Hydrogen

A new study commissioned by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation has indicated renewable hydrogen is already approaching cost competitiveness with that produced using fossil fuels but some in the industry have declared the government-owned green bank’s figures are much too conservative.

Queensland is pushing ahead with its ambitions to become a major player in the evolving global hydrogen sector with the addition of both Gladstone and Toowoomba to the National Energy Resources Australia network of hydrogen technology clusters.

The pilot project is combining hydrogen fuel cell generators with a combined capacity of 500 kW with a 570 kW solar array and 1.1 MWh of lithium-ion batteries. It is planned to come online in the spring of 2022.

As Australia’s hydrogen hype is substantiated by a pipeline of real projects backed by real money, questions around how to design Australia’s ‘future fuel’ industry so it doesn’t become a fossil fuel lifeline grow increasingly urgent. Nicky Ison, WWF Australia’s Energy Transition Manager, shares the four focal points she believes are key to ensuring Australia’s hydrogen economy is cleanly built.

Australia’s largest petroleum company Ampol has declared its intent to transition away from traditional oil-based fuels, teaming with Ireland’s Fusion Fuel to develop a solar-powered hydrogen production plant at it’s oil refinery in Queensland.

Spanish PV project developer Gransolar is planning to build a large-scale green hydrogen production plant in the Port of Almería, in southern Spain.

The project is the first solar-powered green hydrogen facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

South Australia’s transition to a renewable energy future has taken another step forward with Australian Gas Network’s Hydrogen Park South Australia production facility now online, delivering green hydrogen into its gas distribution network in Adelaide.

In an interview with pv magazine, Indra Overland, the head of the Centre for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs, explains how long-distance electricity and hydrogen transport differs from that of fossil fuels. He says strong Europe-North Africa connections could prove the viability of cables to connect continents, and notes that integration between countries and regions will increase.

Hydrogen is the word on everyone’s lips as the Federal Government champions hubs of no particular colour. Seasoned clean players such as Energy Estate are identifying greenfield opportunities for renewable energy and industry to meet.