Australia

Hydrogen is increasingly recognized as a key energy vector for achieving deep decarbonization across urban and industrial sectors. Supporting global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) it is essential to understand the multi-sectoral role of the hydrogen value chain spanning production storage and end-use applications with particular emphasis on smart city systems and industrial processes. Green hydrogen production technologies including alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysis and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) are evaluated in terms of efficiency scalability and integration potential. Storage pathways are examined across physical storage (compressed gas cryo-compressed and liquid hydrogen) material-based storage (solid-state absorption in metal hydrides and chemical carriers such as LOHCs and ammonia) and geological storage (salt caverns depleted gas reservoirs and deep saline aquifers) highlighting their suitability for urban and industrial contexts. In the smart city domain hydrogen is analyzed as an enabler of zero-emission transportation low-carbon residential and commercial heating and renewable-integrated smart grids with long-duration storage capabilities. System-level studies demonstrate that coordinated integration of these applications can deliver higher overall energy efficiency deeper reductions in life-cycle GHG emissions and improved resilience of urban energy systems compared with sector-specific approaches. Policy frameworks safety standards and digitalization strategies are reviewed to illustrate how hydrogen infrastructure can be embedded into interconnected urban energy systems. Furthermore industrial applications focus on hydrogen’s potential to decarbonize energy-intensive processes and enable sector coupling between electricity heat and manufacturing. The environmental implications of hydrogen deployment are also considered including resource efficiency life-cycle emissions and ecosystem impacts. In contrast to reviews addressing isolated aspects of hydrogen technologies this study synthesizes technological infrastructural and policy dimensions integrating insights from over 400 studies to highlight the multifaceted role of hydrogen in sustainable urban development and industrial decarbonization and the added benefits achievable through coordinated cross-sector deployment strategies.

Hydrogen plays a key role in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like aviation steel and shipping. However producing pure hydrogen requires significant energy to break chemical bonds from its sources such as gas and water. Ideally the energy used for this process should match the energy output from hydrogen but in reality energy losses occur at various stages of the hydrogen economy—production packaging delivery and use. This results in needing more energy to operate the hydrogen economy than it can ultimately provide. To address this passive power sources like latent thermal energy storage systems can help reduce costs and improve efficiency. These systems can enable passive cooling or electricity generation from waste heat cutting down on the extra energy needed for compression liquefaction and distribution. This study explores integrating latent thermal energy storage into all stages of the hydrogen economy offering a cost and sizing approach for such systems. The integration could reduce costs close the waste-heat recycling loop and support green hydrogen production for achieving NetZero by 2050.

The rapid growth of Australia’s hydrogen economy highlights the pressing need for innovative regulatory strategies that address the distinct characteristics of hydrogen supply chains. This study focuses on the supply-side dynamics of the hydrogen energy sector emphasizing the importance of tailored frameworks to ensure the safe efficient and reliable movement of hydrogen across the supply chain. Key areas of analysis include the regulatory challenges associated with various transportation and storage methods particularly during long-distance transport and extended storage periods. The research identifies notable gaps and inconsistencies within the current regulatory systems across Australian states which inhibit the development of a unified hydrogen economy. To address these challenges the concept of Proactive Regulation for Hydrogen Supply (PRHS) is introduced. PRHS emphasizes anticipatory governance that adapts alongside technological advancements to effectively manage hydrogen transportation and storage. The study advocates for harmonizing fragmented state frameworks into a cohesive national regulatory system to support the sustainable and scalable expansion of hydrogen logistics. Furthermore the paper examines the potential of blockchain technology to enhance safety accountability and traceability across the hydrogen supply chain offering practical solutions to current regulatory and operational barriers.

Decarbonising aquaculture support vessels is pivotal to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across both the aquaculture and maritime sectors. This study evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of deploying hydrogen as a marine fuel for a 14.95 m net cleaning vessel (NCV) operating in Tasmania Australia. The analysis retains the vessel’s original layout and subdivision to enable a like-for-like comparison between conventional diesel and hydrogen-based systems. Two options are evaluated: (i) replacing both the main propulsion engines and auxiliary generator sets with hydrogen-based systems— either proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) or internal combustion engines (ICEs); and (ii) replacing only the diesel generator sets with hydrogen power systems. The assessment covers system sizing onboard hydrogen storage integration operational constraints lifecycle cost and GHG abatement. Option (i) is constrained by the sizes and weights of PEMFC systems and hydrogen-fuelled ICEs rendering full conversion unfeasible within current spatial and technological limits. Option (ii) is technically feasible: sixteen 700 bar cylinders (131.2 kg H2 total) meet one day of onboard power demand for net-cleaning operations with bunkering via swap-and-go skids at the berth. The annualised total cost of ownership for the PEMFC systems is 1.98 times that of diesel generator sets while enabling annual CO2 reductions of 433 t. The findings provide a practical decarbonisation pathway for small- to medium-sized service vessels in niche maritime sectors such as aquaculture while clarifying near-term trade-offs between cost and emissions.

Hydrogen is the key to decarbonising heavy-duty transport. Understanding the distribution of hydrogen demand is crucial for effective planning and development of infrastructure. However current data on future hydrogen demand is often coarse and aggregated limiting its utility for detailed analysis and decision-making. This study developed a spatial disaggregation approach to estimating hydrogen demand for heavy-duty trucks and mapping the spatial distribution of hydrogen demand across multiple scales in Australia. By integrating spatial datasets with economic factors market penetration rates and technical specifications of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles the approach disaggregates the projected demand into specific demand centres allowing for the mapping of regional hydrogen demand patterns and the identification of key centres of hydrogen demand based on heavy-duty truck traffic flow projections under different scenarios. This approach was applied to Australia and the findings offered valuable insights that can help policymakers and stakeholders plan and develop hydrogen infrastructure such as optimising hydrogen refuelling station locations and support the transition to a low-carbon heavy-duty transport sector.