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Everything About Hydrogen

Everything About Hydrogen

Written by: Hydrogen Media Ltd
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Welcome to our podcast: Everything About Hydrogen, the show that converts the technical to the relatable and explores how hydrogen and its derivative technologies are changing the energy world as we know it.℗ & © 2021 Hydrogen Media Economics Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Our Mission is No Emissions with Cornelius Matthes, CEO of Dii Desert Energy

    Our Mission is No Emissions with Cornelius Matthes, CEO of Dii Desert Energy
    Oct 21 2026
    ‘Our Mission is No Emissions’ with Cornelius Matthes, CEO of Dii Desert EnergyThe team had the honor of speaking with Cornelius Matthes, the CEO of Dii Desert Energy and the MENA Hydrogen Alliance. A leader in renewable energy, especially EMEA, we chat about his life trajectory, what makes a good conference, or party, for that matter 😊 and how the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) partners benefit from working with the organization. We also discuss the unfolding clean energy revolution and ways to accelerate change. About Cornelius:Cornelius Matthes is a well-respected leader and investor in the renewable energy industry, building several successful clean energy businesses and start-ups within the Middle East and Africa. He has extensive board level experience from 10 years at Deutsche Bank (among others, youngest board member in Deutsche Bank Italy Group) and several leading renewable energy organizations and associations via pro bono work as well as different startup companies.By building the international shareholder and partner network of Desertec Dii, Cornelius is at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution in North Africa and the Middle East. A keen entrepreneur and investor in emerging markets with recognitions such as “Solar Pioneer 2015” for the Middle East and the Visionary CleanTech Influencer of The Year 2022 by World Cleantech Awards. He lectures at several universities including St. Gallen and is a regular speaker at international conferences. He holds an MBA (Dipl. Kaufmann) from University of Passau, and speaks German, English, Italian, French and Russian.His experience ranges from M&A transactions, asset management, developing utility scale renewable energy projects (including mid-market with private PPAs), pay-as-you-go solar to energy efficiency, including ESCO projects, clean hydrogen, ammonia and new business models. Some of the projects and companies were executed in challenging settings or countries. He has led sizable organizations both in startup environments and blue-chip companies and has raised funds from angel investments to US$100M projects with institutional investors. About Dii Desert Energy: Dii Desert Energy is an independent, international, industry network operating from Dubai. With its footprint in MENA, it isconnecting people, countries and clean energy markets globally, paving the way for “net zero emission”, secure and affordableenergy from the deserts. Dii Desert Energy aims at transforming the energy systems in desert areas of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in a holistic way, benefitting from the knowledge, expertise, and business connections from its professional staff and partners, including a top-level Advisory Board. Dii’s team consists of well-respected senior professionals in the international energy market, with experience in (green) energy industry management, projects, investments, regulations and public policy.Dii GmbH, the legal entity of Dii Desert Energy, was launched in 2009 as an industry initiative in Germany (formerly ‘Desertec Industrial Initiative’) for accelerating the energy transition in the MENA region and export of “net zero emission” energy. Dii believes that once the domestic needs have been sufficiently satisfied with emission free energy, MENAwill become a ‘Powerhouse’ of clean energy, both electrical power (electrons) and gases,fuels or solids (molecules including hydrogen), serving the world energy markets. In 2019, Dii launched the MENA Hydrogen Alliance, which brings together privateand public sector actors as well as science and academia to kick-start green hydrogeneconomies. The Alliance provides a platform for partners to meet and discuss pathwaysforward, to formulate common studies and connect producers and off-takers. The alliance acts as an impartial advisor to promote initiatives in the region, elaborates (potential) business cases and structure for large projects, proposes the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks, and educates different stakeholders on all relevant aspects of the hydrogen value chain, from ‘source to sink’, including export of virtual (renewable and carbon characteristics) and physical energy carriers.In 2023, Dii launched a new initiative, the Zero Emissions Traders Alliance (ZETA), based in Dubai. Its aim is to create a global platform for clean energy traders, giving substance to Dii’s “no emissions” mission. ZETA will, thus, help energy markets and energy traders to reduce and avoid “greenhouse” effects based on market principles. In this context, Dii Desert Energy is giving guidance to climate neutral energy traders, energy suppliers and the off-takers community with a footprint in MENA.Dii Desert Energy is connecting the regional and international industry with authoritiesand institutions and focuses in particular on practical conditions along the emission-freeenergy value chains. Dii’s platform of more than 120 companies from ...
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    52 mins
  • Happy Anniversary VP with Chris Dudfield, CTO of Intelligent Energy

    Happy Anniversary VP with Chris Dudfield, CTO of Intelligent Energy
    Sep 15 2026

    Chris Jackson and Alicia Eastman had the opportunity to speak with Chris Dudfield, CTO of Intelligent Energy on its 25th anniversary since founding in 2001.

    Dudfield detailed shifting applications over the years from an early automotive focus to material handling, aviation, drones, and now data center backup power. He noted that technology has improved massively: stack lifetimes rose from ~100 to 20,000+ hours and former use of platinum for the same power equipment was 25 times higher than today. Costs also fell from ~$660,000/kW in the 1950s toward ~$1,000 today.

    Dudfield outlined some major milestones including the first manned hydrogen fuel cell flight (~2008), BMW's Leipzig automated guided vehicles, and aviation R&D with GKN Aerospace and Sky News. A new Northamptonshire site currently uses on-site solar/wind and electrolysis to generate hydrogen for testing.

    EAH hosts closed on the wider UK hydrogen ecosystem (Protium, Geopura, ZeroAvia, Airbus) and expanding civilian drone uses like wildfire response.

    Chris Dudfield

    Chris Dudfield is the Chief Technology Officer of Intelligent Energy, a UK PEM fuel cell company he's been with since its 2001 founding, with roughly 35–40 years in the fuel cell industry (PhD sponsored by British Gas, CTO since ~2016). Under his leadership, the company has developed technology spanning the first manned hydrogen fuel cell flight (~2008), BMW's automated guided vehicles in Leipzig, UAV/drone power, and stationary backup power (including work with Sky News and GKN Aerospace on aviation R&D)

    Intelligent Energy

    Intelligent Energy is a leading UK-based hydrogen fuel cell company developing and manufacturing zero-emission power systems from 800W to multi-MW for applications including aerospace, drones, data centres, material handling and stationary power. Headquartered in Loughborough, the company combines decades of fuel cell expertise with innovative technologies, including its patented air-cooled and evaporatively cooled fuel cell platforms, to deliver lightweight and reliable power solutions that help customers reduce emissions without compromising performance.

    Over 25 years, stack lifetimes rose from ~100 to 20,000+ hours while previous platinum use was ~25 times higher than today. The company runs R&D from Loughborough plus a solar/wind-powered hydrogen test site in Northamptonshire, and is a key player in the UK hydrogen ecosystem alongside firms like ZeroAvia, GKN Aerospace, and Airbus.

    --

    Links:

    https://www.intelligent-energy.com/news/category/company-news/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_Energy?wprov=sfti1#
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    46 mins
  • The Response with renowned author and journalist David Shukman.

    The Response with renowned author and journalist David Shukman.
    Aug 15 2026

    David Shukman, former BBC science editor and author of The Response, joined the podcast to discuss how climate change is already causing serious harm, e.g. 2022 UK wildfires that destroyed 40+ homes, hospital IT failures, and the Bordeaux-area fires. He digs into why adaptation should not be seen as giving up on emissions elimination. He traced oil industry denial tactics back to a 1959 API conference and compared them to Big Tobacco’s playbook, while contrasting China’s aggressive clean-tech push (hydrogen, EVs, solar) with Western retreat. Despite the grim data, he is optimistic, arguing solutions are now cheap and available.

    About David Shukman:

    As the BBC’s first Science Editor, David Shukman led its coverage of the environment for nearly twenty years.

    Praised by Sir David Attenborough as “a leader in raising awareness of the climate emergency”, he won awards for his pioneering broadcasts from remote frontlines including the Arctic and the Amazon.

    After beginning his BBC career reporting on The Troubles in Northern Ireland, David became Defence and Diplomatic Correspondent witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall and covering the aftermath of the Cold War. His assignments took him to mote than 100 countries.

    From 2003 to 2021, climate change was one of David's priorities and he reported from a dozen of the UN's climate summits.

    Now working as an independent speaker and consultant, David is a Visiting Professor in Practice at the LSE’s Grantham Research Institute, a member of the Advisory Board of Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and an adviser to The Goals House.

    Launched in May 2026, David’s new book: ‘The Response: A Story of Fire and Flood in Britain's New World of Extremes’, focuses on the human costs of climate impact and what we can do about it.

    --

    Links:

    Shukman’s new book:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Response-Story-Flood-Britains-Extremes/dp/1529144280

    Shukman website/blog:

    https://davidshukman.com/

    Shukman LinkedIn profile:

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-shukman-3b1b1658
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    52 mins
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