Despite the political hooraw about renewables in Australia, the people and the private sector are charging [sic] ahead. One can argue about batteries or fuel cells for vehicles of various sorts, or one can treat them as complementary technologies, with different strengths for different applications. (As also for Renewable Natural Gas [sic] from landfills and such.) We also get carbon-free ammonia production, and can use hydrogen as energy storage for load balancing and time shifting.
New 3.6 GW PV-powered hydrogen project announced in Australia
Austrom Hydrogen, a newcomer to the Australian renewable energy scene, has unveiled plans to develop a large solar project, battery storage system, and hydrogen generation facility in Queensland. The project, Pacific Solar Hydrogen, will join the growing group of gigawatt-scale green hydrogen project announcements across Australia. While this marks an important milestone, the next, even bigger step is to secure finance and offtake deals.
The company said that the Pacific Solar Hydrogen project is ideally positioned, with close proximity to the existing power grid and the Port of Gladstone, which is becoming Queensland’s green hydrogen mecca. The traditional coal and gas hub of Gladstone has been selected to host two major projects– a gigawatt-scale green hydrogen and ammonia development and a gas injection facility to blend renewable hydrogen into its natural gas network. These projects could make it the first entire city in the nation to be on a blend of natural gas and hydrogen.