5/28/2026
SOVEREIGNTY FOR EUROPEAN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
elementarhy enables 95% less dependency
The world needs green hydrogen for fertilizers, CO₂-neutral products and fuels. In Europe, leading technology providers such as Sunfire, Thyssenkrupp, Siemens Energy and Bosch have invested several million euros to make the dream of an emission-free society come true. European hydrogen customers from the steel industry and fertilizer industry as well as other hydrogen consumers have plans for over 30 gigawatts of electrolysis capacity. In Germany alone, according to the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne, ten gigawatts are planned by 2030.
The production of hydrogen is relatively simple in theory: Water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen in an electrolysis process. To ensure the competitiveness of green hydrogen as an energy source against conventional methods, the price of hydrogen must be correspondingly low. Hydrogen must become competitive with fossil alternatives. In concrete terms this means: Production costs of less than two euros per kilogram of hydrogen. But the dream of an emission-free society can fail due to expensive technology that is difficult or slow to scale.
In the case of modern PEM electrolyzers such as those from Siemens Energy, there are critical raw materials that are indispensable for the manufacture of a key component: membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). The MEA is the central chip of the electrolyzer, defining performance and durability. PEM electrolysis accounts for around half of the electrolysis capacity planned in Germany by 2030. This involves an expensive precious metal called iridium, which is used in MEAs and is more expensive than gold. At the moment, 500 kilograms of iridium are needed to build one gigawatt of electrolyzer capacity. But with annual global production barely exceeding eight tons, growth in the hydrogen market has been limited – until now.
Given the political and economic risk associated with 90 percent of iridium being sourced from South Africa and Russia, increasing price volatility stemming from international upheaval and market uncertainty, as well as several previous cases of technology loss to foreign countries, it is essential that Europe develops its own cutting-edge technologies.
elementarhy offers exactly that: The start-up, which emerged from the research laboratories of the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology in Greifswald, requires only 25 kilograms of iridium per gigawatt of installed electrolyzer capacity as opposed to the current standard of 500 kilograms, thus enabling hydrogen ramp-up.
The team including Gustav Sievers and Zahra Nasri, has developed a plasma process to apply iridium with atomic precision without binders instead of as a thick, chemical paste. As there is no need for susceptible organic carrier substances, extremely high operational stability of more than 80,000 hours will be possible in the future, with 95% less material usage.
This also convinced the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation: elementarhy received a validation order from SPRIND in 2025 and has been focusing on the aspect of durability ever since. Through its expertise in electrochemistry and plasma process technology, the elementarhy team will develop methods to extend the predictable service life and operational stability of MEAs under real-life conditions. The aim is to achieve operating times that were previously considered impossible. As a result, the MEAs need to be replaced less frequently, which significantly reduces operating costs. Their approach also strengthens the long-term ecological and economic sustainability of green hydrogen production. The low use of raw materials means that the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy is decoupled from critical raw material bottlenecks and, at the same time, the technology is safeguarded against future environmental regulations through the significant reduction of PFAS and toxic solvents – which guarantees a long-term, pollutant-free value chain.
In the next step, elementarhy will start scaling up to the megawatt range with a stack manufacturer so that green hydrogen production can really take off.
