How two innovators won S$1 million each for tackling climate change with breakthrough ideas

MAKING HYDROGEN POWER FEASIBLE

Did you know that hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements in our atmosphere? It emits only water vapour and heat when used as a fuel. So why isn’t it widely used?

Storage and transportation are major barriers. This low-density gas can leak through tiny cracks, degrade certain metals and must be compressed or liquefied – processes that are costly and energy-intensive.

Ayrton Energy, winner of the Decarbonisation track, recognised that hydrogen’s potential as a clean fuel hinges on solving these fundamental challenges. The company’s breakthrough lies in making hydrogen as straightforward to handle as conventional diesel – while cutting costs by up to 50 per cent.

It achieves this by binding hydrogen to a carrier oil, which can easily absorb and release the gas. Its proprietary e-LOHC (Electrically-Driven Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier) technology allows hydrogen to be stored at room temperature and pressure using existing fuel infrastructure, including tanks, trucks, marine vessels and pipelines.

This safe, stable and cost-effective approach is a game-changer for global climate action – including Singapore, which is exploring hydrogen as a major decarbonisation pathway. “Participating in The Liveability Challenge has been a fantastic experience for Ayrton Energy to gain exposure in target market regions, such as Singapore, and to better understand the region’s challenges around hydrogen distribution and use,” said Dr Brandy Kinkead, CTO and co-founder at Ayrton Energy. “Our goal for a pilot project in Singapore is to demonstrate our technology as a strong approach for long-duration and long-distance hydrogen storage and transportation. Ayrton Energy will store hydrogen in our e-LOHC from a producer outside of Singapore, transport the e-LOHC via marine vessels using existing liquid fuel tanks and release the hydrogen from our system in Singapore for end-use.”

Currently, the cleantech company is partnering with ATCO Gas, the largest natural gas distributor in Alberta, Canada, to scale hydrogen production. It is also collaborating with Hawaii Gas to study the feasibility of using the e-LOHC technology in Hawaii. The company has received strong support from the Canadian government and investors, securing about S$10.9 million in seed financing. Apart from the S$1 million prize money from Temasek Foundation, it has also secured S$100,000 each from the Challenge’s strategic partners Valuence Ventures and TRIREC.

Dr Kinkead said that the team is excited as it prepares to enter a pivotal phase of growth later this year, with the deployment of its first commercial-scale e-LOHC system – a 100x scale-up from earlier field trials.