When it comes to hardtech, not a lot of startups get the chance to say they're doing things cheaper than they're expected to, but Trevor Best and his clean tech startup, Syzygy Plasmonics, are in the minority there.

"One of the good things about our technology, because we use light instead of heat, we're able to build our reactors out of very low-cost materials — like aluminum and glass. So, we are continually under budget," he says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. "We actually only recently started spending the $23 million we raised over a year ago."

Syzygy, founded in Houston based off research from Rice University, is a chemical company that's developed a photocatalyst-powered hydrogen fuel cell technology that produces a cheaper source of energy that releases fewer carbon emissions. The company has scaled its reactor up in size and hopes the product hits the market next year. The device allows operators of plans power their facilities with a much smaller carbon footprint — at a competitive price, too.

Despite the benefits of being under budget, Best says it's not keeping him from running a full court press on fundraising and scaling for the future. Syzygy has grown its team to 60 people and is preparing to move into a new 45,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pearland this summer.

"We're about to go out and fundraise more though," Best says on the show. "What we're seeing is the market's appetite for our kind of technology — deep tech for decarbonization in energy and chemicals — is really high. If we want to meet global demand for our product, we need to get ready to scale."

Best says he's keeping a close eye what the market will be looking for, and the interest seems to be in hydrogen as a clean energy solution, which has positioned Syzygy in a great place.

"The reason hydrogen is having a moment is because it is like a swiss army knife for fighting climate change," Best says. "There are a lot of applications for using hydrogen — to the point where I would say that I don't think planet Earth can truly decarbonize without it. That has resulted in a lot of interest in Syzygy's technology."

Best shares more about what else he's watching closely in clean tech — including carbon accounting and inconsistency in green energy solutions — as well as how the Houston innovation ecosystem has evolved over the years on the podcast episode. Listen to the full interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.