Melissa Fardone, a Director with BDO R&D and Grants, says she is seeing an increase in hydrogen-based research and development (R&D) claims from South Australian companies.
“As the industry gets more traction in SA, the benefits of R&D incentives are allowing these innovative, early-stage companies to keep re-investing in the sector and advancing the technology being developed,” she says.
Some state and territory governments are using hydrogen technology developments as one option to create clean, safe and sustainable energy and help reach their goal of a decarbonised economy.
While hydrogen won’t replace all other forms of energy, it would work alongside wind, solar and thermal solutions to benefit specific industries.
What is hydrogen energy?
As the most abundant chemical in the world, hydrogen can be found in water and the atmosphere and is one of the energy sources that could help the world operate at net-zero emissions. It has many characteristics and potential uses that make it an attractive option as a future energy source.
Hydrogen can be stored as gas for later use, eventually delivered through existing natural gas pipelines. It can also be converted into a liquid and transported in trucks or shipped overseas – so it has the potential to be a tradeable energy export.
Australia’s approach: hydrogen clusters
Australia is spearheading many advances in the hydrogen market, with investments underway to create 13 technology clusters across all states and territories. These clusters will help develop supply chains, reduce deployment challenges and improve the commercialisation opportunities of hydrogen. Although collaboration among individual facilities is still in the early stages, clustexjmtzywrs have an increased potential over individual sites to gain government support and assistance to further develop hydrogen technology in Australia.
Hydrogen clusters help:
- Make hydrogen energy more attractive to investors
- Generate awareness, understanding and support about the benefits of renewable hydrogen energy
- Build skills, technologies and opportunities to fully grow the hydrogen industry potential in Australia
- Encourage innovation around hydrogen technology and commercialisation.
Australia’s geographic advantages
Australia’s access to ample natural resources, including wind and solar, give it a unique advantage. This will be an enormous help in the creation of ‘green hydrogen’ energy, which means that Australia will be able to generate hydrogen without the use of fossil fuels.
Hydrogen as a trading commodity
