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New episode: The hidden engineering challenges of scaling electrolysers

CTO and R&D leadership for hydrogen and deep-tech — Hydrogen isn't a trend.
It's engineering.

CTO & R&D leadership for hydrogen and deep-tech.

Chade Hydrogen brings nearly two decades of building hydrogen technologies from lab concept to industrialised product.

Led by Daniel Chade, PhD — founder of Chade Hydrogen.

Let's talk Listen to the podcast
H · 1.008 uEST. 2026 · VALENCIA
Our Mission

Hydrogen: from concept to industrial deployment

To help hydrogen and deep-tech companies turn promising technology into investable, scalable products.

Daniel Chade, hydrogen technology advisor and CTO
Founder
Daniel Chade, PhD
About the founder

Daniel Chade

PhD · Engineer · CTO · R&D & Technology Commercialisation

PhD in Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. MSc in Electrical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, and MSc in Renewable Energy, University of Iceland.

17 years of hydrogen experience — including 10+ years developing hydrogen products across startups (Elcogen Oy, Kerionics S.L., HydrogenTech Sp. z o.o.) and large organisations such as Polska Grupa Energetyczna PGE S.A. Core expertise: Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Electrolysers (SOC).

Author of peer-reviewed publications in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Renewable Energy and the Electrochemical Society Journal. Advisor to the European Commission on hydrogen technologies.

17+
Years in hydrogen
3
startups successfully advanced
5
Countries
10+
Publications
What we do

Hydrogen CTO, Electrolyser Expert and Technical Due Diligence Advisor

Most hydrogen ventures don't fail on the science. They fail in the gap between the engineering and the decisions made around it — and very few people can stand in both places. Chade Hydrogen is built around that rare combination: nearly two decades taking demanding hydrogen technologies from lab to the market — depth forged in Solid Oxide fuel cells and electrolysers, and applied well beyond them — paired with the leadership to run the engineering inside organisations that get products shipped. I own the technology and defend it in the room where the business calls get made — in whichever form fits your stage:

01

CTO (permanent, interim or fractional)

For startups and companies

Own the technology vision, roadmap and critical technical decisions — as a permanent hire, or on an interim or fractional basis during a build or scale-up phase.

02

R&D Director

For companies and scaling startups

Structure and lead the engineering organisation end to end: department design, recruitment, delivery and the systems that keep an R&D team productive as it grows.

03

Technical due diligence & advisory

For investors and universities

Focused on hydrogen technologies — technical due diligence for investment decisions, architecture review, validation strategy, and helping university research find its path to a product.

Based in the Warsaw area, Poland, I work with clients across Europe and internationally, including on-site when hands-on collaboration is needed.

Case studies

From laboratory technology to industrial product

Three engagements, TRL 3 to TRL 7. In each one I led the work hands-on — owning the roadmap, building the R&D organisation, and taking the technology from concept to validation.

Selected engagements demonstrating measurable technology progress, team build-up and secured public funding — from laboratory concept to validation in an industrial environment. Client and organisation names have been anonymised to protect confidentiality.

CASE 01TRL 3 → 5
Anonymised

MW-scale electrolyser system development

Project aim

Development of a megawatt-scale electrolyser system.

Starting point

Initial technology proof of concept validated at laboratory scale (TRL 3).

Outcomes achieved
  • Defined a strategic development roadmap covering technology targets, recruitment plan and budget
  • Built a complete R&D organisation of 4 departments and ~25 specialists
  • Designed, manufactured and validated market product prototypes
  • Secured public funding in excess of €6M from national and international programmes
Timeframe: 1 year 3 months
CASE 02TRL 3 → 6
Anonymised

kW-scale mCHP system with novel technology validation

Project aim

Development of a kilowatt-scale mCHP system combined with validation of a new technology concept.

Starting point

Initial technology proof of concept validated at laboratory scale (TRL 3).

Outcomes achieved
  • Built and tested a 1 kW mCHP prototype in a relevant industrial environment
  • Validated a new, innovative technology concept and benchmarked it through a structured SWOT analysis against alternative approaches
  • Secured public funding in excess of €3M
Timeframe: 3 years
CASE 03TRL 4 → 7
Anonymised

Multi-kW commercial fuel cell / electrolyser stack

Project aim

Development of a multi-kilowatt commercial fuel cell / electrolyser stack.

Starting point

Initial technology prototypes tested at laboratory scale (TRL 4).

Outcomes achieved
  • Delivered a full commercial product, scaling electrolyser power from ~250 W to ~12 kW
  • Tested and validated the technology across diverse operating regimes: variable load, on/off cycling, long-term degradation over 10,000 h, and multiple fuel mixtures
  • Completed a mass-manufacturing feasibility study and launched the industrialisation project
Timeframe: 4 years
Core areas of expertise

Deep specialisation, not generic advice

Five areas where I work hardest — from engineering and the R&D organisation through commercialisation, funding and executive technology leadership.

01

Electrolyser, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Product Development

Hydrogen, electrolysers, fuel cells and deep-tech systems: architecture, materials, validation, performance, degradation and lifetime, from laboratory prototypes to industrialisation.

02

R&D organisation

Building departments, recruitment, processes and technical leadership — scaling engineering teams from first hires to 25+ specialists.

03

Technology commercialisation

TRL progression, product strategy, manufacturing readiness, and the market requirements that decide what is worth building.

04

Funding & investment

National and EU public funding, technical due diligence, and investment readiness.

05

Executive technology leadership

CTO and R&D Director roles: owning the roadmap, making the technical calls, and defending the technology where business decisions get made.

Podcast

Chade Hydrogen — The Hydrogen Podcast

I started this podcast after watching it happen too many times: brilliant engineering quietly undone by business decisions made without the technical picture. A promising technology stalls — not because the science failed, but because the choices around it did. Each episode unpacks the decisions, strategic and executional, that make or break hydrogen projects, and turns them into something clear, structured and genuinely useful for the people making those calls.

I've seen too much good engineering lost to bad business decisions. This podcast is about the ones that could have been avoided.

The failure modes, and what to do about them.
Episode 5

The hidden engineering challenges of scaling electrolysers

Episode 5 of the Chade Hydrogen podcast: the engineering problems that only appear when electrolysers move from prototypes to volume production — and what separates the projects that scale from the ones that stall.

Episode 4

Why hydrogen projects fail

The decisions that kill good hydrogen technologies are rarely technical. We walk through eight of them — four strategic, four executional — and what the projects that survive consistently do differently.

Explore all episodes
Video

Talks & video features

Selected talks and conversations featuring Daniel Chade.

01

Academy of Responsible Development — Mini Lectures

A conversation on hydrogen technologies and their role in the energy transition.

Watch on YouTube
02

Vanguard Initiative Regional Conference — Krakow

Regional conference 'Hydrogen as the new fuel of growth'. Talk starts at 4:07:40.

Watch on YouTube
References

Words from former collaborators

Selected words from people I have worked with on hydrogen engagements. Individual names and organisations have been anonymised to protect privacy and confidentiality.

01
"Thank you for building a great team and teaching us so much about electrolysis and fuel cells. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours."
Anonymised
Engineering Simulation Specialist
Hydrogen electrolyser company
02
"I really appreciated working with you and all the mentorship that you provided me."
Anonymised
Stack Manager
Hydrogen electrolyser company
03
"It was an honour working with you. Good luck, and I wish you all the best."
Anonymised
R&D Project Manager
Hydrogen electrolyser company
04
"Daniel has been working with a very wide range of tasks and activities during his employment period and has shown excellent adaptability in a start-up environment."
Anonymised
Technology Director
Hydrogen electrolyser company

Have a technology that needs to move forward?

Whether you need CTO leadership, R&D direction or focused technical advisory, let's discuss where you are and what comes next.

Every engagement is scoped to fit your resources and timeline.

01
During the meeting (45–60 min)
  • Brief introduction and shared understanding of your project context
  • Joint review of your technological and commercial objectives
  • Identification of core challenges and key risk areas
  • Initial direction on potential solutions and engagement paths
02
After the meeting (within one week)
  • Written summary of findings and key takeaways
  • Structured solution proposal with a defined scope of work
  • Recommended next steps, timeline and collaboration model
  • Indicative effort estimate and expected deliverables
daniel@chadehydrogen.com