Jo Bamford, who owns Ballymena based Wrightbus, has co-founded an investment fund to focus on the hydrogen sector.
Mr Paisley said, "Wrightbus is already leading the way in terms of the development of hydrogen and showing the huge possibilities that exist within this green energy sector. This fund has already raised over £200 million and given Northern Ireland's position within this sector we must ensure these opportunities are capitalised on.
The UK Government has already outlined a strategy for a hydrogen economy and I would encourage partnership between Northern Ireland and London in this area. We can build on our already strong standing in this area and position Northern Ireland as a hub not just locally but globally in this area.
The pace of development within renewable energy is incredibly fast and this fund will be another huge boost to that. We can not only play an important part in developing a low Carbon economy and help the drive towards net zero, but create high quality jobs and contribute to economic growth here. With the UK hosting COP26 there will be a continued focus on accelerating this action and I want to see Northern Ireland at the heart of this."