SHINe Story: Hychor
Hychor is a green hydrogen company developing first-of-a-kind electrochemical systems that produce hydrogen directly from seawater. SHINe has been supporting Hychor with its commercial development and positioning within Scotland’s hydrogen sector.
27 March 2026 | 3 minute read
Introduction to Hychor
Hychor is a green hydrogen company developing first-of-a-kind electrochemical systems that produce hydrogen directly from seawater. The company is a spinout from the University of Aberdeen.
Hychor was founded to overcome one of the biggest barriers in green hydrogen production. These barriers include the dependence on freshwater, desalination, and largescale grid infrastructure.
Hychor’s patented Hydrogen Seawater Electrolysis Technology (HySET) enables low-cost, onsite, off grid hydrogen generation using only seawater and renewable energy. This makes deployment possible in coastal, remote, and infrastructure constrained locations.
The company combines electrochemical expertise with engineering and operational experience. Hychor is now progressing from laboratory validation toward pilot scale demonstrations with industrial partners.
Technology approach and system innovation
Hychor’s technology integrates a seawater electrolysis system with an inbuilt seawater flow battery, allowing it to stabilise intermittent renewable inputs and deliver continuous hydrogen production.
By designing the system specifically for seawater chemistry, rather than adapting freshwater electrolysers, the company reduces both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX). It also avoids brine waste and eliminates the need for desalination plants or largescale grid connections.
This system level innovation positions Hychor to support decarbonisation in maritime, coastal industrial, and remote energy settings.
SHINe’s role in supporting Hychor
Since Hychor were accepted onto the SHINe commercial support programme in late 2025, we have been supporting Hychor with their commercial development and positioning within Scotland’s hydrogen sector.
SHINe has provided structured commercial guidance to help the company clarify its early market opportunities and strengthen its positioning within Scotland’s growing hydrogen innovation ecosystem. Through targeted engagement, SHINe worked with Hychor to explore where its seawater-based hydrogen technology could have the greatest impact – particularly in different coastal locations.
As part of this support, SHINe delivered a market-focused report. This helped Hychor better understand potential early adopters, emerging use cases, and priority sectors. This included high-level insights into ports, island nations and other coastal regions that could benefit from flexible, renewable hydrogen production.
The work also highlighted where direct seawater electrolysis could complement ongoing decarbonisation efforts and broader energy transition trends.
In addition to analysis, SHINe facilitated conversations with relevant stakeholders across the Scottish hydrogen network, helping Hychor to improve its visibility and gather early market feedback. These discussions offered external validation and helped Hychor better articulate its unique value proposition to partners and potential pilot hosts.
Contact SHINe for more information
Discover the possibilities in Scotland’s hydrogen sector. Get in touch with our team today to discover how we can help you.