What happens when water is split, hydrogen is produced, and a fuel cell starts generating electricity?
For pupils from classes 4A and 4B of Dimitar Blagoev Primary School in Stara Zagora, the answer came through a hands-on science lesson at Trakia University.
During the interactive session “Mission Hydrogen: The Star Fuel and the Journey of Water,” the students entered the world of hydrogen technologies step by step – from electrolysis to electricity and motion.
Led by Dr. Mariya E. Ivanova, Technology Development Manager at H2START, with practical demonstrations by Dr. Asrar Sheikh from the H2START team, the lesson turned a complex energy chain into something visible, logical and exciting.
From water to movement
Using a hydrogen production station, a fuel cell and miniature hydrogen-powered cars, the pupils followed the full process – water was split through electrolysis, hydrogen was produced, electricity was generated, and the model vehicles moved.
The demonstrations gave the students a clear introduction to green hydrogen, fuel cells and the role hydrogen technologies can play in transport and energy. More importantly, they showed that science is not just something written in a textbook, but tested, observed and understood.
Curiosity is the starting point
The session was designed not only to explain hydrogen, but to spark interest in science, engineering and innovation at an early age.
That matters because the clean-energy transition will need more than new technologies. It will need people who are curious enough to ask questions, confident enough to experiment and skilled enough to build what comes next.
For H2START, engaging young people is part of building that future. A strong hydrogen ecosystem begins with research and infrastructure, but it also begins with education, public engagement and the ability to make complex ideas accessible.
The next generation of hydrogen talent
By the end of the visit, the pupils had seen how hydrogen can be produced, how a fuel cell works and how stored energy can become motion.
They also left with something less measurable, but just as important: a first glimpse of the technologies that may shape the energy systems, industries and careers of the future.
