Insider Brief
- Honeywell has introduced Protonium™, a digital platform designed to cut costs and boost efficiency in green hydrogen production, with its first deployment planned at Aternium’s DOE-backed Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub.
- The Protonium™ suite includes a design optimizer, electrolyser control system, and unified plant operations tool to streamline hydrogen facility planning, performance, and cost management.
- The platform aims to address persistent challenges such as power supply volatility, emissions reduction, and high operational costs, which have hindered broader adoption of green hydrogen.
Streamlining Green Hydrogen Facilities from Planning to Production
Honeywell has launched a suite of digital tools aimed at slashing the cost of green hydrogen production and helping the fuel compete at scale with fossil energy.
The new offering, called Honeywell Protonium™, will first be deployed by clean hydrogen producer Aternium at its upcoming Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2), one of seven hubs selected for U.S. Department of Energy funding. The goal is to tackle long-standing issues in the hydrogen sector, including volatile power inputs, expensive operations, and inefficient system design, according to The Machine Maker.
“By improving the way hydrogen plants are designed and run, Honeywell is helping to bring green hydrogen closer to widespread commercial use,” said Pramesh Maheshwari, President of Honeywell Process Solutions, as reported inThe Machine Maker. “As this energy source gains momentum, it’s essential for producers to embrace automation and smart operations to support the transition to cleaner energy.”
Inside the Protonium™ Platform: Design, Control, and Optimization
The Protonium™ platform integrates three main tools: a design optimizer, an electrolyser control system, and a unified plant optimizer. Together, they provide a full-stack approach to building and operating hydrogen plants more efficiently. The Concept Design Optimizer helps project developers evaluate plant layouts and investment scenarios early in the planning process, reducing the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH), a key metric used to assess long-term project viability.
Once operational, the Hydrogen Electrolyser Control System continuously monitors the electrolyser — the device that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen — to adjust performance in real time, extending the life of costly equipment. The Hydrogen Unified Control and Optimizer further refines operations by managing the entire plant’s energy use and performance through digital modeling and data analytics.
Global Deployment and Aternium’s First-Mover Advantage
The platform is available globally and is designed to make hydrogen projects financially and operationally competitive. According to Machine Maker, Honeywell’s system is built to address “fluctuating power supply, emissions reduction, and high operational costs” — issues that have limited green hydrogen adoption despite surging political and corporate interest.
Aternium will be the first to use Protonium™ in a live production environment. Its Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub project is part of a national strategy to decarbonize transportation, industry, and power.
“Our decision to adopt Honeywell Protonium™ for our Mid-Atlantic projects reflects our commitment to operating with best-in-class efficiency and safety,” said Aternium CEO and founder Andrew Cottone. “Honeywell’s strong track record in industrial innovation will play a key role in helping us deliver green hydrogen reliably and responsibly, while creating lasting value for our stakeholders.”
Honeywell’s Broader Vision for the Hydrogen Economy
Honeywell is positioning itself as a backbone supplier to the growing green hydrogen economy, combining decades of industrial automation expertise with its Honeywell Forge analytics platform. The company reports Protonium™ aligns with its broader focus areas of automation, aviation evolution, and clean energy.
The green hydrogen sector is expected to grow rapidly as governments tighten climate targets and industry looks for low-emissions alternatives. Still, scaling remains a challenge. Equipment remains expensive, operations can be power intensive, and hydrogen must often be produced far from where it is consumed. Solutions like Protonium™ aim to lower those barriers by improving efficiency at every stage—from concept to daily operations.
