Glasgow-based clean energy company Entropyst, a University of Strathclyde spinout, and NECCUS member, marked its first anniversary on 8 January. In just one year, the company has emerged as a promising new player in the UK’s hydrogen and decarbonisation landscape, focused on a critical market challenge: how to make hydrogen accessible, affordable, and reliable today.

Addressing a Critical Gap in Clean Energy

Hydrogen is widely recognised as essential for achieving net zero, particularly for industries and power systems that cannot rely solely on electrification. While Scotland leads in renewable energy generation, natural gas continues to play a vital role in providing stable and reliable energy when renewable output falls short. This makes decarbonising existing gas use a priority while green and blue hydrogen supply continues to scale up.

Today, hydrogen adoption remains slow due to high costs and complex supply chains, particularly within centralised infrastructure that is still under development. While large projects are important in the long term, many industrial users need practical and affordable decarbonisation solutions now.

Entropyst addresses this gap by enabling on-site hydrogen production at the point of use, allowing existing gas-based operations to decarbonise gradually, with lower risk and lower cost.

How Entropyst’s Technology Works

At the core of Entropyst’s solution is a modular, electrically powered reactor HyWand™ that produces clean hydrogen directly from natural gas and other hydrocarbon feedstocks. The system connects to existing gas infrastructure at the end-user site, producing hydrogen by removing carbon as a solid before combustion, and blending the clean hydrogen back into the gas stream. HyWand™ is designed to deliver a target levelised cost of hydrogen of around £1.9/kg, with approximately seven times higher hydrogen output per MWh of electricity compared with electrolysis.

Operators can begin with low hydrogen blends using existing turbines and scale up production as their equipment becomes hydrogen-ready. The compact, modular design of HyWand™ enables up to 4 MW of capacity within a standard 20-foot container, allowing capacity to be adjusted to the end user’s needs. It unlocks a gradual scale-up of hydrogen to gas blending without hydrogen transport, storage, or major infrastructure upgrades. This provides investment security while supporting a practical transition to higher hydrogen blends.

During the process, methane is split into hydrogen and solid carbon rather than CO₂. The carbon is captured as a solid co-product, removing the need for CO2 capture and storage. At the laboratory scale, Entropyst has already demonstrated the tunable production of graphite, carbon nanofibers, and carbon nanotubes, opening up additional value streams.

Looking ahead, the technology roadmap also includes clean ammonia synthesis and cracking, supporting emerging hydrogen transport and storage pathways.

A Strong First Year and What Comes Next

Despite being only a year old, Entropyst has achieved several key milestones. The company was named the Commercialisation Initiative of the Year by UK Knowledge Exchange and secured a Scottish EDGE Wild Card award, reflecting confidence in both its technology and commercial potential. The team has completed the TechX and Converge accelerator programmes, secured a project with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), and grown into a five-person core team with balanced technical and commercial expertise. Entropyst has also joined several member organisations, including NECCUS and Hydrogen Scotland.

As CEO and Founder, Dr Arash Badakhsh notes:

“We were honoured to be shortlisted by NECCUS in 2025 for the Innovation Award and to share our perspective on Scotland’s clean energy potential. The support from the UK innovation ecosystem, particularly in Scotland and through member organisations, has been remarkable. From accelerators to industry events, it has helped us move forward quickly and confidently.”

As low-carbon hydrogen standards evolve across Europe, new rules now clarify that hydrogen made from natural gas can qualify as “low-carbon” if it meets a 70% emissions-reduction requirement. The message is clear: more clean hydrogen is needed, delivered through a wider range of technologies.

In 2025, Entropyst is preparing to secure a seed investment round and launch its first pilot projects, while actively engaging with early adopters across the energy, power, and advanced materials production.

Dr Arash Badakhsh concludes:

“To NECCUS members and supporters, we want to hear from industry. Tell us about your energy needs and hydrogen plans. We look forward to these conversations and to working closely with industrial players. We’re very grateful to NECCUS for providing a platform that supports innovation and meaningful connections in Scotland.”

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/entropyst/

Website: https://entropyst.co.uk/