As Ontario advances hydrogen adoption, a company based out of the province is pushing toward the forefront of Canada’s clean energy transition by developing “groundbreaking hydrogen production technologies that have the potential to transform industries globally.”
Ottawa’s CleanInnoGen Energy Solutions posits that the firm’s cleantech innovation could decarbonize key sectors in Canada and beyond while also opening new pathways for hydrogen production at scale.
CleanInnoGen is currently in the process of commercializing two technologies.
The first leverages the Copper-Chlorine Cycle, a thermochemical process designed for efficient hydrogen production. This process produces hydrogen from high-temperature heat sources, including nuclear energy such as large-scale reactors and small modular reactors.
Thermochemical water splitting hydrogen production technology has been recognized by the US Department of Energy as a pathway to achieve a “Net Zero” economy. This solution can decarbonize heavy industries such as steel and cement, where high energy demands and emissions can prove challenging to address.
CleanInnoGen’s second technology extracts hydrogen from sour gas using a novel molten metal process.
This method targets the natural gas sector, offering a solution for producing hydrogen directly from sour gas reserves, aiming to enhance the efficiency of production while also providing a scalable way to reduce the carbon footprint of industry.
“At CleanInnoGen, we are dedicated to advancing cutting-edge solutions that will contribute to the global clean energy transition,” the company states online. “Our two hydrogen production technologies represent the next generation of energy innovation, focusing on reducing carbon emissions while meeting the growing demand for hydrogen in industries worldwide.”
CleanInnoGen is actively working to scale and commercialize its technologies, and to do so, the entity has been pushing for strategic partners and investors to help bring solutions to market.
Last year the Canadian company began working with Kingston Process Metallurgy to commercialize a hydrogen production technology that removes hydrogen from the hydrogen sulfide in sour gas.
Sour gas makes up about one-third of all natural gas wells in Canada and hydrogen sulfide is found in high concentrations in natural gas in the middle east. The hydrogen produced by this process can be blended with natural gas for decarbonization. Additionally, gas wells that are shut in because of sour gas can be re-opened for hydrogen and sweet gas production.
CleanInnoGen Energy Solutions was founded by Victoria Xu and Terry Kimmel in 2020. The firm was named to the 2023 edition of The Foresight 50. Applications for the 2025 edition of The Foresight 50 are now open.