14.10.2026
Stargate Hydrogen Launches STARDUST®: Ceramic Electrode Technology That Lowers the Cost of Green Hydrogen Without the Use of Precious Metals.
Proprietary ceramic coating increases the stack efficiency to 48 kWh/kg on alkaline electrolysers with zero platinum-group metals, reducing the levelized cost of green hydrogen.
TALLINN, ESTONIA, 14/10/2026 — Stargate Hydrogen, the European electrolyser technology company, today announced the commercial availability of STARDUST®, a proprietary ceramic catalyst that increases the output efficiency of its alkaline electrolysers stacks to 48 kWh/kg while eliminating all dependency on iridium and other platinum-group metals (PGMs).
STARDUST® is not a new product category. It is an enhancement built directly into Stargate Hydrogen's existing product line, available today in stacks up to 0.5 MW, with integration into the 5 MW stack underway. Customers receive the performance improvement with no system redesign needed and no change to the balance of plant.
"STARDUST® is the moment Stargate Hydrogen's technology becomes something investors and project developers can quantify. We have spent years building the ceramic catalyst science behind this coating. Now it can be shipped in every 0.5 MW stack that leaves our factory, and the performance numbers speak for themselves. This is not a roadmap item. It is available today." Marko Virkebau, CEO, Stargate Hydrogen
For project developers and EPC contractors, STARDUST® reduces electricity consumption per kilogram of hydrogen produced, translating directly to a lower levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). The efficiency gain compounds across the project lifetime: a stack with a longer expected electrode lifetime, producing hydrogen at improved conversion rates, changes the economics of projects that have historically been marginal at current electricity prices.
For investors, STARDUST® represents productized intellectual property backed by patent filing and manufactured at scale in Tallinn. Stargate Hydrogen's factory currently produces 140 MW annually, with capacity expandable to 1 GW+ through incremental investment. The technology is CE certified and fully compliant with Made in Europe requirements.
"The challenge in alkaline electrode research is achieving higher activity without introducing precious metals. STARDUST® solves both. The ceramic matrix we developed supports a long electrode lifetime while delivering a 48 kWh/kg efficiency uplift at a stack level. That combination, independently confirmed, is what makes this technically significant." Rainer Kungas, CTO, Stargate Hydrogen
The electrolyser industry has long operated under a structural constraint: PEM electrolysers offer high efficiency but depend on iridium and platinum, metals that are expensive, supply-constrained, and largely processed outside Europe. Alkaline systems avoid that dependency but have historically underperformed PEM on efficiency. STARDUST® closes most of that performance gap while remaining in the alkaline cost class. It uses a non-PGM ceramic formulation; the exact composition is proprietary and patent-protected.
Manufactured in Estonia, STARDUST® gives European infrastructure projects a credible domestic alternative at a time when supply-chain sovereignty has become a policy priority under the European Green Deal and IPCEI frameworks. Stargate Hydrogen holds IPCEI status, placing it among a select group of companies backed by the EU to deliver large-scale cross-border hydrogen infrastructure.
Official Launch Video
About Stargate Hydrogen: Stargate Hydrogen is a European electrolyser technology company developing industrial hydrogen production systems for infrastructure and energy resilience projects. The company deploys precious-metal-free alkaline electrolysers for energy-intensive industries transitioning away from grey hydrogen, including refining, ammonia, methanol, e-methane, and steel production. Stargate Hydrogen is backed by committed investors such as Repsol, and trusted by clients including Fortum, Utilitas, ABB, and Rockfin, among many others across Europe, Turkey, and India.
Media Contact
- Fernando Soares de Camargo -
