Hydrogen
Overview
Hydrogen can be produced as a gas and used for a variety of everyday tasks and industrial uses: heating and cooking (as a replacement for natural gas), transportation (replacing petrol and diesel), industry (as an alternative chemical feedstock for industries such as aluminium, cement and green steel), and energy storage (e.g. by converting intermittent renewable energy into hydrogen). The key benefit of using hydrogen is that it is a clean fuel, emitting only water vapour and heat when combusted. Replacing current fossil fuel use with hydrogen could substantially reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.
With large potential for renewable energy, large fossil fuel resources, and geological CO2 storage, Australia is well placed to become a major producer of hydrogen for domestic use and as an export industry.
The case for production, use and export of hydrogen in the Australian context is described in detail in Australia's National Hydrogen Strategy and in CSIRO's National Hydrogen Roadmap. Hydrogen is considered one of the key technologies under the Technology Investment Roadmap.
Keywords
Hydrogen; national hydrogen strategy; hydrogen storage; salt caverns; geological storage; carbon capture, utilisation and storage; CCS; CCUS; coal; oil; gas; green hydrogen; blue hydrogen; EFTF; HEFT; AusH2.
