GREEN HYDROGEN IN TRANSPORT
Hydrogen transport in Australia: The road to 2030 Early in 2022 Australia’s first hydrogen refuelling station was certified under the Smart Energy Council’s Zero Carbon Certification scheme, but it is going to take a whole lot more renewable hydrogen and supporting delivery infrastructure to make a sizeable dent in Australia’s transport emissions and strengthen fuel security, says Max Hewitt of Hydrogen Australia, a division of the Smart Energy Council.
HYDROGEN – when produced without excess emissions – is increasingly being considered as a fuel to help decarbonise many different sectors of the economy, including some which could not otherwise be decarbonised, for example industrial processes that can’t be electrified, like fertiliser production. In Australia, we are fortunate to have some of the best conditions in the world for large-scale production of low-cost renewable energy and hydrogen. Looking forward, it may be possible to leverage these advantages and deliver significant decarbonisation across the economy. To advance decarbonisation, we also need hydrogen certification as a guarantee of origin for the hydrogen, detailing the emissions associated with the production process. This provides customers with an understanding of the renewable nature of the product (or an understanding of how polluting it may be). The Zero Carbon Certification Scheme is an industry-led scheme which came about through consultation with Hydrogen Australia members and a consensus that transparency was critical to the long-term success of the industry. The scheme only considers renewable hydrogen projects for certification, to promote the development of sustainable projects which will help deliver low-cost renewable hydrogen and decarbonise most effectively. The certification of the refuelling station in the Australian Capital Territory allows the operator, ActewAGL, to demonstrate that the hydrogen being dispensed to customers on site is renewable (according to the scheme requirements).
“The hydrogen industry has set its sights firmly on the heavy vehicle market.” Australia and the worldwide landscape Australia is just getting started on its hydrogen journey. While there is a lot of hype, the reality is that we have been slow to leave the starting blocks. Currently there are three hydrogen refuelling stations operating in Australia, included in the total of six at various stages of development. However hydrogen is rapidly gaining favour as a global transport opportunity. Just 10 years ago, there were around 215 refuelling stations worldwide, with numbers actually decreasing. By 2017, things had turned around and development began to skyrocket. In 2021, a record-breaking 142 stations were installed. This took the global total to 685 by the end of 2021. Most of these refuelling stations are in Europe, Asia and North America. Germany has 100; Japan has 159; China has 105; and Korea 95.
Getting things moving Within Australia there have been some significant recent announcements regarding hydrogen transport infrastructure. The New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland governments have combined forces to accelerate the development of a ‘hydrogen highway’ along one of the country’s busiest traffic corridors. This would see the delivery of a series of hydrogen refuelling stations along the east coast,
“Australia’s advantageous conditions for large-scale production of low-cost renewable energy and hydrogen could deliver significant decarbonisation across the economy – but only if we get moving now.” A Hyzon Motors fuel cell bus. Image: Hyzon Motors 28 SUMMER 2022
