Hydrogen for Australia’s Future

The Hydrogen Strategy Group, chaired by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel, has today released a briefing paper on the potential domestic and export opportunities of a hydrogen industry in Australia.
Like natural gas, hydrogen can be used to heat buildings and power vehicles. Unlike natural gas or petrol, when hydrogen is burned there are no CO₂ emissions. The only by-products are water vapour and heat.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, not freely available as a gas on Earth but bound into many common substances including water and fossil fuels.
Hydrogen was first formally presented as a credible alternative energy source in the early 1970s but never proved competitive at scale as an energy source – until now. We find that the worldwide demand for hydrogen is set to increase substantially over coming decades, driven by Japan’s decision to put imported hydrogen at the heart of its economy. Production costs are falling, technologies are progressing and the push for non-nuclear, low-emissions fuels is building momentum. We conclude that Australia is remarkably well-positioned to benefit from the growth of hydrogen industries and markets.