Ergenics

The story of Ergenics began in the late 1970s as an offshoot of INCO, a Canadian company exploring newly discovered room-temperature metal hydrides. These hydrides were remarkable for their ability to absorb hydrogen at room temperature, sparking early interest in converting gasoline engines to run on hydrogen during the oil crisis of that decade. When oil prices fell, interest in hydrides waned, but the groundwork had already been laid for innovations that would transform hydrogen storage and energy conversion.

In 1980, Mark Golben, now the owner of Ergenics, joined the company and became instrumental in inventing the first hydride compressor. The systems harnessed the interaction of hydrogen with metal hydrides to form metal alloys capable of storing hydrogen more densely than in liquid form. The result was a highly efficient, compact method of hydrogen storage with transformative implications for energy use.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Ergenics broke new ground in fuel cell development and was among the first to attempt commercialization of PEM fuel cells, winning multimillion-dollar NASA deals along the way. The company was also the first to patent the integration of metal hydrides with fuel cells, an innovation that supported projects such as EV systems for astronauts in space. Ergenics’ credibility was further validated when its hydrogen storage units were selected for the Cassini spacecraft mission, a 25-year mission to Saturn and Titan.

Unlocking the Power of Hydride Compression

Ergenics has unlocked new potential in hydrogen technology through its work on hydride compression. When hydrogen-infused hydrides are heated, the pressure rises exponentially, enabling the design of staged hydride compressors that can achieve successively higher pressures with remarkable efficiency. The process mirrors the principles of a steam engine, where heat drives exponential pressure increase, but in this case, hydrogen plays the central role.

This staged compression system can elevate hydrogen from just a few PSI to as high as 12,000 PSI, all driven by low-grade heat sources. Such capability represents a paradigm shift in hydrogen compression, positioning Ergenics as one of the few companies deeply advancing this technology. The implications extend far beyond traditional storage and compression, opening the door to entirely new forms of renewable energy conversion.

“The compression ability of metal hydrides lets us use low-grade solar heat to pressurize hydrogen, basically turning thermal energy into stored hydrogen power,” says Golben.

Ergenics’ staged compression system can utilize inexpensive solar-heated water collected during the day to continuously generate compressed hydrogen at night. Unlike large-scale batteries, which store electricity directly and are costly, storing heat in hot water is inexpensive and highly efficient. Based on prototypes and calculations, this approach could produce electricity at up to 20 times lower cost than today’s systems, potentially cheaper than fossil fuels themselves.
With electricity that cheap, it could transform solar economics and enable large-scale synthetic fuel production. Using hydrogen and captured CO₂, carbon-neutral fuels such as methane, diesel, or gasoline can be synthesized, keeping the existing energy infrastructure intact while making it sustainable.

A Vision for the Future

Ergenics envisions a future where ultra-cheap electricity makes it feasible to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air and combine it with hydrogen to create synthetic, carbon-neutral fuels. These fuels would integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure, reducing emissions and offering a practical bridge to a cleaner energy economy.

The potential applications stretch across industries and geographies. From powering spacecraft to advancing solar energy storage, Ergenics has consistently demonstrated how deep scientific expertise can create real-world solutions. The company’s work signals a fundamental shift in how energy can be stored, compressed, and utilized.

As the global community searches for scalable and sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, Ergenics stands at the forefront with technologies capable of redefining what is possible. With decades of experience, patents, and proven applications in aerospace and renewable energy, the company continues to chart a path toward a cleaner, more affordable and resilient energy future.