How It Started: A Call from a Hydrogen Pioneer

In 2001, David Jollymore received a call that would define the next two decades of his career. Bill Ross, a master machinist and co-founder of Global Tech Industries (along with Joe Williams), had a critical problem: despite using distilled water in their on-board hydrogen generators, mineral carryover was contaminating the hydrogen stream and depositing on engine butterfly valves.

The consequences were serious—valves were sticking open, causing uncontrolled acceleration in ambulances equipped with the hydrogen systems. Lives were potentially at risk.

Traditional engineers had assumed distilled water would eliminate contamination. They were wrong.

David, who owned Water, Wind and Sun—a water analysis and treatment company—brought an unconventional perspective. His background in microbiology and water chemistry revealed what others had missed: distilled water wasn't pure enough for electrochemical systems operating under vehicle conditions. Even trace minerals, measured in parts per million, would accumulate over thousands of operating hours and cause catastrophic mechanical failures.

The solution required thinking beyond conventional engineering. David designed a comprehensive three-stage filtration system: particulate removal, reverse osmosis membrane, and deionization. Originally adapted from laboratory equipment, the system was redesigned specifically for on-board vehicle applications. The mineral buildup stopped. The problem was solved.

But solving one problem opened the door to deeper challenges. Global Tech Industries, focused on designing and manufacturing electrolysis generators for on-board vehicle use, needed more than filters—they needed someone who understood water chemistry, hydrogen purity, and system integration. David began working on water recapture systems, extracting moisture from engine exhaust and recirculating it back into the hydrogen generators, reducing water consumption and improving operational efficiency.

When entrepreneurs Ira Lyons and Frank Carino provided funding to transition Global Tech Industries into the Canadian Hydrogen Energy Company (CHEC) in 2004, David was part of the founding team. As Chief Science Officer, he was responsible for hydrogen quality control—ensuring the purity standards that would eventually enable CHEC to achieve 50+ million miles of documented field testing data with major OEM partners including Ford Motor Company.

David worked with CHEC for three years as a subcontractor through Water, Wind and Sun, refining hydrogen systems and solving real-world operational challenges. But the vision was expanding beyond just hydrogen for vehicles.

Green Electric Power: From Problem to Opportunity

In 2004, David founded Green Electric Power Corporation (GEPC) with founding partners Bill Ross (materials and manufacturing), Richard Rothwell (electronics and robotics specialist), and Dr. Paul Ege (Chemical Engineer, R&D oversight and government submissions). The team brought complementary expertise: David's electrolyzer and water recapture system designs from Global Tech, Richard's control systems engineering, Bill's manufacturing capability, and Dr. Ege's academic rigor and ability to secure R&D tax credits—49% credits awarded by the Canadian Revenue Agency and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.

THE PIVOT: FROM VEHICLES TO STATIONARY POWER

The transportation market had proven challenging. Hydrogen-enhanced combustion required precise control of the H2-to-air ratio—a ratio that changed constantly with weather conditions, vehicle loads, terrain, and driver habits. Maintaining optimal combustion under such variable conditions was, as David recalls, "problematic to say the least."

The solution revealed itself during a 2003 cross-Canada test drive. Seeing his first natural gas flare at an oil drilling site, David asked the obvious question: "Why are they burning that waste gas?"

This was a different problem entirely—and a better one. Oil field applications offered stable operating environments, continuous duty cycles, and massive amounts of waste energy being literally burned into the atmosphere. Billions of cubic feet of associated gas were being flared worldwide, representing both environmental pollution and wasted economic value.

GEPC refocused: waste-to-energy systems for stationary industrial applications. The equipment designs from Global Tech—electrolyzers, water recapture systems, control systems—could be optimized for continuous operation rather than the stop-and-go chaos of vehicle applications.

A CHANCE MEETING: ENTER ALEXANDER SERRA

There was just one problem: oil companies had no interest in bringing hydrogen technologies onto drilling sites. Liability concerns and risk aversion kept decision-makers behind closed doors. David couldn't get meetings.

In 2006, at a restaurant in Calgary, David struck up a conversation with a man reading help-wanted ads in the newspaper. That man was Alexander Serra. As David explained GEPC's technology and the challenge of accessing oil company decision-makers, Alex replied matter-of-factly: "Oh, I can do that."

"You can? How?"

Alex smiled. "I'll just create rapport with the receptionist or office manager. They know how to get to everyone in that building."

David laughed at what seemed like a joke. Little did he know about Alexander Serra's background as a master trainer in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, trained directly by Dr. Richard Bandler, and his expertise in persuasive communication and stakeholder engagement.

Alex could—and did—open doors that had been firmly closed.

BREAKING THROUGH: OIL FIELD DEPLOYMENTS

The first project came with Bronco Energy Ltd., a remote oil company featured on a reality TV series, called "The Rig." GEPC powered their operations throughout the series and continued for six years. The system worked. The concept was proven.

Legacy Oil and Gas followed. Then Crescent Point Energy. Then ConocoPhillips. The associated gas market that had seemed impossible to penetrate became GEPC's primary business line.

EXPANDING INTERNATIONALLY: AFRICA

The work expanded beyond Canada. David traveled to Africa, working with Trojan Power in Tema, Ghana, and Tullow Ghana Limited (a British company) on power generation projects. He also worked in Nigeria through an oil and gas services company, "KDI Oil Services Ltd", deploying systems on offshore drilling rigs.

But not all the African work was commercial. GEPC's corporate social responsibility initiatives included bringing water purification modules to remote villages in Ghana, delivering clean drinking water to communities that had never had reliable access. The project was documented on video—showing technology serving not just industry, but humanity.

Alexander Serra was responsible for creating the marketing materials, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), website and social media presence, for the company.

CONTINUING INNOVATION: WIND AND BEYOND

GEPC didn't stop with waste gas. The team designed and prototyped a vertical axis wind turbine, exploring renewable energy generation for remote and off-grid applications. The innovation mindset that started with solving Bill Ross's contamination problem in 2001 continued driving new solutions to energy challenges.

From Field Operations to Education: The Next Chapter

For nearly two decades, Green Electric Power Corporation successfully deployed waste-to-energy systems across Canada and internationally. The Bronco Energy installation alone operated for six years, with dozens of documented installations proving the technology's commercial viability in the oil and gas sector.

But in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Like many companies facing unprecedented global disruption, the GEPC partners made the difficult decision to dissolve the company and pursue individual paths. The formal closure was completed in December 2025.

FROM DOING TO TEACHING

Rather than simply closing a chapter, David recognized an opportunity to preserve and share two decades of hard-won knowledge. In early 2025, he began writing about the adventures, technical challenges, breakthrough solutions, and lessons learned from 20+ years in the hydrogen and renewable energy industry.

The result is the comprehensive "Hydrogen Energy Systems" textbook series—not another academic treatise written by researchers who've never built commercial systems, but a practitioner's guide grounded in real projects, actual failures, and proven solutions.

The first 2 of 4 volumes has been completed, covering fundamental principles through advanced production technologies. Volume 3 and 4 are currently in development, focusing on system integration, applications, and the economic and policy frameworks that will shape hydrogen's future.

WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT

Unlike typical engineering textbooks, this work reflects the voice of someone who has:

- Solved contamination problems that stumped conventional engineers

- Achieved 50+ million miles of field testing data (during the CHEC years)

- Deployed commercial systems for major oil and gas companies

- Navigated the realities of project funding, regulatory approval, and stakeholder resistance

- Built partnerships from Fortune 500 corporations to remote African villages

- Learned what works in the field versus what looks good in PowerPoint presentations

The textbook series bridges the gap between academic theory and commercial reality—preparing engineers not just to calculate thermodynamic efficiency, but to actually bring hydrogen systems from concept to operational deployment.

GREEN ELECTRIC POWER TODAY

Today, Green Electric Power operates as a consulting and education firm, bringing that 20+ year operational foundation to:

Consulting Services:

- Hydrogen system design and optimization

- Water treatment for electrochemical applications

- Project feasibility analysis and technology assessment

- Troubleshooting and performance optimization

- Safety engineering and regulatory compliance

Education & Training:

- University course development and textbook publishing

- Corporate training programs

- Technical workshops and seminars

- Executive education for non-technical decision-makers

Strategic Services:

Through partnership with Alexander Serra, Green Electric Power offers the complete package required for project success: technical expertise combined with stakeholder engagement, communication strategy, and the ability to navigate the human challenges that often determine whether technically sound projects succeed or fail.

The journey that started with a phone call from Bill Ross in 2001—solving one contamination problem—has become a comprehensive body of knowledge now being shared with the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs tackling the energy transition.

From laboratory problem to industry leadership. From field operations to education. Their story continues.