CHFCA and Hydrogen BC announces appointment of Matthew Klippenstein as Regional Manager, Western Canada and Branch Manager
May 4, 2021
VANCOUVER – The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) and Hydrogen BC (HyBC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Klippenstein P.Eng. as Regional Manager, Western Canada and Branch Manager.
Matthew Klippenstein is a fluently-bilingual chemical engineer who has worked in British Columbia’s clean energy economy for the past 20 years. In addition to his extensive hydrogen and fuel cell sector experience, he worked as a consultant in Wood’s renewable energy group performing energy yield assessments for wind and solar projects. A plug-in electric vehicle early adopter, he led outreach and co-administered the Government of British Columbia’s pioneering EV infrastructure rebates for multi-unit buildings through the Plug In BC initiative of the non-profit Fraser Basin Council.
A co-author of the British Columbia Hydrogen Study, Matthew co-authored the industry reference Fuel Cell Industry Review in 2017 and 2018. He chronicled the early years of the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle market at GreenCarReports.com, and his writing has appeared in Wood MacKenzie’s GreenTechMedia.com and Canada’s National Observer.
In this role, Matthew will support the CHFCA’s provincial branch in British Columbia (Hydrogen BC) and oversee marketing, communications, government relations and events for the sector in British Columbia and western Canada.
Quotes:
Matthew Klippenstein, Branch Manager, Hydrogen BC; CHFCA Regional Manager, Western Canada:
“It is an honour to assist CHFCA at this exciting time for the hydrogen and fuel cell industries. Speaking from the ancestral and unceded territory of the hən̓qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, I hope to learn from the elders of all of Canada’s First Peoples, to build from their wisdom in the work of helping scale up these climate solutions.”
Colin Armstrong, Chair, Hydrogen BC; President and CEO, HTEC Hydrogen Technology and Energy Corporation:
On behalf of Hydrogen BC and of HTEC I welcome Matthew’s appointment to Hydrogen BC. Matthew has a strong background in the hydrogen and fuel sectors and is gifted at turning the complex into something understandable and engaging. We are fortunate that he is dedicating himself to this role at such a pivotal time.
Jeff Grant, Vice-Chair, Hydrogen BC; Principal, Zen Clean Energy Solutions:
“I’ve worked with Matthew for several years and appreciate his unique perspective on the synergy between battery electric and fuel cell electric zero-emissions technology. Matthew’s enthusiasm and transformative thinking (along with an inimitable sense of humour) will be a great fit in this new role.”
Randy MacEwen, CEO, Ballard Power Systems:
“On behalf of British Columbia’s hydrogen & fuel cell companies, we welcome Matthew’s appointment to Hydrogen BC. A thirteen-year Ballard veteran, he is an articulate proponent who will support the industry as we are scaling up. With Ballard now powering more than 3,500 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles around the world, we are excited to deploy our technology here where it all started, helping BC and Canada achieve their emissions reductions goals.”
Daniel Breton, President and CEO, Electric Mobility Canada / Mobilite Electrique Canada:
“EMC-MEC looks forward to working with Matthew as we continue our mission to electrify Canadian transport through battery electric and fuel cell electric technology. As an electric vehicle early adopter and an engineer fluent with both technologies, we look forward to reducing transportation emissions together, in vehicles great and small.”
Mitchell Foreman, Director of Advanced and Connected Technologies, Toyota Canada:
“Toyota Canada would like to congratulate Matthew Klippenstein for his appointment as Branch Manager at Hydrogen BC. We look forward to working with Matthew and other key stakeholders to further develop the hydrogen industry in BC and accelerate toward a net zero-carbon future.”
Eric Wesoff, Managing Editor, Canary Media, an RMI affiliate:
“As a long-time critic of the commercial progress of fuel cell technology and the hydrogen sector, I found Matthew’s writings to be among the more credible supportive analyses of the field, offering grounded cause for optimism without the unwarranted hype that has plagued them in the past. As we look to a renewables-dominated, electrified world, I look forward to Canada scaling these complementary solutions.”
Dr. Mark Jaccard, Distinguished Professor, Simon Fraser University:
“Matthew’s eclectic professional path through other climate technologies from solar and wind to EV infrastructure gives him rare insight into how hydrogen and fuel cell technologies can best complement them. I appreciate learning from his expertise. And I look forward to his continued key contributions as the province and country strive to meet our 2030 climate targets.”
Merran Smith, Executive Director, Clean Energy Canada; Fellow, Simon Fraser University, Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue:
“When it comes to hydrogen, Western Canada is a region to watch. B.C. is home to one of the world’s biggest hydrogen technology companies, and the Western provinces have the skilled workers and natural resources needed to become leading clean hydrogen producers. Hydrogen will play a pivotal role in cleaning up the ‘toughest third’ of emissions, such as in heavy industry and long-haul trucking—two sectors we have a lot of in Canada. I have no doubt that Matthew will apply his years of experience and his reputation for data-driven analysis to this new, hugely important role.”
Jim Vanderwal, Director, Climate Change Programs, Fraser Basin Council:
“FBC is supportive of a variety of options to reduce emissions in the transportation sector, and looks forward to working with Hydrogen BC to connect fleets with opportunities to deploy hydrogen in their vehicles.”
About Hydrogen BC
Hydrogen BC is the regional branch of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) in British Columbia. Established with the support of the BC Government, Hydrogen BC is a public-private partnership mandated to support the growth of the BC low-carbon hydrogen energy ecosystem by coordinating the deployment of new supply infrastructure and applications across the province. In addition, Hydrogen BC works to ensure the safe handling of hydrogen and the safe operation of hydrogen equipment and FCEVs by sharing best practices developed in Canada and abroad.
About the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA)
The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) is a national, non-profit association that supports Canadian companies, governments, research institutions and academia in the development, demonstration and deployment of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in Canada and overseas. Established in 2009, the CHFCA has over 70 members across Canada as well as two regional branches in British Columbia (Hydrogen BC) and Quebec (Hydrogène Québec). The CHFCA’s members specialize in fuel cell stack development, hydrogen production, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, energy storage, vehicle manufacturing, components and materials, research, engineering and consulting.