This week we will examine a breakthrough in the race to cheaper Hydrogen production. We also investigate a Robot Photographer that will perfect your AirBnB photos. Finally we look at an innovative way to identify cyberattacks earlier.
Cheaper Hydrogen
In the pursuit of an alternative to fossil fuels there is a race between the cost of producing Hydrogen and the cost of batteries. Both have superior use cases in some instances however there is a range of applications where the dominant technology will mostly be based upon price and connivence.
Australian Startup Hysata, recently spun out of University of Wollongong, has just published their research related to its hydrogen electrolyser technology. They claim their technology provides a clear path to hydrogen production costs of “well below” $2 per kilogram.
A kilogram of hydrogen holds 39.4kWh of energy however it typically takes 52.5 kWh of energy to separate the hydrogen via current electrolyser technology. Using excess solar energy that has a zero marginal cost of production means that we can produce hydrogen without incurring an energy cost. However it still currently costs approximately US$6 per kilogram to produce. Hysata has reduced that energy cost to 41.5kWh per kilo whilst reducing the cost of installation and running the electrolysers. The company promises green hydrogen costs of US$1.50 per kilo within the next few years. They expect to reach gigawatt scale production in 2025.
Electrolysers have been around for 200 years however the cost of energy and production has prevented the uptake of hydrogen as an energy source until recently. The International Renewable Energy Agency’s 2050 cost target for hydrogen production at scale was $2 per kilogram. Hysata appears to have beaten this target by more than 25 years.
Hydrogen Powered Train
Whilst we are talking about Hydrogen, Alstom has presented their latest Hydrogen powered train. The first hydrogen powered train went into commercial service in Germany in 2018. This latest vehicle is the first Hydrogen powered passenger train.
The train emits low levels of noise along with an exhaust of steam and water. The train is designed for non electrified lines.
Photographer Robot
Researchers at Cornell University have improved on their algorithms and the machine learning behind AutoPhoto, a ground robot that can automatically explore an environment to capture an aesthetic photo. The robot-photographer has an image evaluation algorithm that scores the aesthetics and beauty of the images that it takes. The robot keeps moving and taking photos until it has a photo that meets its’ standards.
Early uses are for real estate listings and airbnb posts however the robot may be adapted for use in war zones and other areas where it is dangerous for human photographers. You can see AutoPhoto in action here. It won’t be long before we have robot and drone photographers taking our wedding and party photos automatically.
Identifying Cyberattacks
This week the US Government warned businesses in the US that they have intelligence that Russia is planning a large series of cyberattacks on American businesses as part of their retaliation for the US’s part in the war in Ukraine.
Canadian startup, Palitronica have developed a new technology to help with early warning of such attacks. The technology combines a small piece of hardware and an AI to determine if power usage in a system is inconsistent with known predicable patterns. If an unusual spike in power consumption is identified an alert can be sent informing administrators that an attack may be underway.
The system is designed to compliment not replace existing security controls. The hardware sits outside the monitored system making it less vulnerable to tampering. It could be used to protect network equipment and computers, water supply systems, telecom infrastructure and transport. Anything that consumes power and that is connected to the internet.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
If you have any questions or comments please comment below.
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Till next week.