<p>Welcome to episode 100 of the Real Finds Podcast. To mark the milestone, Gordon Lamphere sits down with Whitaker Irvin Jr., CEO of Q Hydrogen, the company commercializing a breakthrough hydrogen production technology and preparing to open one of the world's first economically viable renewable hydrogen power plants in Groveton, New Hampshire.</p><p></p><p>The most common refrain across 100 episodes has been simple: we don't talk about energy and energy access enough. This conversation answers that directly. Whit walks through how hydrogen factors into the data center power crisis, why five-to-seven-year grid interconnect queues are reshaping site selection, and what plentiful behind-the-meter clean energy could mean for industrial development, co-located users, and the global economy.</p><p></p><p>If you're in energy, data centers, industrial site selection, or capital markets touching infrastructure, this is a must-listen.</p><p></p><p>Timestamps </p><p>00:00 — Intro: 100 episodes and the energy access problem </p><p>01:33 — Whit's path from aerospace and finance into the family business </p><p>02:23 — Why hydrogen, and the accidental 2008 discovery behind Q Hydrogen </p><p>04:17 — What makes hydrogen valuable: mobility, chemicals, and power </p><p>06:21 — Hydrogen and the data center boom </p><p>08:29 — Infrastructure needed to run hydrogen as a power source </p><p>10:30 — Behind-the-meter power in Groveton, NH </p><p>12:48 — Storage and volatility: why conventional hydrogen is expensive </p><p>15:26 — Grid interconnect queues and how hydrogen reshapes site selection </p><p>18:21 — Repurposing idle assets, including old coal plants </p><p>20:23 — How Wall Street and London see hydrogen </p><p>22:00 — Green, blue, and the financial math of incentives </p><p>24:38 — What we're not talking about enough </p><p>27:22 — AI, the trades, and the human aspect of the next economy </p><p>27:56 — What a positive energy future looks like in 10 years </p><p>30:02 — Career advice: don't be so quick to judge </p><p>32:38 — Next guest: Gabe Tishman </p><p>33:07 — How to reach Whit</p><p></p><p>Connect with Whitaker Irvin Jr. </p><p>Email: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> </p><p>Company: Q Hydrogen — <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://qhydrogen.com">https://qhydrogen.com</a></p><p></p><p>About the Real Finds Podcast</p><p>The Real Finds Podcast features real conversations with the entrepreneurs, activists, and researchers shaping the real estate industry and the world around it. Hosted by Gordon Lamphere of Van Vlissingen and Co., Chicagoland's oldest private commercial real estate brokerage. Subscribe, like, and review — your feedback helps us bring on more guests of this caliber.</p><p>Learn more about Van Vlissingen and Co.: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://vvco.com">https://vvco.com</a></p><p>Have a site selection, industrial, or investment question? Call us at 847-846-6902.</p><p></p><p>#RealFindsPodcast #Hydrogen #QHydrogen #CleanEnergy #DataCenters #EnergyTransition #IndustrialRealEstate #SiteSelection #BehindTheMeter #GridInterconnect #RenewableEnergy #CommercialRealEstate #VanVlissingen</p>