Brno-based Czech startup unveils prototype of more efficient hydrogen generator

Brno-based startup Nano Advanced today unveiled a working laboratory prototype of a hydrogen generator. According to co-founder and scientist Jakub Drnec, it is a revolutionary innovation because the generator is controlled by artificial intelligence according to the current power input and is made up of multiple electrolyzer stacks. Thanks to its modular design and the materials used, it has a service life up to five times longer than existing devices, while the electrolyzer achieves an efficiency of 70 to 85 percent, compared with the usual 55 to 65 percent, he said at a press conference today.

Within a year and a half, Drnec and his colleague and co-founder Pavel Srbecký plan to have a prototype of an industrial generator with an output of one megawatt, consisting of 100 electrolyzer stacks. The software, controlled by artificial intelligence, can activate individual stacks according to the amount of electricity available. „The device is therefore an excellent solution for periods when it is very windy or sunny and there is a surplus of electricity from renewable sources on the market. It is exactly what we need if renewable sources are to make up half of the Czech Republic’s energy mix in the future,“ said Industry Minister Lukáš Vlček (STAN).

The company is targeting medium-sized businesses with its solution, whether they are companies in the chemical industry or transport operators that want to run hydrogen-powered buses. „They can put the container wherever they have, for example, solar panels, and produce hydrogen on site, without having to transport it,“ said Drnec, who has been working on the development for 20 years. According to him, artificial intelligence was what made it possible to build a generator with 100 stacks. „Until then, it was difficult and almost impossible to control a machine like this,“ Drnec added.

Although the industrial prototype is still to be developed and serial production will only begin afterward, demand is already considerable, and the Brno-based startup is in talks with interested parties in Czechia and abroad. „Demand for green hydrogen exceeds supply. It can be used as a source for generating electricity again, as well as a raw material in industry. According to a European Commission study, demand will increase by 30.000 percent in ten years,“ Drnec noted.

The prototype’s development was completed with support from the state, the South Moravian Innovation Centre and MND, which has historically been an oil and natural gas producer but has increasingly taken part in projects involving renewable energy sources in recent years. „We have been working with green hydrogen for several years as a suitable means of storing electricity and as an energy source. This is an excellent way to store energy efficiently,“ said Jana Hamršmídová, director of MND’s Energy division.

The company developed the generator in close collaboration with Czech companies and suppliers, so the device is largely Czech-made.