Saul Griffith, the outspoken scientist and critic of Andrew Forrest’s renewable-energy strategy, has another target: a hydrogen start-up backed by the father of Australia’s hydrogen strategy, former chief scientist Alan Finkel.

Dr Finkel was this week appointed head of an advisory board to Hysata, a private company that emerged from University of Wollongong research into electrolysis, which is a way to extract hydrogen from water.