Tesla, SpaceX alums close energy sector white whale in $2 million seed round – TechCrunch

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Hydrogen has been Decarbonized Energy Sector White Whale.

Wild and highly versatile, it has long had the potential to carbonate all sectors of the economy. From cars and trucks to airplanes, trains, and home heaters, the universe’s light gas is not as short as it could be.

But it is short on successful applications. Cars and trucks? Until yesterday, the last time I saw a hydrogen car was when I test drove the Mercedes fuel cell B-Class… 15 years ago. Airplanes? Not soon. And houses? Japan is experimenting with the idea, but it may not happen in the near future given the difficulty of reconfiguring the natural gas infrastructure to handle the leaking molecules.

One area where hydrogen shows promise is in heavy industry, where intense heat and dense energy would be difficult to replicate with electric sources. Cost, however, remains a barrier.

That’s where Hgen hopes its modular electrolyzers will make an impact. The startup aims to decarbonize hard-to-crack industries such as steel and ammonia production by focusing on green hydrogen produced using renewable energy. It was founded by Molly Young, a Tesla alum who helped lead the Supercharger, residential energy and industrial energy teams, and Colin Ho, who led Starship power systems at SpaceX.

The company exclusively told TechCrunch that it has raised $2 million in seed funding led by Founders Fund, which was joined by Fontinalis Partners, Climate Capital, Yishan Wong and a handful of other angels.

According to Yang, Hegen is bringing Tesla and SpaceX’s focus to hydrogen production to facilitate the full gadget.

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