Aug 3, 2022

Aurora Hydrogen raises $10M Series A; microwave pyrolysis of natural gas for efficient low-carbon hydrogen production Canada-based Aurora Hydrogen, a company developing emission-free hydrogen production technology, has raised $10 million in Series A funding led by Energy Innovation Capital. Participating investors include Williams, Shell Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures and the George Kaiser Family Foundation. This funding adds to additional funding by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) that the team received earlier this year. As the world looks to quickly decarbonize transportation and industry, hydrogen demand is expected to increase rapidly, from $130 billion today to $2.5 T in 2025, according to the Hydrogen Council. There is an accompanying need to develop new low-cost and low-carbon technologies for hydrogen production. Aurora Hydrogen is scaling its proprietary and highly efficient microwave pyrolysis technology to produce hydrogen and solid carbon from natural gas without generating CO2 emissions or consuming water. Aurora’s technology is highly scalable, with units that can supply a broad range of applications from distributed fueling to hydrogen injection and industrial processes. Aurora uses 80% less electricity than electrolysis, the conventional method of producing clean hydrogen, requiring far less electrical generation capacity per kg of hydrogen. And, unlike electrolysis, the process does not require water as a feedstock, preserving another critical and scarce resource. At Aurora, we are producing low-cost hydrogen at the point of use, at the exact scale required, and without generating any CO2. We use existing energy pipelines and distribution systems to move the energy, then produce hydrogen where it’s needed, eliminating the need for any new costly hydrogen transportation infrastructure. —Andrew Gillis, CEO, Aurora Hydrogen The recent funding will be used to build and operate a 200 kg-H2/day demonstration plant for field trials in Edmonton, Canada.