Microbe-based hydrogen production is a potentially cost-effective, non-polluting approach to the production of hydrogen. Research efforts are underway to identify, isolate, and enhance microbial strains which facilitate direct sunlight-to-hydrogen conversion. These efforts are hampered by a lack of adequate instruments to rapidly detect and pinpoint hydrogen producers. There is a need for assays which provide sufficient sensitivity, short response times, scalability, and compatibility with high-throughput methodologies to allow for rapid screening of microbe colonies. GVD Corporation is assisting the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the development of a quick, simple assay that will identify hydrogen producing microbes. This approach could have broader applicability for low-cost hydrogen safety sensors.