From Garage Prototype to Industry Pilot: Our Electrolyser Journey

Like many pioneering tech start-ups, our story begins in a garage.

Back in 2021, Dr. Nigel Williamson – our Director of Design and Development – was sketching out ideas for a better kind of electrolyser. After years of developing proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology at ITM Power and working on membrane-free designs at CPH2, Nigel had a deep understanding of the limitations facing existing systems. He knew the pain points: high costs, complex materials, manufacturing challenges, and the need for reliability at scale. More importantly, he knew how to fix them.

And so, with a passionate belief in green hydrogen’s potential to enable industrial decarbonisation, Nigel rolled up his sleeves and got to work – in his garage.

Early Proof of Concept

The mission was simple: prove that a more efficient, robust, and scalable electrolyser was possible. The path, however, was anything but. Nigel built the first prototype using novel design principles that bypassed many of the technical bottlenecks of today’s systems. That early proof of concept, built with determination and a modest toolkit, was enough to set us on the road to something much bigger.

The Innovate UK Smart Grant – A Turning Point

Armed with a promising prototype, we applied for an Innovate UK Smart Grant to scale up our vision. These grants are fiercely competitive, but our proposal resonated. In September 2024, we secured £350,000 in Innovate UK support to take our invention to the next stage.

That funding allowed us to:

• Form our core team of four talented and dedicated people

• Take premises at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) Technology Centre

• Intensively develop our product over an 18-month R&D programme

• Engage supply chain partners and begin building an ecosystem around the tech

R&D: Breakthroughs, Dead-Ends, and Determination

The next nine months were a whirlwind of discovery. We explored new materials, manufacturing methods, and performance optimisations. There were moments of exhilaration – and moments of head-scratching frustration.

But by August 2025, the hard work paid off. We achieved TRL 5 (Technology Readiness Level 5) – meaning our lab-tested prototype successfully validated key parts of our technology under realistic conditions.

Building Towards Demonstration

We’re now entering the final phase of our Smart Grant project and transitioning from design validation to real-world application. Our first full-scale demonstrator unit is well underway, with incredible support from engineering partners including Rexrob. They’re providing key system components, fabrication skills, and integration support to ensure our demonstrator is robust and ready for offsite testing.

The goal: to hit TRL 6 – full system demonstration in a relevant environment – by February 2026.

What Comes Next?

After that milestone, we’ll be ready for our most exciting step yet: a full-scale pilot at a commercial demonstration site, scheduled to begin in Q3 2026. It will be our biggest test to date, and one we’re eager to take on.

By combining a low-cost, modular design with long-life materials and scalable manufacturing, we’re confident that what started in a garage will play a part in shaping the future of green hydrogen.

Stay tuned for more updates as our journey continues.