Hydrogen has rightly captured the fascination of the energy industry in recent years, with much excitement about the potential this fuel has to assist in the decarbonisation of energy in Australia and around the world. Here, we take a closer look at Australia’s burgeoning hydrogen energy industry, and some of the equipment and technology that will allow us to bring it to life.
It’s not just the energy industry that is excited about the role that hydrogen can play – Australia’s Federal Government has also committed to developing a hydrogen industry in Australia through a National Hydrogen Strategy.
The strategy sets a vision for a clean, innovative, safe and competitive hydrogen industry that benefits all Australians, and it aims to position Australia’s hydrogen industry as a major global player by 2030.
The hydrogen strategy explores Australia’s clean hydrogen potential, considers future scenarios with wide-ranging growth possibilities and outlines an adaptive approach that equips Australia to scale up quickly.
It has also defined two clear goals for an Australian hydrogen industry, which are:
- Hydrogen production at under $2 per kg (H2 under $2)
- Commercial renewable hydrogen exports by 2030
Across Australia, hundreds of millions of dollars have already been committed by the Federal and State Governments towards the development of a hydrogen industry. And with the export potential for renewable hydrogen set to be huge for Australia, it’s an exciting time to be involved in developing this technology.
2021 has already proved to be somewhat of a breakthrough year for our hydrogen industry, with National Energy Resources Australia launching the Regional Hydrogen Technology Clusters Seed Funding Program, which will bring together businesses from around the country to share ideas, innovations and bring about the establishment of a globally competitive hydrogen industry here in Australia.
With the infrastructure now well established to assist in the development of this industry, it’s an exciting time to look ahead to some of the cutting-edge technologies that will be employed to bring our hydrogen dreams to life.
The latest in electrolyser technology
Electrolysers are critical for the production of hydrogen to be used as an energy carrier. In an electrolyser, the process of electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, without producing any harmful byproducts.
Enter Siemens Energy’s Silyzer solution, which can produce green hydrogen in a more efficient and sustainable way.
The Silyzer 300 is the latest and most powerful product line in the double-digit megawatt class in the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysis portfolio from Siemens Energy.
PEM electrolysis is the electrolysis of water in a cell equipped with a solid polymer electrolyte that is responsible for the conduction of protons, separation of product gases, and electrical insulation of the electrodes.
Silyzer 300’s modular design makes unique use of scaling effects to minimise investment costs for large-scale industrial electrolysis plants. The optimised design results in very low hydrogen production costs thanks to high plant efficiency and availability.
PEM electrolysers in the Silyzer product range have proven themselves with customers in the industrial, mobility and energy sectors, and demonstrated their value in numerous in-house testing facilities. A wealth of experience borne from decades of development and optimisation by Siemens Energy has culminated in Silyzer 300.
“At Siemens Energy, we are on a quest to reshape the energy landscape of tomorrow. Our commitment to promoting and developing projects and technologies to produce green hydrogen has led us to developing and refining our Silyzer portfolio of solutions, and this will support both private and public sectors’ efforts in meeting the growing global demand for energy while transitioning to a more sustainable world,” said Michael Bielinski, Managing Director of Siemens Energy Australasia.
This sponsored editorial was brought to you by Siemens Energy. For more information about the range of technologies Siemens Energy offers, head to www.siemens-energy.com/apac/en.html
