Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, has launched a Hydrogen Industry Mission to accelerate key projects and boost research collaborations to help grow the sector.
Through the mission, CSIRO, government and partners in research and industry are investing more than $68 million to help drive down the cost of hydrogen production to under $2 per kilogram, making the fuel more affordable and helping to position Australia to lead the world in exporting hydrogen by 2030.
Over the next five years, more than 100 projects have been planned by partners including, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Fortescue Metals Group, Swinburne University, the Victorian Government, the Future Fuels CRC, National Energy Resources Australia, and the Australian Hydrogen Council, along with collaborators Toyota and Hyundai.
The Mission will focus on delivering four key programs of work, some of which have already begun – including the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre, feasibility and strategy studies, demonstration projects, and enabling science and technology.
CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said the unique mission-based partnership was the key to creating a new industry for the future energy needs of Australia and the world.
“Australia can become a renewable energy leader through the production, use and export of hydrogen, but it will only become a reality if we breakthrough the $2/kg barrier. That needs Australia’s world class science working with CSIRO’s commercialisation expertise turning breakthrough science into real-world solutions,” Dr Marshall said.
CEO of the Australian Hydrogen Council Dr Fiona Simon said the Mission came at a critical time for the emerging Australian hydrogen industry.
“We need a coordinated series of investments in industrial-scale research and demonstration activities, along with the supporting research and infrastructure that can bring the technologies that are available and emerging to the industry that needs to deploy them,” Dr Simon said.
Victoria has strong credentials in hydrogen, with the world's largest hydrogen export demonstration project – the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain Pilot Project – recently kicking off.
For more information about the Hydrogen Industry Mission, visit https://www.csiro.au/en/about/challenges-missions/Hydrogen
To explore opportunities for investing in Victoria’s hydrogen industry, contact us.
Image (left to right): CSIRO's Larry Marshall, Vicky Au and Patrick Hartley pick up a hydrogen vehicle for testing new technologies
