Why now in Australia?

Why now? What is unique about Australia in the global hydrogen economy?

The Australian Government has set an ambitious target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030, putting us on track to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Achieving these targets means significantly reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and equivalent greenhouse gases – and adopting hydrogen can play a significant role in supporting this.

Many countries around the world aim to use hydrogen to achieve their greenhouse gas emission targets, however not all countries have the resources to make enough hydrogen to meet their own needs.

Australia is in a unique position to produce low-carbon hydrogen for domestic use, and to be a major global exporter, because:

• Australia has abundant renewable energy resources, including solar, wind, and hydropower, and available land that make it well-suited for the large-scale production of green hydrogen using renewable electricity.
• Australia is already one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and has an existing natural gas industry and infrastructure that can be adapted to produce hydrogen.
• Australia has substantial coal and gas resources that, combined with extensive areas available to use for carbon capture and storage, can support the large-scale production of a low-carbon ‘blue’ hydrogen. (We will talk more about the colours of hydrogen in Week 2).
• Australia’s geographical location and proximity to growing Asian markets, make it an attractive option to export hydrogen.
• Australia has a skilled workforce, and strong collaborations between industry, academia, and government, to support the technology development required for a large hydrogen industry.

What is renewable ‘green’ hydrogen gas? video

Your task

Watch the video above by Australian Energy Renewable Agency (ARENA) and think about Australia’s role in hydrogen clean energy. Do you believe Australia can continue to push to be a leader in the hydrogen space? Why or why not? Share your thoughts below.

References

_{ARENA, (2019) What is renewable ‘green’ hydrogen gas?, Australian Renewable Energy Agency.}