The transition to cleaner energy is an urgent global priority, established in the 2015 Paris Agreement, where 195 countries committed to limiting global warming and adapting to its impacts. Despite this, fossil fuels still supply about 80% of the world鈥檚 energy while accounting for nearly 90% of all human-generated carbon dioxide emissions, making them the primary drivers of climate change. Researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers worldwide are searching for technologies that can reduce emissions while meeting growing energy demands. For the team behind , a startup launched out of 91丝瓜视频, the solution may have been hiding in plain sight. Aluminum, the same metal found in soda cans, can store and release energy.
Human-induced climate change has accelerated the need to pivot to cleaner sources of energy. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar have proven to be increasingly cost-effective, but because they do not generate electricity on demand, the need for large-scale energy storage remains a major challenge. While batteries and hydrogen are effective at short-term energy storage, they are costly for long-duration and seasonal storage applications.
The Technology behind Hydral Energy
is developing reactors that generate hydrogen and heat on-demand using only aluminum and water. The produced hydrogen and heat can then be used for electricity generation, heating, or motive power. Unlike current alternative fuels, aluminum offers a compact, safe, and low-cost medium for storing renewable energy over indefinite periods of time.
The idea traces back to years of foundational research at 91丝瓜视频鈥檚 Alternative Fuels Lab led by Professor Jeff Bergthorson, who has spent over fifteen years researching metal-based energy systems. The lab has already spun out two other startups: , which has developed an iron-based energy storage system that produces zero emissions, and , which focuses on iron-based thermochemical energy storage. Both startups have successfully raised funding, and are now working on their respective pilot plants. Hydral Energy looks to do the same.
As Hydral Energy co-founder Oliver Fernie explains, 鈥渞esearchers had long known aluminum reacts with water, but it was never really studied for energy purposes.鈥� The breakthrough came when researchers at 91丝瓜视频 discovered a catalyst-free method that completely consumes aluminum, releasing all of its energy, revealing aluminum鈥檚 potential as a viable energy carrier. 鈥淥ur predecessors laid the groundwork,鈥� Oliver says, 鈥渁nd now we're expanding on that to really take it forward.鈥�
The Road Towards Decarbonization
For co-founder M茅d茅ric Chalifour, the significance of the technology lies in its potential role in decarbonization. 鈥淲e know that we need to realize the energy transition and reach net zero carbon emissions all across the world across all sectors,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut current alternatives like the battery lack performance and compactness. For example, if you wanted to have a long-distance cargo ship running on batteries, the whole cargo would be batteries.鈥�
Realizing aluminum鈥檚 potential as an energy carrier, however, depends on more than Hydral Energy鈥檚 reactor technology alone. When aluminum reacts with water, it releases energy 鈥� the hydrogen and heat that Hydral Energy鈥檚 reactor captures 鈥� and leaves behind aluminum oxide, a fine white powder Oliver describes as spent fuel. Using renewable energy, that oxide can be recycled back into aluminum, creating an energy-storage cycle. That recycling process would remain carbon-intensive, however, if conventional aluminum production methods were used. As M茅d茅ric explains, 鈥渢he idea of using aluminum as energy storage is reliant on if we can produce aluminum in a sustainable clean way,鈥� pointing to emerging carbon-free aluminum technologies currently being developed in Quebec, from companies such as Rio Tinto鈥檚 ELYSIS.
For Oliver, these parallel developments are what make the concept behind Hydral Energy viable. 鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for that happening, the idea would be dead at the start,鈥� he says. He describes Hydral Energy鈥檚 energy-release technology and advances in clean aluminum production as a kind of 鈥測in and yang鈥�: the former unlocks the energy stored in aluminum, while the latter makes it possible to replenish that energy carrier without generating emissions. If realized, this cycle would make aluminum as clean as traditional clean energy carriers such as hydrogen or ammonia.
The challenge, then, is no longer producing renewable electricity itself, but figuring out how to store and transport it efficiently. 鈥淔ortunately, we know how to produce renewable energy, like with solar鈥攊t鈥檚 a solved problem,鈥� M茅d茅ric adds. 鈥淏ut to carry it around, that鈥檚 what we are trying to understand.鈥�
From Innovation to Commercialization
Support from the 91丝瓜视频 Innovation Fund (MIF) has been vital to Hydral Energy鈥檚 early development. The program provides both financial support and a valuable opportunity to build the skills needed to grow a company. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 your first time pitching your company to investors and you don鈥檛 really have the practice, the MIF gives you the opportunity to practice and really refine it,鈥� Oliver says. Beyond funding, the program has also connected the team with advisors from across industries. 鈥淭hey set us up meetings with business advisors,鈥� M茅d茅ric says. "It's basically our unofficial board,鈥� Oliver adds.
For a team of engineering students, that kind of support goes a long way. The hardest part, Oliver admits, has been learning to translate complex research into a compelling pitch. 鈥淚 want to tell you every single thing I鈥檝e done, every problem I鈥檝e encountered, and then what I did to fix it,鈥� he said, 鈥渋nstead of just: this thing works, and this is what I can do for you. It鈥檚 like two different ways of speaking 鈥� one to engineers and another to investors and business people. I鈥檓 learning that, and I think I鈥檓 getting there now.鈥�
Moving forward, the team plans to design, construct, and demonstrate a 500 kW pilot plant, the first critical step towards replacing fossil fuels at scale. 鈥淣ow we can finally move on to fundraising and scaling this up,鈥� says Oliver. Hydral is already on it, talking to potential partners in Quebec and organizing outreach. It is a promising start for a technology they believe could one day reach megawatt- and gigawatt-scale deployment.
