Australia

Owing to the high hydrogen content hydrocarbons are considered as an alternative source for hydrogen energy purposes. Complete decomposition of hydrocarbons results in the formation of gaseous hydrogen and solid carbonaceous by-product. The process is complicated by the methane formation reaction when the released hydrogen interacts with the formed carbon deposits. The present study is focused on the effects of the reaction mixture composition. Variations in the inlet hydrogen and methane concentrations were found to influence the carbon product’s morphology and the hydrogen production efficiency. The catalyst containing NiO (82 wt%) CuO (13 wt%) and Al2O3 (5 wt%) was prepared via a mechanochemical activating procedure. Kinetics of the catalytic process of hydrocarbons decomposition was studied using a reactor equipped with McBain balances. The effects of the process parameters were explored in a tubular quartz reactor with chromatographic analysis of the outlet gaseous products. In the latter case the catalyst was loaded piecemeal. The texture and morphology of the produced carbon deposits were investigated by nitrogen adsorption and electron microscopy techniques.

Hydrogen is a clean energy source with a relatively low pollution footprint. However hydrogen does not exist in nature as a separate element but only in compound forms. Hydrogen is produced through a process that dissociates it from its compounds. Several methods are used for hydrogen production which first of all differ in the energy used in this process. Investigating the viability and exact applicability of a method in a specific context requires accurate knowledge of the parameters involved in the method and the interaction between these parameters. This can be done using top-down models relying on complex mathematically driven equations. However with the raise of computational intelligence (CI) and machine learning techniques researchers in hydrology have increasingly been using these methods for this complex task and report promising results. The contribution of this study is to investigate the state of the art CI methods employed in hydrogen production and to identify the CI method(s) that perform better in the prediction assessment and optimization tasks related to different types of Hydrogen production methods. The resulting analysis provides in-depth insight into the different hydrogen production methods modeling technique and the obtained results from various scenarios integrating them within the framework of a common discussion and evaluation paper. The identified methods were benchmarked by a qualitative analysis of the accuracy of CI in modeling hydrogen production providing extensive overview of its usage to empower renewable energy utilization.

This paper presents a case study of using hydrogen for large-scale long-term storage application to support the current electricity generation mix of South Australia state in Australia which primarily includes gas wind and solar. For this purpose two cases of battery energy storage and hybrid battery-hydrogen storage systems to support solar and wind energy inputs were compared from a techno-economical point of view. Hybrid battery-hydrogen storage system was found to be more cost competitive with unit cost of electricity at $0.626/kWh (US dollar) compared to battery-only energy storage systems with a $2.68/kWh unit cost of electricity. This research also found that the excess stored hydrogen can be further utilised to generate extra electricity. Further utilisation of generated electricity can be incorporated to meet the load demand by either decreasing the base load supply from gas in the present scenario or exporting it to neighbouring states to enhance economic viability of the system. The use of excess stored hydrogen to generate extra electricity further reduced the cost to $0.494/kWh.

Human health is a key pillar of modern conceptions of sustainability. Humanity pays a considerable price for its dependence on fossil-fueled energy systems which must be addressed for sustainable urban development. Public hospitals are focal points for communities and have an opportunity to lead the transition to renewable energy. We have reimagined the healthcare energy ecosystem with sustainable technologies to transform hospitals into networked clean energy hubs. In this concept design hydrogen is used to couple energy with other on-site medical resource demands and vanadium flow battery technology is used to engage the public with energy systems. This multi-generation system would reduce harmful emissions while providing reliable services tackling the linked issues of human and environmental health.

Large-scale stationary hydrogen storage is critical if hydrogen is to fulfill its promise as a global energy carrier. While densified storage via compressed gas and liquid hydrogen is currently the dominant approach liquid organic molecules have emerged as a favorable storage medium because of their desirable properties such as low cost and compatibility with existing fuel transport infrastructure. This perspective article analytically investigates hydrogenation systems' technical and economic prospects using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) to store hydrogen at a large scale compared to densified storage technologies and circular hydrogen carriers (mainly ammonia and methanol). Our analysis of major system components indicates that the capital cost for liquid hydrogen storage is more than two times that for the gaseous approach and four times that for the LOHC approach. Ammonia and methanol could be attractive options as hydrogen carriers at a large scale because of their compatibility with existing liquid fuel infrastructure. However their synthesis and decomposition are energy and capital intensive compared to LOHCs. Together with other properties such as safety these factors make LOHCs a possible option for large-scale stationary hydrogen storage. In addition hydrogen transportation via various approaches is briefly discussed. We end our discussions by identifying important directions for future research on LOHCs.

Solar-driven electrolysis of water to generate hydrogen is emerging as a viable strategy to decarbonize the global energy economy. However this direction is more expensive than traditional fossil fuel generation of hydrogen and effective pathways to lower this cost need to be identified. Here we report a Monte Carlo approach to explore a wide range of input assumptions to identify key cost drivers targets and localized conditions necessary for competitive stand-alone dedicated PV powered hydrogen electrolysis. We determine the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) considering historical weather data for specific locations to model our PV system and optimize its size compared to the electrolyzer. This analysis and its methods show the potential for green hydrogen production using off-grid PV shows the merits of remote systems in areas of high solar resource and provides cost and performance targets for electrolyzer technologies.

This paper assesses the techno-economic feasibility of a green hydrogen-based microgrid for a remote Australian island. Hydrogen can be used to provide clean energy in areas where large-scale renewable energy sources are not feasible owing to geography government regulations or regulatory difficulties. This study not only identifies the appropriate component size for a hydrogen-based microgrid but also provides an economic perspective of decarbonising Thursday Island in Torres Straits Queensland Australia. Due to geographical constraints the green hydrogen production system needs to be distinct from the electrical network. This research shows how to produce green hydrogen transport it and generate power at a low cost. The study was performed utilising the HOMER simulation platform to find the least cost solution. The simulation results demonstrate an AU$0.01 reduction in Levelised Cost of Energy compared to the present electricity generation cost which is AU$0.56. The inclusion of a green hydrogen system will potentially minimise CO2 emissions by 99.6% while ensuring almost 100% renewable penetration. The results of this study will also serve as a guide for the placement of hydrogen-based microgrids in similar remote locations around the world where numerous remote energy systems are located close to each other.

This paper explores the skills landscape of the emerging green hydrogen industry in Australia drawing on data collected from a study that gathered insights on training gaps from a range of hydrogen industry participants. A total of 41 industry participants completed a survey and 14 of those survey respondents participated in industry consultations. The findings revealed widespread perceptions of training and skilling as being very important to the industry but under-provisioned across the sector. Data were analysed to consider the problem of skilling the green hydrogen industry and the barriers and enablers as perceived by industry stakeholders. In this paper we argue that urgent cross-sector attention needs to be paid to hydrogen industry training and skill development systems in Australia if the promise of green hydrogen as a clean energy source is to be realised.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set decarbonisation goals for the shipping industry. As a result shipowners and operators are preparing to use low- or zero-carbon alternative fuels. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emission performances are fundamental for choosing suitable marine fuels. However the current regulations adopt tank-to-wake (TTW) emission assessment methods that could misrepresent the total climate impacts of fuels. To better understand the well-to-wake (WTW) GHG emission performances this work applied the life cycle assessment (LCA) method to a very large crude carrier (VLCC) sailing between the Middle East and China to investigate the emissions. The life cycle GHG emission impacts of using alternative fuels including liquified natural gas (LNG) methanol and ammonia were evaluated and compared with using marine gas oil (MGO). The bunkering site of the VLCC was in Zhoushan port China. The MGO and LNG were imported from overseas while methanol and ammonia were produced in China. Four production pathways for methanol and three production pathways for ammonia were examined. The results showed that compared with MGO using fossil energy-based methanol and ammonia has no positive effect in terms of annual WTW GHG emissions. The emission reduction effects of fuels ranking from highest to lowest were full solar and battery-based methanol full solar and battery-based ammonia and LNG. Because marine ammonia-fuelled engines have not been commercialised laboratory data were used to evaluate the nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The GHG emission reduction potential of ammonia can be exploited more effectively if the N2O emitted from engines is captured and disposed of through after-treatment technologies. This paper discussed three scenarios of N2O emission abatement ratios of 30% 50% and 90%. The resulting emission reduction effects showed that using full solar and battery-based ammonia with 90% N2O abatement performs better than using full solar and battery-based methanol. The main innovation of this work is realising the LCA GHG emission assessment for a deep-sea ship.

Developing a thriving hydrogen industry will depend on public and community support. Past research mainly focusing on the acceptance of hydrogen fuelling stations and cars suggests that people generally support hydrogen energy technology (HET). Few studies have however considered how people think about other components of the hydrogen supply chain (i.e. technologies required to make store transport and use hydrogen). Moreover there has been limited research investigating how people interpret and develop beliefs about HET after being presented with technical information. This paper attempts to address these research gaps by presenting the findings from four face-to-face focus group discussions conducted in Australia. The findings suggest that people have differing views about HET which depends on the type of technology and these views influence levels of support. The study also revealed concerns about a range of other factors that have yet to be considered in hydrogen acceptance research (e.g. perceived water use efficiency and indirect benefits). The findings highlight the value of qualitative research for identifying salient beliefs that shape attitudes towards HET and provide recommendations for future research and how to effectively communicate with the public and communities about an emerging hydrogen industry.