The Hydrogen Breakthrough: Disrupting Energy with Sodium Borohydride

Innovation Briefing: Solid Hydrogen Storage and the H2 Fuel TransitionExecutive SummaryThis document synthesizes the key insights regarding a disruptive innovation in the energy sector: the storage of hydrogen in a solid, salt-like powder form (sodium borohydride, NaBH4​). Developed by the Dutch company H2 Fuel, this technology addresses the primary barriers to the hydrogen economy—safety, storage density, and transport logistics.The technology allows for the safe handling of hydrogen at atmospheric pressure, provides ten times the transport capacity of gaseous hydrogen, and yields double the hydrogen output during the extraction process by splitting the carrier water. While the technology has faced significant regulatory and economic resistance from established industrial interests, a recent breakthrough in mechanical recycling—achieved through a merger with the Flexgroep—has drastically reduced the energy required to make the process circular. The company is currently transitioning from laboratory success to industrial-scale demonstration.