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Modern Hydrogen demonstrated the application of a technique that makes road construction and maintenance more cost-effective with a reduced impact on the environment. On the outskirts of the Portland metro area, the road to a cleaner future is being paved… literally. Modern Hydrogen is a leading player in the quest to “sequester avoided CO2 emissions effectively and sustainably in the built environment.” Recently, it demonstrated this application at a customer site for the first time, infusing captured carbon with “hot mix asphalt” [in Seattle] and a pigment sealer in Sherwood, Oregon.

Along with sectors like steel and chemicals, utilities could be a major source of demand given the scale of their distribution networks. But they answer to regulators and rate-payers sensitive to any hike in monthly bills, so hydrogen costs must gradually fall in order for utilities to blend greater volumes, said Ben Wilson, chief strategy and external affairs officer and interim president at National Grid Ventures, a unit of the London-based electric and natural gas utility that operates in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is exploring hydrogen investments and is partnering with a Seattle-based startup, Modern Hydrogen, that is working on distributed hydrogen production technology that serves to “disrupt us,” Wilson said.

Tour participants got a close look at a sample of the carbon that will soon be captured at the dairy digester. A Bothell, Wash.-based company called Modern Hydrogen will extract granulated carbon from methane to produce pure hydrogen. “So this technology lets them take that methane that’s getting delivered to them and convert it to hydrogen so that they can burn the hydrogen and then collect the carbon instead of spewing it in the air,” Robinson said. The only emissions from burning hydrogen is water vapor. It’s about the cleanest fuel out there. And methane is just about the dirtiest, before it’s burned. It’s more than 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The technology comes from Modern Hydrogen, previously known as Modern Electron. The Bothell, Wash.-based company is focused on reducing emissions from biogas, like what Qualco Energy produces from cow manure, within the existing gas infrastructure.

This podcast, powered by the Stanford Hydrogen Initiative, aims to shine some light on top-notch innovators in hydrogen across academia and industry.

Bothell-based Modern Hydrogen co-founder and CEO Tony Pan guided his company through a $32.8 million fundraise this year. The company makes devices to decarbonize natural gas. These devices work on site and don’t require clients to replace existing pipes. Pan said the company will be shipping a handful of unites out to customers next quarter as a pilot, after which Modern Hydrogen aims to scale up its production.

Northwest Natural Holding Co. is preparing to start a project with Modern Hydrogen Inc. — previously known as Modern Electron Inc. — to pilot hydrogen and solid carbon production from natural gas through methane pyrolysis, sometimes called turquoise hydrogen. Northwest Natural is also evaluating another turquoise hydrogen technology under a nondisclosure agreement, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President for Operations Kim Rush said during a May 4 conference call.

Modern Hydrogen co-founder and CEO Tony Pan discusses the company’s mission to decarbonize natural gas into clean energy.

Sustainability: News covering the rapidly growing climate tech sector, funding in the space and other areas of innovation to protect our planet.

National Grid Partners, the venture arm of the U.K.-based utility company, disclosed two new investments it made in Q1: Modern Hydrogen and EV.energy.

Today Modern Hydrogen announced an oversubscribed $32.8 million Series B-2 funding round led by NextEra Energy, with strategic investors & partners Miura and National Grid Partners also participating.

Though still a nascent technology, the use of methane pyrolysis for carbon-free hydrogen production has been endorsed by the DOE’s Loan Programs Office. In December 2021, the office guaranteed a $1.04 billion loan that Monolith Materials Inc. will use to expand its turquoise hydrogen facility in Hallam, Neb. Modern [Hydrogen], based in the Seattle area, produces equipment that can be installed at the end of the natural gas distribution network, separating out the carbon and delivering hydrogen to the customer.

The Bothell-based company says it will starts deliveries of its hydrogen generators this year.