing mechanical design concepts. We appreciate all your hard work this summer, Tom, and best of luck this semester! #MechE #hydrogenisthenewdiesel 

Join our Technical Lead PJ Callahan on Monday, August 18th at HYSKY Society™ Monthly #69

We were thrilled to welcome the Breakthrough Energy team to our PA test site!   Brenda Haendler and Matt Purdy from the Fellows program visited to see our full-scale prototype in action during validation testing.   As a proud member of Cohort 4 of the Fellows program, CSH2 has benefited immensely from their support as we advance our technology through validation and toward market readiness.   #hydrogen #innovation Anthony Ku Jimmy (Xianming) Li, Ph.D.

We're excited to be a part of this year's ZEBRA Fall Roundtable!