Renewable hydrogen could fuel Australia’s next export boom after CSIRO breakthrough

Australia’s next big export industry could be its sunlight and wind, as game-changing technology makes it easier to transport and deliver their energy as hydrogen.

Industry players are even talking up renewable hydrogen as the next liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, which could supply hydrogen to power cars, buses, trucks and trains in Japan, South Korea and even Europe.

Their plans have been given a boost by a CSIRO-developed metal membrane, which allows the high-purity hydrogen needed for hydrogen-powered cars to be separated from ammonia.

What is renewable hydrogen?

• Hydrogen is a carrier of energy
• Renewable hydrogen is produced by purifying seawater, then separating the hydrogen and oxygen via electrolysis
• The process of separation is powered by solar or wind energy
• The hydrogen becomes a vehicle for storing renewable energy such as solar or wind
• It is converted into transportable forms for export

CSIRO principal research scientist Michael Dolan said the technology, now being trialled on an industrial scale in Australia, was “the missing link” which allowed hydrogen to be transported and used as an energy source.

“There’s potentially a very big market for the technology, given these cars are starting to get onto the road in pretty big numbers in Asian and Europe,” Dr Dolan said.

While there are only four hydrogen cars in Australia — produced by Hyundai and Toyota — South Korea already has hydrogen-powered taxis on its streets.

In Japan, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be a showcase of its dream of becoming a “hydrogen society”, as it shifts away from nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster.

While a long way behind these countries, Australian governments are beginning to actively embrace the potential of hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source — and export industry.

South Australia, for example, is looking to invest in hydrogen projects via a $150 million clean energy fund as it tries to secure its energy supplies.

The ACT Government announced last year it would spend $180 million on hydrogen projects, including a fleet of cars and a refuelling station.

It comes as the Australian Renewable Energy Agency recently made the exporting of renewable energy such as hydrogen one of its top priorities for $800 million of investment.

Companies line up for hydrogen

One of the key players in the industry is Andrew Want, the managing director of Renewable Hydrogen — a company involved in projects in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

Describing the industry as bottling and shipping sunlight on an industrial scale, Mr Want said renewable hydrogen was at a similar stage as LNG in the 1970s, when technology allowed natural gas to be liquefied and transported.

“We genuinely have another LNG industry on our hands, exporting energy,” he said.

READ MORE HERE: Renewable hydrogen could fuel Australia’s next export boom after CSIRO breakthrough – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)