Hydrogen

In an Australian first, newly re-elected Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk has established a ministry for hydrogen in her new government. The move comes amidst a raft of recent hydrogen related policies throughout Australia and reinforces the nation’s determination to lead the global race for a hydrogen economy.

Deakin University’s Hydrogen Test Bed is set to position regional Victoria at the cutting edge of hydrogen research. The facility and its research is looking to determine whether Australia’s current gas infrastructure can be repurposed for the use of clean hydrogen.

The South Australian government has followed up the launch of its Hydrogen Export Prospectus last week with a straight drive on the front foot, $37 million in funding for export infrastructure upgrades in support of the a $240 million green hydrogen and green ammonia project which will make South Australia a global leader.

South Australia has done some hard yards in pursuing the transition to green energy, integrating 50% renewable generation into its grid, and advancing the management of a vast fleet of distributed rooftop energy resources. Now it’s seeking investors to continue the renewable buildout beyond its own requirements and potentially fuel the world with green hydrogen.

Earlier this year, Singapore surpassed its 2020 target for 350 MW of installed PV, and has set itself a more ambitious goal of 2 GW for the coming decade. pv magazine recently spoke with Thomas Reindl, deputy CEO of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) – and also the lead author of a 2020 update to the institute’s PV Roadmap for Singapore report – to catch up on the latest developments in the city-state’s PV market.

Mining giant Fortescue Metals Group is on track to transport workers at the company’s Christmas Creek iron ore mine with hydrogen-fuelled buses after gas supplier BOC confirmed it has been engaged to install renewable hydrogen production and refuelling facilities at the Pilbara site.

A report by Finnish company Wärtsilä has estimated the potential impact if every dollar committed to a non-renewables energy sector recovery was instead funnelled to clean power.

Re-elected South Korean president Moon Jae-in today declared he will follow-up on a campaign trail promise to eliminate carbon emissions by mid century. The announcement comes just two days after Japan’s new prime minister said he would accelerate his nation’s emissions target.

BOC will compress green hydrogen produced at newer than new HyP SA, which taps the state’s currently over-abundant solar generation, and deliver it to industrial customers in South Australia and Western Australia. The arrangement is expected to seed a foundation market for the carbon-free product and demonstrate its viability.

The 26 GW Asian Renewable Energy Hub proposed for the Pilbara last week gained Major Project Status, and with it Federal Government support in streamlining ongoing approvals to commencement of construction in 2026.