Hydrogen

The Gladstone Energy and Ammonia Project plans to efficiently use available resources and technology to produce low-cost, relatively low-emissions blue hydrogen from coal, and provide a conduit to commercialising true green hydrogen. A federal emissions policy driving toward a net-zero commitment could properly value GEAP’s place in Australia’s energy and export ecosystem.

Is there something fishy about Environment Minister Sussan Ley rejecting the Asian Renewable Energy Hub’s development application? The murkiness of the federal government’s drive to make Australia an exporter of hydrogen, of any hue, gives rise to concerns.

Wood MacKenzie’s energy transition modelling is predicting a primacy in the future low-carbon hydrogen economy for Australia. Thanks to the country’s solar irradiance and renewable energy expertise, as well as its relative proximity to major off-taker markets, Australia could be looking at export revenues of up to US$90 billion by 2050.

Ruchi Gupta is a research fellow at the University of Geneva’s Institute for Environmental Sciences. She focuses on how flexibility options, such as sector coupling with hydrogen production, can support renewable energy integration and decarbonise a wide range of sectors.

In the world of renewable energy, the past carries charge. It can be an anchor, a learning curve, a hurdle. In Bundaberg, it’s quite literally the fuel for the future. And that green future is being energised by an unusual crew: its local government.

Australia’s determination to establish itself as a major player in the green hydrogen market has seen a flood of government funding and announced projects in recent months but new analysis from international consultancy firm Rystad Energy has highlighted a potential hurdle for the industry.

Andrew Horvath, Global Chairman of hydrogen technology company Star Scientific, has been selected by the global Sustainable Energy Council to be one of the eight leaders on its World Hydrogen Advisory Board. “I’m the only Aussie!” Horvath told pv magazine Australia.

Alliances with Germany and Japan to develop and commercialise emissions-reducing technologies would be a coup for Australia, if there were any concerted efforts at home to reduce emissions in line with international initiatives, and transition Australian industries to be competitive in a carbon-pricing world.

The Queensland government has underscored its commitment to a clean energy future, announcing a $2 billion fund to be used to finance new renewable energy and storage projects, hydrogen production and clean energy resources projects.