澳大利亚氢能的未来

在此之前，伍德的同事们一直在分享关于 氢势 以及它对全球能源转型的贡献. 艾伦·莫蒂默讨论了它的清洁能源证书, 奥马尔·贝达尼(Omar Bedani)塑造了扩大规模的挑战 制氢, Adam Frew offered perspective on how it could compliment a more 可持续的燃料组合 在交通运输领域. 然后大卫·坎宁安提出了一个观点 氢的经济学.

我想专注于一个特定的机会区域. Highlighting the hydrogen supply chain in Australia and discussing some of the key elements that make it central to the future of hydrogen growth across APAC.

澳大利亚的潜力

“Australia has the potential to be an economic superpower of the future post-carbon world”. 如果你读过罗斯·加诺特的《超级大国, you’ll recognise the vision and optimism from one of Australia’s most influential economists. 那么氢在这里的位置? It’s anticipated that Australia can be a significant market player as a producer and exporter of hydrogen. As a result the country is home to several pilot projects to develop an international hydrogen supply chain.

作为世界上最大的可再生能源市场之一, Australia offers optimal potential for producing hydrogen through electrolysis at minimum cost, because it has access to renewable energy sources at low levelised costs of electricity. 这一过程被称为绿色制氢. (COAG能源委员会，2019年11月).

还有可再生能源, 澳大利亚也有巨大的土地面积, 天然气, 还有水来支持氢管道项目, as well as previous experience developing necessary infrastructure that can be leveraged to develop hydrogen processes and export infrastructure. 这是特别相关的 蓝色的氢 as the gas export industry is already well established in Australia. (国家氢能战略，2019年11月)

Blue hydrogen is the production of hydrogen through (carbon emitting) Steam Methane Reforming that is developed along with carbon capture and storage solutions (CCS), and Australia’s geological storage potential presents an opportunity here. Chevron’s CCS on Gorgon LNG is a great example of an operational project and Cooper Basin’s capacity to store 20mtpa of CO₂ 为桑托斯提供了一个诱人的机会. 另外, the state and federal governments are investing in CarbonNet; a project that is advancing the science and viability of CCS at commercial scale in the Bass Strait; a world class CCS location off the South East Coast of Australia.

The below graphic summarises the hydrogen supply chain capability in Australia, from sustainable production choices through to storage and transportation options.

简单的并发症

Much of the discussion around hydrogen focuses on the production and application as a fuel. 然而，基础设施也提出了类似的挑战. 存储方面的挑战, distribution and transportation of hydrogen need to be addressed to foresee hydrogen scaling up to the levels needed for deep decarbonisation, 因为基础设施将生产和应用连接在一起.

The technical framework – the different inputs you need to create an export project – is more than just an electrolyser (that you can buy off the shelf), 其他组件包括动力传输, 电解用水和出口矢量, 其中包括MCH, 从氢气原料气中生产氨和液氢. This part is key to the Asia Pacific region and represents a large part of the supply chain cost and technical challenge.

市场开发

3月, 澳大利亚政府确认了其优先扩展目标, 作为他们技术投资路线图的一部分, 生产氢气的成本低于2澳元(合1美元).一公斤. (政府. 科技投资路线图，2020年5月21日).

自从COVID-19, the federal government has reinforced their hydrogen commitments in support of a clean and competitive Australian hydrogen industry through several funds and a National 氢 Strategy. Government support includes AUD$300 million that has been allocated to support hydrogen projects by ARENA and the Clean 能源 Finance Corporation.

在州政府层面上, the Queensland government has launched an AUD$15 million fund as part of their Sustainable 氢 Strategy and Western Australia has launched an initial AUD$10 million green hydrogen fund, that recently saw an additional AUD$5 million worth of funding allocated.

If production facilities were to be established that combined the use of electrolysers, 太阳能和风能发电在资源有利的地区, importing hydrogen from Australia would be less expensive than domestic production in Japan or Singapore. (IEA《世界经济展望》，2019年11月).

Australia is in a unique position to maximise hydrogen opportunity

The relative growth of hydrogen market costs and how they are potentially competitive with current contracted LNG prices in Australia will be a core factor in the long-term viability of the hydrogen sector and is an area that we need to consider to ensure Australia can be a key APAC market for hydrogen.

氢的价值链并不缺乏复杂性, and the value chain gets more complicated with the shift toward green hydrogen, 但它的发展可以增强澳大利亚的能源安全, 创造就业机会，建立十亿美元的出口产业. 当地和区域氢市场已经在发展, but if a hydrogen economy is to flourish in Australia and the APAC region, significant investment in innovative new solutions and infrastructure is required.