Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce
  • Benton Co. Business Resource Initiative
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Membership Directory
    • Member Login
    • Join the Chamber
    • Membership Features
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Stakeholder, Leader, & Growth Level Members
  • EVENTS
    • Chamber Calendar
    • Annual Events >
      • Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon
      • Women in Business Conference
      • State of the Cities
      • Tri-Cities Diversity Summit
      • Elected Leaders Reception
      • Tri-Cities Day with the Seahawks
      • Tri-Cities Day at the Capitol
      • Bridging Partnerships Small Business Symposium
    • Monthly Membership Luncheon
    • Business After Hours
    • Meet the Chamber
    • Ribbon Cutting Request
    • Speaking Opportunities
  • PROGRAMS & SERVICES
    • BUSINESS PROGRAMS >
      • Ask the Experts
      • Economic Gardening
      • Office Depot Savings Program
      • Small Business Incentive Program
    • Workforce & Education >
      • Tri-Cities Regional Career Signing Day
      • Washington Workforce Portal
    • myTRI 2030
    • Business Advocacy >
      • Public Policy Guiding Principles
      • Business Advocacy Letters
      • Session Spotlight
      • Vote for Business
      • TRI-CITIES LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 2023 LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
    • Ambassador Club
    • LEARN Groups
    • Washington PTAC >
      • Meet the Buyer
      • Procurement Power Hour
  • NEWS
    • Press Releases
    • Blog
    • Member News
    • Annual Report
    • eBlast Advertising
    • Email Updates
  • ABOUT US
    • Contact
    • Our Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Committees
    • Policies
    • Our Partners >
      • TRIDEC
      • Visit Tri-Cities

MEMBER NEWS

Fuse: Tri-Cities Startup Raises over $500K to Deploy Innovative Hydrogen Generator

9/2/2022

0 Comments

 
STARS Technology Corporation (“STARS”), a Tri-Cities startup, announced an investment round from local investors to assist with deploying its first protype hydrogen generator for commercial operation.  STARS was founded in 2017 to commercialize a portfolio of cutting-edge hydrogen production technologies licensed from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).  Fuse fund, a made up of local community minded investors based in Richland, Washington, led the financing round at $150K and is the first institutional investor in STARS.  Fuse worked with other local investors to raise over $500K in total. 

The market for hydrogen is expected to grow exponentially over the next few decades driven by the wide adoption of fuel cells in a new class of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).  Fuel cells produce electricity via a hydrogen based chemical reaction and are an ideal alternative to batteries where the weight and/or recharging time of batteries are problematic, given a fuel cell weighs a fraction of an equivalent battery pack and can be refueled in minutes, akin to gasoline powered vehicles.  As the nation transforms to electric propulsion, it is expected that at least 30% of the transportation sector will utilize fuel cells for electricity.  Applications include cars routinely driven long distances, constantly on the go delivery vehicles, long haul trucking, mass transit and even ships and aircraft.  

The advanced STARS hydrogen generator unit operates on a combination of natural gas, water and electricity, incorporating additively-manufactured, microchannel reactors and heat exchangers for highly efficient operation. The units are compact, occupying a small footprint, and modular, enabling their placement on the natural gas grid to deliver affordable hydrogen – at costs below the equivalent use of gasoline – at filling stations and elsewhere wherever hydrogen is needed.

STARS’ first hydrogen generator will be deployed next month by Southern California Gas Company, the nation’s largest natural gas utility, at the SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, CA .  Fed with renewable natural gas, this first commercial demonstration will produce clean hydrogen – meeting the new Federal Clean Hydrogen Standard – for Sunline’s fuel cell buses.  SoCalGas also announced a partnership last week with Ford Motor Company earlier this month to demonstrate a fleet of Ford F550 SuperDuty Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Trucks.   

Director of Commercialization at PNNL, Christina Lomasney commented “We applaud the work by Bob Wegeng and his team at STARS in translating cutting-edge, taxpayer-funded, PNNL research into economic impact.  The STARS team are pioneers in the realization of a viable clean hydrogen economy.  It is gratifying to see the local venture ecosystem – led by Fuse fund – bringing support to our home-grown entrepreneurs and their visions for a better future.” 
​
Hydrogen has been recognized by many as the most viable solution to large scale decarbonization of the heavy lift transportation industry .  The momentum is growing for hydrogen fuel cell deployments, with the Federal Government recently passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that included $8 billion for regional Hydrogen Hubs and the Inflation Reduction Act which carried about $370 billion in subsidies and credits for clean energy investment in the United States.   STARS is uniquely poised to deliver a scalable and cost-competitive technology solution to US and global markets.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Have News?

    Email your press release and a photo to Austin Regimbal, Marketing & Communications Director. Press releases are posted in their entirety. This is a free benefit for members of the Tri-City Regional Chamber.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017

    RSS Feed

Copyright © Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
7130 W Grandridge Blvd., Suite C, Kennewick, WA 99336 USA
Phone: (509) 736-0510 |  Fax: (509) 783-1733 
info@tricityregionalchamber.com
Hours
Monday - Thursday: 8 am - 5 pm
​Friday: 8 am - 12 pm
​Closed Weekends

Photos used under Creative Commons from The National Guard, Gamma Man, US Department of Education, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Tony Webster, jalexartis, Blue Mountains Library, denisbin, Baker County Tourism
  • Benton Co. Business Resource Initiative
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Membership Directory
    • Member Login
    • Join the Chamber
    • Membership Features
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Stakeholder, Leader, & Growth Level Members
  • EVENTS
    • Chamber Calendar
    • Annual Events >
      • Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon
      • Women in Business Conference
      • State of the Cities
      • Tri-Cities Diversity Summit
      • Elected Leaders Reception
      • Tri-Cities Day with the Seahawks
      • Tri-Cities Day at the Capitol
      • Bridging Partnerships Small Business Symposium
    • Monthly Membership Luncheon
    • Business After Hours
    • Meet the Chamber
    • Ribbon Cutting Request
    • Speaking Opportunities
  • PROGRAMS & SERVICES
    • BUSINESS PROGRAMS >
      • Ask the Experts
      • Economic Gardening
      • Office Depot Savings Program
      • Small Business Incentive Program
    • Workforce & Education >
      • Tri-Cities Regional Career Signing Day
      • Washington Workforce Portal
    • myTRI 2030
    • Business Advocacy >
      • Public Policy Guiding Principles
      • Business Advocacy Letters
      • Session Spotlight
      • Vote for Business
      • TRI-CITIES LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 2023 LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
    • Ambassador Club
    • LEARN Groups
    • Washington PTAC >
      • Meet the Buyer
      • Procurement Power Hour
  • NEWS
    • Press Releases
    • Blog
    • Member News
    • Annual Report
    • eBlast Advertising
    • Email Updates
  • ABOUT US
    • Contact
    • Our Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Committees
    • Policies
    • Our Partners >
      • TRIDEC
      • Visit Tri-Cities