The Labor Party has promised to establish a $1 billion National Hydrogen Plan in the lead up to federal election in May.
Labor's plan, If elected, is to create a national hydrogen innovation hub in Queensland and initiate the commercialisation of energy storage technology.
Energy Networks Australia CEO Andrew Dillon welcomed the plan, saying hydrogen not only had enormous potential as a new Australian export industry, it offered the prospect of zero-emission energy and storage to back up renewable power, using existing gas networks.
Dillon said national policies that supported the development of a hydrogen sector were essential to help Australia meet its potential and take advantage of a potentially abundant, clean energy resource.
“Hydrogen technology is being embraced around the world – in northern Europe, for example, for domestic and commercial use in gas networks and to fuel passenger and freight trains,” he said.
“It can be produced carbon free from excess renewable energy – during sunny and windy days when generation is high and demand is low – making Australia uniquely placed to develop a hydrogen industry with our abundant solar and wind resources.
Dillon said that while the potential for export is enormous, one of the most exciting properties of hydrogen is its potential to serve as a large-scale battery, using existing gas networks.
“As Energy Networks Australia’s Gas Vision 2050 report has demonstrated, hydrogen’s scope is impressive, with potential to widen a customer’s power options, improve and increase renewable generation, and even create a new energy export market.”
