The war in Ukraine, as well as blackouts and rising electricity costs, have forced Europe and much of the world to rethink their approach to energy consumption. Now many governments are looking for a solution to additional generation among alternative sources, but are still hesitant because of the specificity of such energy, as it is almost impossible to store it for a long time.

There is a solution – the amount of electricity that is not immediately consumed can be directed to the production of green hydrogen. It can be stored for years, and if the electricity generated from renewable sources becomes insufficient, hydrogen can be used for its production. In addition, it can be used instead of gas without harming the environment and even more efficiently.

Gilman Industries LLC, founded in 2011 by Brian Gilman and Spencer Teplin, proposed an innovative device to produce this environmentally friendly energy carrier. In October of the same year, the entrepreneurs created an electrolyzer with a polymer electrolyte membrane based on traditional design and technology. But it turned out to be quite expensive, as well as difficult to operate and maintain, since it required perfect pressure and deionized water.

Gilman and Teplin went back to the drawing board and developed a new model that exceeded all expectations. The Evolve electrolyzer was made to work with any source of water (sea, river, drinking water and even sewage) and energy – alternative or classic grid.

To achieve this efficiency, the entrepreneurs spent several years testing different iterations of their invention to find the perfect one.

They used electrically conductive polymers to reduce pollution and oxidation. This research led them to create a unique polymer that outperformed standard platinum electrodes and outlived them by a factor of 13. In addition, it turned out that the used polymer could be recycled three times before needing to be replaced with a new one.

In production, most of the new electrolyzer model can be pressurized, and it takes only 2 hours to form and assemble the unit.

Several companies and organizations in New York City see Evolve as a very worthwhile investment and an opportunity to address a number of community issues, including employment. One such group is the Nassau and Suffolk County Building Council. The local electrolyzer facility will be able to meet the need for bulk hydrogen equipment, creating thousands of jobs.

The fact is that the Evolve can be mass-produced with automation, just like any similar machine, but it can also be assembled manually with an ordinary torque wrench. This fact makes the electrolyzer a good candidate for production by workers not only with different skill levels, but also with developmental peculiarities.

An interesting fact – Evolve has a double positive effect, because for every kilogram of hydrogen it also produces 8 kg of oxygen. This can be used in waste recycling plants, where it is oxygen that is the main driving force of the whole process, because it activates the process of waste fermentation.

In 2022, Evolve was selected as the winner of the DOE Hydrogen Shot Incubator Prize in the field of hydrogen incubators.

Gilman Industries is now actively testing their invention “in the field” so to speak. A few months ago, the electrolyzers successfully started working at the University of Calgary, Canada, and are now being tested at some facilities in New York.

The company assures that the Evolve electrolyzer will become commercially available this year, as demand for the innovative device is only growing due to its practicality and reliability.

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