<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>334562</docID> <postdate>2024-12-04 10:48:06</postdate> <headline>Renewable hydrogen tech could give green light to jobs</headline> <body><p><img class=" wp-image-334566" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20221116001730808043-original-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="656" height="437" /></p> <caption>Demand for equipment to produce renewable hydrogen is an opportunity for Australia, the CSIRO says. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p class="wire-column__preview__author"><span class="kicker-line">By <b>Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson</b> in Brisbane</span></p> <p><strong>Making equipment to produce renewable hydrogen could help Australia lead the world in the clean energy resource and unlock up to 4000 jobs and $1.7 billion by 2050, a study says. </strong></p> <p>The research, released by CSIRO Futures on Wednesday, also warned the nation had a small "window of opportunity" to take advantage of its head start before other countries recognised the market's potential.</p> <p>The findings come weeks after the release of the National Hydrogen Strategy 2024, which outlined a target to produce 15 million tonnes of green hydrogen in Australia annually by 2050.</p> <p>The CSIRO research, called the Hydrogen Electrolyser Manufacturing report, investigated opportunities to produce the technology used to create renewable hydrogen.</p> <p>Electrolysers are specialised equipment that use renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, creating hydrogen without producing carbon emissions.</p> <p>Demand for renewable hydrogen, also known as green hydrogen, was rising worldwide, the study found, as nations sought to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.</p> <p>"The rapid increase in scale, demand from electrolysis projects around the world, and the space for new entrants create a clear window of opportunity for countries like Australia to develop their electrolyser supply chains," the report said.</p> <p>Australia could create $1.7 billion in revenue and 3974 jobs by 2050 if it manufactured hydrogen electrolysers, CSIRO Hydrogen Industry Mission leader Dr Patrick Hartley said.</p> <p>"There is an economic prize out there for jobs and revenue," he said.</p> <p>"We have strengths in Australia around advanced manufacturing in other sectors like aerospace, defence, medical, tech, and some of those technologies are transferable into this area.</p> <p>"Of course, we also have the potential to use a lot of our own raw materials too."</p> <p>Installing the equipment could also create another 1000 jobs, the analysis found, and an additional $1.2 billion.</p> <p>Australian equipment could also support existing plans, with 87 hydrogen projects involving electrolysis already announced locally, most of them in Queensland and Western Australia.</p> <p>"I would love to see Australian-made electrolysers used in Australian projects," Dr Hartley told AAP.</p> <p>"We have a pipeline of hydrogen projects in Australia that could provide a domestic market for electrolysis and that would be a great outcome."</p> <p>Demand for renewable hydrogen is likely to grow, with the International Energy Agency calling for almost one-third (32.8 per cent) of hydrogen to be created by electrolysis by 2030 - up from just 0.1 per cent in 2022.</p> <p>Australia has the second-highest number of renewable hydrogen projects under way, led by India, but the manufacturing industry needed to move swiftly to seize the opportunity, CSIRO Futures energy lead Vivek Srinivasan said.</p> <p>"By leveraging Australia's renewable energy advantages and innovative (research and development) capabilities, Australia can become a player in this rapidly emerging sector," he said.</p> <p>"We must act quickly while the opportunity is available to us."</p> <p>Renewable hydrogen is likely to be used in fields such as heavy freight and long-distance road transport, energy storage, and ammonia production once widely available, the report found.</p> </body>