Retrospective Stargate 2023: Celebrating a Year of Innovation and Growth in Hydrogen Production. 

As we complete one more trip around the sun, it's time to reflect on the incredible journey we've had at Stargate Hydrogen in 2023! This year has been a testament to our commitment to making a difference in the hydrogen production industry and driving sustainable energy solutions worldwide. We are proud to share this year's retrospective.  

Here's a snapshot of our retrospective for the main milestones: 

Advancements in Technology:

Over the course of 2023, we have taken giant leaps in the lab. While in 2022, our focus was primarily on material development, then in 2023 our efforts were primarily related to how to convert our breakthrough materials into well-performing electrodes. The electrode development work resulted in two new patent applications, and the highly promising results meant that we could proceed immediately to scaling up the technology.

By September, our pilot production team was able to produce electrodes with an active area of almost 1000 cm². The rate at which innovation is done in our R&D lab matches well with one of Stargate’s core values – the sense of urgency. We need to bring new solutions to the market fast because the planet is not waiting.  

Technology validation in 2023:

In early March 2023, The University of Tartu validated Stargate Hydrogen’s approach to developing iridium-free alkaline electrolyser materials. In July 2023, the Fraunhofer Institute (IFAM) in Dresden carried out performance tests of Stargate proprietary electrodes – the performance was deemed excellent, validating our in-house electrode test results.    

Retrospective of our global collaborations:  

• In 2023 McPhy and Stargate signed a technology Partnership to accelerate cooperation in electrodes for next-generation alkaline electrolysers.  
• Stargate Hydrogen kicked off the new green hydrogen project in Gran Canaria funded by the European Union.   

Production Milestones in 2023:

Our workshop has transformed since January, from an empty space to a thriving manufacturing hub and from CAD on a screen to physical hardware. 

Quality Management 2023:

We are proud to announce we’ve developed our Quality Management System to fulfill and exceed the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standard and successfully passed the ISO 9001 certification audit. We have already received our ISO 9001:2015 certification that covers our all three of our locations. 

• Scope: R&D of ceramic catalysts and electrodes. Development, assembly and sales of electrolyser stacks and -systems for hydrogen production. 

Events Participation Retrospective:  

• European Hydrogen Week 2023 in Brussels 
• Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe in Bremen 
• 6th Industry Workshop - The Future of Alkaline Water Electrolysis, Dresden 
• Electrochemical Society’s 244th Meeting in Gothenburg 
• World Circular Economy Forum WCEF, Helsinki 
• Estonian Hydrogen Days, Tallinn 
• HyVolution Summit, Paris 
• H2POLAND - The Central European Hydrogen Technology Forum, Poland 
• 1^st IPCEI Hydrogen Conference, Berlin 

Thought Leadership and Education Retrospective:

The launch of the Hydrogen Blog. There you will find the latest news, insights, and educational articles about the process and importance of green hydrogen production, and its role in a sustainable future powered by renewable energy.   

2023 Award:

Stargate is highlighted on the European Hydrogen Tech25 list.  Top 25 Hydrogen Company

Customer Success Stories:  

• Rockfin and Stargate Hydrogen announced the completion of their first pilot hydrogen project and the signing of a framework agreement. The pilot project involved integrating a 10 kW stack by Stargate Hydrogen's Stellar series into Rockfin's innovative system, called "mini-Green Box". 
   
• Milani and Stargate Hydrogen announced a partnership on hydrogen production system integration and the first joint project. Milani has received 100 kW Stellar stacks for a green hydrogen demonstration installation in Italy.  Milani is on a mission to accelerate the transition to clean energy for their clients across Southern Europe utilizing Stargate’s Alkaline Stack.  
  
• NextHeat and Stargate Hydrogen Announce Strategic Cooperation to Offer Solutions in Sustainable Hydrogen-based Industrial Heat 
   

New Joiners Retrospective:

During the past year, we have grown to an outstanding 41 team members! Welcome to all our new members:  

Automation Engineering Team 

• Risto Randla - Head of Automation Engineering in Automation 
• Tarmo Ronk - Automation Engineer in Automation Engineering 

Business Development Team 

• Aniket Choudhari - Senior Business Development Manager in Business Development 
• Fernando Soares de Camargo - Marketing Manager in Business Development 

Cell & Stack Testing Team 

• Ronald Väli - Head of Cell and Stack Testing in Cell & Stack Testing 
• Merajul Islam - Test Technician in Cell & Stack Testing 
• Andréia Axelrud Nunes - Laboratory Technician in Cell & Stack Testing 
• Mona Tammemägi - Laboratory Technician in Cell & Stack Testing 
• Patrick Teppor - R&D Scientist in Cell & Stack Testing 

Documentation & Certification Team 

• Merlin-Eliise Salus - Documentation Engineer in Documentation & Certification 

Electrical Engineering Team 

• Martin Plaado - Electrical & Automation Project Manager in Electrical Engineering 

Finance Team 

• Anu Tamm - Senior Accountant in Finance 

Procurement Team 

• Timo Tamm - Procurement Manager in Procurement 

Product & Project Management Team 

• Victor Nikitin - Head of Application Engineering in Product & Project Management 

Production Team 

• Roman Alperin - Senior Production Engineer in Production 
• Virgo Mandre - Technician in Production 
• Madis Pääbo - Assembly Engineer in Production 

Quality Management Team 

• Piret Mägi - Head of Quality in Quality Management 

Research & Development Team 

• Priit Priimägi - Simulation Engineer in Research & Development 
• Rashmi Raddi - Patent Counsel in Research & Development 

Stack Development Team 

• Eliis Penu - Junior Mechanical Engineer in Stack Development 

System Architecture Team 

• Mario Mumm - Mechanical Engineer in System Architecture 
• Karolin Madsen - Mechanical Engineer in System Architecture 

System Development Team 

• Rubén Canalejas Pérez - Head of Systems Development in System Development 
• Vitali Burzak - Electrical Engineer in Electrical Engineering 
• Paap Urbanus - Lead Process Equipment Engineer in System Development 
• Jevgeni Kaev - Lead Process Engineer in System Development 

Retrospective Final thoughts:

As we say goodbye to 2023, the feeling is of gratitude to our employees, partners, customers, and stakeholders who have been integral to our journey. Wrapping up the retrospective we are now looking ahead to 2024, excited about the endless possibilities, and remain committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation while contributing to a cleaner, greener planet.  

🌱 Together we enable the industry of tomorrow