British startup DRIFT Energy is using artificial intelligence to find the most ideal conditions to produce green hydrogen, and it has already demonstrated its groundbreaking tech at sea.
Tech company Faculty, a partner in the endeavor, detailed how DRIFT's hydrogen-generating boat relies on an algorithm that helps it pinpoint the most favorable winds. During a test run in July 2022, the ship "became the first in the world to produce and store hydrogen at sea."
A two-hour trial resulted in the creation of six liters of green hydrogen (around 1.6 gallons), exceeding the expectations of developers. In fact, with a 72.5% load factor, the process was two times more efficient than offshore wind operations.
In August, DRIFT announced that it obtained £4.65 million (around $6.1 million at the current exchange rate) in seed capital funding led by Octopus Ventures with Blue Action Accelerator's support.
It's no surprise the technology is catching the eye of investors, as the breakthrough has sparked optimism that more solutions are on the way as the planet aims to transition to a cleaner electrical grid. According to S&P Global, the Energy Institute found that 82% of the global energy mix came from oil, gas, and coal in 2021.
While that percentage was 3 points lower than in 2018 (per S&P Global), experts have warned that the world needs to do more to reduce pollution from dirty fuels, which account for more than 75% of heat-trapping gases warming the Earth at an accelerated rate, according to the United Nations.
Ultimately, DRIFT founder and CEO Ben Medland believes the technology can help the more than 65 million people living on islands transition to cleaner fuels. Land availability and geography have made adopting low-cost clean energy solutions challenging for some nations. However, the startup's scalable system can operate on more than 70% of the planet, as the company estimates.
Along with clean ammonia, green hydrogen is a type of alternative fuel that doesn't release heat-trapping pollution when burned. In order for hydrogen to be "green," the production process has to be powered by renewable energy sources.
DRIFT explains that its sailing vessels produce hydrogen by feeding a "megawatt class electrolyser" energy harvested by its underwater turbines. The artificial intelligence algorithm, developed in collaboration with Faculty, ensures the green yacht can stay in "optimum weather conditions," generally a major hurdle to the production efficiency of renewables like wind and solar.
The startup, established in 2021, has also received funds from Innovate UK's Investor Partnership Programme, per the release. It aims to accomplish its first keel-laying next year.
"This funding enables us to drive with momentum into the next phase of our mission," Medland said in the release. "We will work closely with Octopus and our advisory teams to bring our vision of 'Oceans of Energy' to life with that all-important first net positive."
"[Our] mission is to help scale groundbreaking technologies that preserve marine environments and support coastal-dependent communities," Blue Action Accelerator co-founder George Northcott stated. "DRIFT is the ultimate example of that. … We are thrilled to be supporting them as they build their first vessels and bring a vision to life."
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