Solar + Hydrogen: The New Backbone of the AI Economy?

In this episode, Madelyn O’Farrell talks with Celadyne founder and CEO Gary Ong about how a new membrane material can unlock the full potential of electrochemistry for hydrogen, long-duration energy storage, and critical material separations. Gary shares his journey from PhD researcher to startup founder after big corporates passed on his invention, then explains how Celadyne’s membrane dramatically reduces hydrogen crossover, boosting fuel-cell durability and cutting critical materials in electrolyzers. They dive into the grid-capacity crunch facing hyperscalers, why hydrogen plus electrolyzers and fuel cells makes sense at 50–100+ MW scale, and how salt-cavern storage enables multi-day and even week-long clean power from solar. Gary also unpacks the geopolitical race over hydrogen technology between the U.S. and China, the strategic role of hydrogen for defense and fuel logistics, and closes by arguing that the real constraint to building next-generation energy and AI infrastructure in the U.S. is workforce development and the shortage of skilled trades.

Highlights from their conversation include:

• Gary’s Journey From PhD to Energy Tech Founder (0:44)
• What Celadyne Does and Why Electrochemistry Matters (2:11)
• Reinventing Membranes and Unlocking New Markets (4:54)
• Grid Capacity, Hyperscalers, and Long Duration Storage (7:14)
• Electrolyzers Plus Fuel Cells for Multi Day Energy (10:45)
• Why Power Price Matters Less Than Compute Productivity (14:21)
• Geopolitics, China, and The Hydrogen Technology Race (15:29)
• Hydrogen’s Role in U.S. Energy Mix and Resiliency (19:59)
• Defense Use Cases, Submarines, and Synthetic Fuel (20:56)
• Air Force Funding and Early Defense Partnerships (25:27)
• Workforce Development as the Real Infrastructure Bottleneck (26:58)
• Closing Thoughts on Reindustrialization and Skilled Trades (28:58)

Dynamo Ventures is a venture firm backing founders upgrading the physical economy. As intelligence moves into critical infrastructure and technology collides with physics, industry is entering a new era of transformation - the industrial renaissance.

Born from the dirt and grit of supply chains and shaped by operations, not spreadsheets, Dynamo focuses on the complex realities of building in the real world. We invest in companies transforming infrastructure, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, and the systems that power global commerce.

Dynamo works closely with founders who combine ambition with a bias to action, bringing a builder mindset to venture capital through deep operational insight, systematic pressure-testing and hands-on partnership.

Our purpose is simple: to back the relentless shaping the industrial renaissance. Learn more at www.dynamo.vc.

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