Interview with Antonio Rivera, CEO of Hydrolyca: “CDTI Innovación’s support is key to turning disruptive scientific technology into a real industrial green hydrogen solution”
Producing green hydrogen using heat instead of electricity. This is the premise behind Hydrolyca Energy Systems SL, a spin-off founded in 2023 by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) that aims to revolutionise the energy transition through its HEAT2HIVE project. Backed by the NEOTEC programme of CDTI Innovación, the company has patented a thermochemical system that promises to drastically reduce production costs, paving the way for the large-scale decarbonisation of heavy industry and heavy-duty transport.
The Madrid-based company was established in 2023, driven by three patents developed by its founders and supported by an initial private investment round. “Hydrolyca was founded with the purpose of bringing the results of fundamental scientific research to the market and turning them into a technological solution with real-world impact,” explains Antonio Rivera, CEO of the company.
The transition from the laboratory to the market represented a change in mindset for a team formed in a research environment. Turning a technology into a commercial product required maintaining scientific rigour while also developing new capabilities related to entrepreneurship, business management and engagement with industry.
“Research experience has been particularly valuable in addressing complex problems, developing innovative technologies and maintaining a long-term vision. At the same time, contact with the entrepreneurial ecosystem has helped complement these capabilities with key business skills, allowing us to bridge scientific excellence with market needs,” he highlights.
HEAT2HIVE: producing green hydrogen from heat
The HEAT2HIVE project was conceived with a very clear goal within the energy transition: “The objective is to develop and demonstrate a technology capable of producing green hydrogen from water using heat as the primary energy source,” explains Antonio Rivera.
Unlike conventional electrolysis processes, Hydrolyca’s approach does not rely on electricity as its main energy source, but instead uses heat, a renewable resource that can be stored much more economically and efficiently.
To achieve this, the company has developed a patented thermochemical process based on a compound that acts as an intermediary during the reaction. “We use an active material which, when heated, is reduced and releases oxygen. The same material is subsequently regenerated by reacting with water, allowing the molecule to be split and hydrogen to be released. This enables the system to operate cyclically and continuously,” the CEO explains.
The main breakthrough lies in the efficiency of the process: “The key to our method is that the cycles are isothermal, meaning they occur at the same temperature. As a result, there are no efficiency losses from heating and cooling the reactor,” he adds.
Economic viability and technical challenges of industrial scaling
The main advantage of this technology is that it decouples hydrogen production from electricity price volatility, one of the factors currently having the greatest impact on its competitiveness. If the system proves viable at industrial scale, Hydrolyca aims to bring the cost of green hydrogen production down to between €1 and €2 per kilogram, a threshold considered key to competing with fossil fuels in industrial sectors.
“The economic analyses we have conducted for our technology indicate that, under industrial-scale conditions and using concentrated solar power with high-temperature storage, it is possible to approach this cost range.”
Achieving this goal now requires validating the technology under real operating conditions and demonstrating its reliability, safety and economic viability at large scale. This is precisely the objective of the HEAT2HIVE project, which is focusing a significant part of its efforts on accelerating the transition from the laboratory to industrial applications.
One of the main challenges involves working with thermochemical processes at high temperatures, requiring materials capable of maintaining their performance over long operating periods. To address this, the team is working on reactor designs with specific geometries and scalable heating systems that ensure the durability and efficiency of the process.
Another key challenge has been the precise control of water and hydrogen flows, an aspect the company says it has successfully addressed. “In the laboratory, we have already validated methodologies that allow us to control these flows accurately and efficiently, and which can be directly extrapolated to larger-capacity reactors,” says Rivera.
Decarbonising heavy industry and heavy-duty transport
Hydrolyca’s proposition is directly aimed at sectors where conventional electrification is not viable, such as steel, cement and the chemical industry. In these environments, green hydrogen can replace fossil-based hydrogen or natural gas without requiring structural changes to existing industrial processes, enabling a more gradual transition at a more stable and competitive cost.
In heavy-duty transport, including maritime transport and long-haul trucking, this energy carrier offers high energy density and short refuelling times. In addition, the model supports distributed deployment.
“This makes it possible to start by replacing the fossil-based hydrogen already used in today’s industry and subsequently expand its use into new sectors,” the CEO explains.
The boost from NEOTEC and the global outlook
As is the case with many science-based technologies, developing a system such as HEAT2HIVE requires lengthy validation periods before reaching industrial maturity. Along this journey, support from CDTI Innovación’s NEOTEC programme has provided “key backing” for the company, Antonio Rivera says.
“Thanks to this support, we can focus on validating, optimising and scaling our technology, thereby accelerating its evolution from the laboratory environment towards a solution with potential industrial applications,” he adds.
By its very nature, the project is closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), directly contributing to Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), and the development of clean technologies essential to Climate Action (SDG 13).
Future milestones and energy sovereignty
Hydrolyca’s next challenge is to demonstrate that its technology can operate reliably and competitively outside the laboratory. The company will focus its upcoming efforts on validating the system in real-world environments, advancing its industrial scale-up and progressively reducing production costs to facilitate the deployment of green hydrogen in sectors where decarbonisation is particularly challenging.
With this roadmap, the company expects to complete the technological validation process and bring its first commercial solutions to market.
“We aspire to play a relevant role in transforming the energy sector, contributing to the consolidation of green hydrogen as a key decarbonisation vector,” says Antonio Rivera.
Hydrolyca also aims to promote a Spanish green hydrogen industry. “Our goal is also to contribute to the industrialisation of the country and strengthen its energy autonomy, leveraging its renewable energy potential and positioning Spain as a benchmark in the hydrogen economy,” he concludes.
CDTI Innovación
The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology and Innovation (CDTI E.P.E.) is the innovation agency of Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Its objective is to promote technological innovation within the business sector.
CDTI’s mission is to ensure that Spain’s business community generates and transforms scientific and technological knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2025, within the framework of its 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, CDTI provided €2.423 billion in support to Spanish companies and startups.
Further information:
Website: www.cdti.es
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