<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/another-2-billion-on-table-in-second-round-of-hydrogen-headstart-program-with-new-focus-on-feedstocks/>
"Another $2 billion is being offered by federal government agencies in a second
round of the Hydrogen Headstart program, will will now target
difficult-to-decarbonise sectors and and focus bringing down production costs.
The second round of the funding is expected to give priority to projects that
are working on green ammonia, green iron and steel, alumina, and long-distance
heavy transport such as aviation and shipping.
The new focus comes after a realisation that, as one Renew Economy writer put
it, major organisations “fluffed” their assumptions on what the green hydrogen
industry could do and would become.
“The Albanese government, to its credit, has been refining this vision,
shifting away from the idea that hydrogen will be piped into homes or used to
fuel passenger cars and instead focusing more on where it might actually make
sense: industrial feedstocks,” wrote Michael Barnard in March.
A key issue has been severe underestimations of what it costs to make green
hydrogen, overestimates of how fast those costs would come down, and a refusal
by companies to buy more expensive green versions of hydrogen-based fuels.
Last years’
National Hydrogen Strategy estimated the cost of making green
hydrogen at around $5 to $10 per kilogram, much higher than the $2 it needs to
be to compete with gas.
For this reason, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) expects the
next round of applicants to also focus on how to make hydrogen production
cheaper.
It wants to see innovative construction and design, more efficient
electrolysers, de-risking end use infrastructure, and a vague but ambitious
wish for “reducing the cost of renewable electricity”.
“We know that renewable hydrogen will play a critical role in decarbonising
heavy industry, particularly in sectors where electrification is not feasible
or alternatives are limited,” ARENA CEO Darren Miller said in a statement.
“Getting renewable hydrogen to commercial scale will take time, innovation and
ongoing support. By backing industry first-movers, ARENA is providing the
certainty to invest, innovate and develop the next wave of projects and
learnings.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
