Driving the rapid expansion of green hydrogen’s role in the global economy.
Welcome
There are great expectations for green hydrogen to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to greener alternatives, achieving crucial net-zero emission targets and protecting our planet and all who inhabit it, now and into the future.
The Scaling Green Hydrogen Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) aims to become the largest single initiative in the country focused on supporting the vital scaling up of the emerging Australian green hydrogen sector to allow us to realise these expectations.
What is the problem or challenge?
Around 100 million tonnes of hydrogen is used each year to make chemicals and refine transport fuels, and it all comes from fossil fuels, with large amounts of CO2 emissions.
As we move to renewable energy, questions are being asked. How do we store energy from the sun and wind? What about the sectors who can’t easily transition to renewables: fertilisers, heavy transport, aviation and shipping?
The world is looking to green hydrogen to address these challenges, because of its versatility and suitability. But, while we know how to make green hydrogen, and the goodwill around green hydrogen is near-universal, scaling up – from very limited now to large-scale global impact, within 20 years – occupies the minds of many investors and policymakers.
The largest operating electrolyser in Australia is just 1.25 MW. Scaling to as much as 1 TW (that’s a million times bigger!) is not just about adding more and bigger electrolysers. For example, the feedstocks – electricity and water sectors – will have to be massively scaled and coupled, electricity up to double the current amount.
The challenges are broad and diverse, requiring cooperation between all stakeholders: industry, investors, government, education and research. Only together can this be achieved.
The Scaling Green Hydrogen CRC will help stakeholders:
Develop solutions for storage, transport and distribution of hydrogen, noting that one solution won’t fit all challenges
Adapt electrolyser technologies from global settings to Australian conditions, working on specific solutions and local production
Collaborate across electricity, water, chemicals, transport, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors with systems approaches
Link production of green hydrogen to offtake markets such as green chemicals, sustainable fuels and green steel
Grow a domestic green hydrogen industry with local workforce, supply chains, standards and best-practice safety
Develop Australia’s small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), emerging entrepreneurs, and the research sector to create a global Hydrogen Equipment, Technology and Services (HETS) sector
There is a great global desire to develop and scale green hydrogen, and this CRC will provide value for your organisation in achieving your net-zero emission targets, so please get in touch if you are interested in knowing more.
The opportunity
Australia has always been a global energy powerhouse. While it is currently coal, oil and gas, we have the renewable energy to keep supplying energy to the world during and after the clean energy global transition. Green hydrogen is a key pillar of this.
Growing a nascent industry like this will need complex, multisectoral and systemic cooperation. There is currently no effective strategy on how big, how fast, how soon and who pays. This CRC will help de-risk the transition through collaboration and government co-funding.
Electricity’s share of global energy demand is expected to more than double by 2050 from currently 20%. But this won’t help all industries – for example, we can’t produce fertilisers and explosives without hydrogen, and batteries are not suitable for long distance and heavy transport such as ships and airplanes.
Cooperative projects and Government funding will help partners share and de-risk their investment in RD&E while learning by doing along the way.
Scaling Green Hydrogen CRC seeks to raise $5 million per annum from key stakeholders (including $4 million per annum from industry participants) for the 10-year life of the CRC which will see additional $50 million matched Commonwealth funding being requested.
Benefits of investing
Investment leverage
Cost sharing
Project selection and case study research
Work with global experts
Education and training
Information Flyer
A copy of the Scaling Green Hydrogen CRC information flyer can be downloaded through this link.
Our Non-Research Partners
Research Partners
Scaling Green Hydrogen CRC at events
The Scaling Green Hydrogen CRC has engaged with and presented at various events, conferences and forums drawing attention to the opportunity the emerging hydrogen sector presents and to demonstrate the power of the consortium we are building. We have a long list of past engagements and an even longer list of future invitations where we are contributing to shaping the conversation and inspiring leaders to be bolder, more collaborative and ambitious. We would like to thank the organisers and hosts of these events for providing us an opportunity to share our vision with the community.
Contact Us
The bid process is closed. If interested in conducting similar research, please contact the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Resources (ISER) at the University of Adelaide, on +61 8 8313 1448 or email iser@adelaide.edu.au