Perspective: Solving the Hydrogen Transportation Problem
A conversation with Rinaldo Brutoco on business leadership in climate solutions and the practical challenges of moving hydrogen
"I'm very passionate about reversing climate change. Not slowing it down, reversing it."
That's how Rinaldo Brutoco opened our latest Renewable Rides conversation. As the World Business Academy founder and CEO of H2 Clipper, Inc., Rinaldo has spent nearly four decades working at the intersection of business and environmental solutions.
His perspective on who can drive meaningful change at scale caught my attention—and by the end of our discussion, I understood his reasoning.
From Legal Victory to Business Strategy
Rinaldo's path from activism to business leadership began with a practical realization. After winning a $130 million class action lawsuit against AT&T's largest subsidiary, he discovered something about traditional opposition tactics.
"While I was doing that case, Bell had two more platoons of lawyers behind me doing two more cases," he told us. "It became clear to me I would never be able to change society by throwing sand in the other guy's gears."
The alternative? "Build my own gears, build my own box."
This led him to reflect on the different capabilities of different institutions. Political processes move slowly on complex issues. Academic institutions produce research, but limited implementation. Religious institutions influence values but lack global operational reach.
Business, however, has something different: international scope, execution capability, and what Rinaldo calls survival instincts that drive adaptation. "Business is trained to change or die," he explained.
The Three-Part Approach
In 1986, Rinaldo founded the World Business Academy with objectives that remain consistent today:
Influence existing business leadership toward longer-term thinking beyond quarterly profits
Shape the perspective of young people entering business to see a positive impact as possible
Support consumer purchasing decisions that reflect deeper values
The Academy's approach: "Share the vision, build the network, heal the planet."
What seemed like an uphill battle in 1985 has shown results. Leading companies have demonstrated that sustainability approaches can be profitable. Today, roughly 60% the C-level Fortune 1000 leaders are increasing investments in sustainable solutions and clean technology.
The Transportation Economics Problem
Rinaldo's current focus addresses a specific infrastructure challenge through H2 Clipper. His research identified hydrogen as both energy storage (with indefinite duration) and fuel (producing only water when combusted in fuel cells).
The economics present an interesting gap. In locations with abundant renewable energy—Morocco, Nova Scotia, Scotland—green hydrogen can be produced for 1.2 to 1.5 cents per kilogram. Yet the cost is $36 per kilogram in California.
"Something in the middle there is broken," he observed. That something is the transportation cost.
The H2 Clipper is designed to address this: a 1,000-foot dirigible that carries 400,000 pounds of liquid hydrogen using hydrogen fuel cells for propulsion. It doesn't require traditional harbor or airport infrastructure and can operate in areas roughly its own length.
Current Applications
Hydrogen adoption is happening across several practical applications:
Data Centers: Facilities requiring continuous power are using hydrogen fuel cells for reliability, since grid interruptions can be costly for server operations.
Heavy Industry: Steel and cement production benefit from hydrogen's high combustion temperatures, providing a path to reduce coal dependence in these carbon-intensive sectors.
Maritime and Rail: Hydrogen ferries operate in the Bay Area and Scandinavia, while hydrogen locomotives are being deployed in Europe for routes where full electrification isn't economical.
The choice often comes down to practical considerations: hydrogen applications are finding market fit where battery solutions face energy density or reliability limitations.
H2 Clipper operates on a licensing model rather than trying to own and control all assets. Rinaldo's objective is to enable as many implementers as possible to accelerate the development of the hydrogen economy.
While direct ownership might generate higher returns, licensing supports faster market development. This approach has worked well in his other ventures, including organic food companies he entered when those markets were nascent.
Practical Next Steps
Looking ahead, Rinaldo sees hydrogen adoption growing in transportation sectors where batteries face energy density challenges—heavy trucks, locomotives, ships, and aircraft. The timeline depends on how quickly organizations embrace the technology.
Our conversation highlighted something important about infrastructure transitions. They often happen when existing systems face limitations and alternatives offer practical advantages. California's grid challenges, hydrogen's emerging applications, and the economics of clean energy production suggest we're reaching such a transition point. The companies that recognize these shifts early may find competitive advantages.
As Rinaldo noted, businesses have unique capabilities for driving systemic change. The challenge is applying those capabilities to the infrastructure problems we must solve.
The energy transition isn't just about generating clean electricity—it's also about efficiently moving energy from where it's produced to where it's needed. That transportation challenge might be just as significant as the generation challenge.