Hydrogen

Developers of one of the world’s largest renewable energy projects have vowed to push ahead with plans to build the $50 billion Asian Renewable Energy Hub in Western Australia after the federal government’s decision to reject the project was labelled “perplexing” and “premature”.

Tasmania’s port authority has entered into an agreement with Fortescue Future Industries for land and operating access for its proposed 250 MW green hydrogen plant at Bell Bay, in Tasmania’s north.

The Australian Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources is inviting discussion on its newly proposed Guarantee of Origin certification scheme for hydrogen production. The discussion itself however, which is welcomed by hydrogen industry stakeholders, has a long way to go before its methodology works to accurately differentiate hydrogen produced by renewables from other sources.

Perth-based TNG Limited has signed an agreement with Malaysian green hydrogen company AGV Energy which will see its vanadium redox flow batteries integrated into the HySustain project to store solar energy for green hydrogen production.

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.