Climate Impact Corp. announces 10 GW renewable hydrogen projects in Australia

The announcement is backed by CIC’s development, in partnership with GE Vernova, of self-contained modules that produce zero-carbon hydrogen. The deployment of the two projects is supported by CIC’s secure equipment supply chain including the onshore manufacturing of equipment.

Compared to traditional renewable hydrogen production, which typically sources vast quantities of water from piped water sources and grid electricity, CIC’s modular hydrogen production units are designed to operate entirely off-grid, reducing demand on governments and communities to fund supporting infrastructure. Each module contains solar panels, atmospheric water generators, electrolysers and supporting infrastructure to produce hydrogen as an individual standalone unit. Crucially, the use of atmospheric water allows hydrogen to be produced anywhere where solar radiation is abundant, opening up new locations in central Australia as potential renewable fuel hubs.

David Green, Chairman and Co-Founder of CIC, said the approach would unlock inland hydrogen production opportunities in solar-rich locations such as the Northern Territory and South Australia.

“Renewable hydrogen production requires a significant amount of energy and water, which aren’t often found together in places like Australia,” Green said. “Rather than repeating the same approach, we’re looking to solve this challenge by creating modules that use Australia’s abundant solar resources, combined with proven atmospheric water generation technology. It’s an approach that solves one of the biggest challenges Australia has faced in becoming a renewable hydrogen superpower, and we’re excited to be bringing it to market first in Australia.”

CIC has recently achieved several key milestones for its Australian projects as it plans to begin manufacturing renewable hydrogen modules in Australia. CIC recently announced its partnership with GE Vernova which will see the two companies work together to maximise the efficiency of the hydrogen production modules. Further, the company signed several agreements with strategic partners including JA Solar, Sungrow Hydrogen and Shuangliang Hydrogen during the inauguration of its first project-related Australian office in Darwin which was attended by dignitaries including Hon Mark Monaghan and MP Luke Gosling.

Importantly, the company has now secured offtake buyers for enough Australian-produced renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives to support the development of large-scale renewable hydrogen projects in Australia. CIC’s 10 GW projects would be by far the largest renewable hydrogen projects developed in Australia to date.

“The demand for dependable, sustainable, and affordable renewable fuels in the Asia-Pacific is growing, and Australia is perfectly placed become a regional hydrogen superpower to meet that need,” Green added. “But that means we need to invest in technology that maximises Australia’s advantages, and come up with creative solutions to challenges like water scarcity without a huge financial burden being placed on governments and communities. Modular, off-grid hydrogen is based on proven technology and has enormous potential to meet Australia and the region’s renewable fuel needs.”

CIC has been considering the potential for development of a 10 GW renewable hydrogen project in South Australia for well over two years and recently met with key members of the South Australian government in Adelaide last month, including Deputy Premier, Hon Susan Close MP, and Minister for Trade, Hon Joe Szakacs MP, to further discuss its plans and seek Government’s general support for the project. CIC and its partners including GE Vernova discussed how module development in Australia would include a local supply chain, with the electrolysers and other critical elements of the modules to be potentially manufactured in Adelaide.

With the first test modules expected to be producing hydrogen in the Northern Territory or South Australia as soon as later this year, Green also called on Australian governments to embrace the opportunity ahead of them.

“We need Australian governments to lean in if we want Australia to lead in this technology instead of it being used in other countries first,” Green said. “We’re speaking to leaders in Adelaide and Darwin about renewable hydrogen projects in their states and territories, as well as component manufacturing, that will provide ongoing jobs for hundreds of people while producing zero-carbon fuels. Government support on permitting, streamlining approvals process, and ensuring suitable sites are available would accelerate this investment significantly.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/10072024/climate-impact-corp-announces-10-gw-renewable-hydrogen-projects-in-australia/