Well hello, hydrogen.

Thirty odd years ago, the Hanna-Barbera-produced cartoon The New Adventures of Captain Planet showed the titular character and his planeteers working together to protect earth from profit-mongering villains who sought to destroy it in the form of pollution. Fast forward to the present day and never mind if you’re an overworked professional, a sleep-deprived parent, a big foodie who worships their gas stove, a full-time student, or, dare we say it, someone who blithely glides through life – by virtue of inhabiting today’s earth, you’re a planeteer. Australia’s recently reaffirmed commitment to a legislated target of net zero emissions by 2050 demands it.

To be clear, there is a palpable urgency and a real deadline at stake in our race to a greener future. And that’s not all - we have since one-upped ourselves and committed to a 43% emissions reduction target by 2030. The encouraging news is that there are multiple pathways for us to get there with the help of different energy mediums – which, if you have actually read the industry fine print, behave similarly to one another and follow a very similar macro supply chain – in order to steadily lower our carbon footprint. The sobering news is that we’re going to need to be properly informed about how these available energy options will actually help us. Simply put, what would work in the best interests of consumers? For many, if not all, we need a consistently workable and economically sensible energy system that will power our everyday lives whilst also quickly getting us on track to net zero. So, where to turn? Let’s look inside our proverbial “Low or Zero Carbon Energy” toolbox...  Well hello, hydrogen.

Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element in the universe and heavily regarded as the fuel of the future, is all set to play a vital role in the decarbonisation of the energy system. The Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) calls it a flexible, safe, transportable and storable fuel. Feeding into its miracle-commodity status, it’s also highly versatile and can be used to power vehicles and generate heat and electricity. But as a prospective save-the-planet clean alternative energy carrier, it’s most transformative factor is based on the fact that hydrogen fuel cells emit only water which of course, means there are no carbon emissions. Alternatively, there is a more traditional role for hydrogen available to us right now, for our day-in, day-out energy needs that is cost-effective and that can help develop further pathways for the hydrogen industry - hydrogen made from fossil fuels with carbon capture storage (CCS). Dr Alan Finkel, the eighth Chief Scientist of Australia and the Current Special Adviser to the Australian Government on Low Emissions Technology, recently spoke in favour of making hydrogen from gas, arguing that carbon capture and storage can be economical in sequestering the carbon dioxide generated in the process.

Indeed, rather than pinning all our hopes on an all-or-nothing scenario, there is much to be gained from capitalising on the interesting synergy that exists between gas and hydrogen. By doing so, we’d also be skilfully continuing the tried and true historical practice of using an integrated energy system for our everyday needs. As Dr Finkel explains in his highly impactful 2021 Quarterly Essay offering, Getting To Zero: “The industrial revolution began with the use of coal to create steam for industry and for locomotion. Note, though that coal did not replace the use of wood, dried manure and other biomass for heating. Instead, it massively expanded energy use. Along came oil. It eventually displaced the use of coal for locomotion in trains and ships, but not for steam and electricity production. Along came natural gas. It eventually displaced the use of oil for town gas made from coal and much of the use of oil for heating but not for transport and electricity production. Since the start of the industrial age, these three fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas – have added to our total fuel use rather than replacing the old.” The eminent Dr Finkel is not alone in advocating for a broader perspective and what could arguably amount to a just-get-on-with-it approach to the Great Energy Transition. International Energy Agency Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol (amongst other high-profile names) has also called for a greater focus on the overall emissions impact of hydrogen rather than keeping exact tabs on how it is produced.

It would be no exaggeration then to suggest that the gas infrastructure sector would be instrumental in developing a net zero hydrogen market in Australia. In particular, gas pipelines could be particularly helpful when it comes to producing and transporting hydrogen. The track record for pipeline infrastructure already indicates that it is more reliable, more accessible and even more environmentally friendly than traditional electricity infrastructure. It’s also a known money-saver. Jordan McCollum from the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association recently offered a side-by-side, apples to apples, graph comparison that plainly shows the extent to which gas infrastructure outperforms new power lines when transporting energy. And this isn’t just limited to our current reality – as McCollum makes clear, in the future, it’s still likely to be cheaper to receive renewable gas to your front door than it will be to receive renewable electricity. And even cheaper still, when you don’t have to factor in the cost of the appliances that would need to be replaced if you did make a sudden switch.

The gas industry is, of course, highly qualified at producing and distributing natural gas which makes them in turn a very suitable candidate for manufacturing hydrogen. With many decades worth of experience behind them, they have also since committed to further boosting their industry expertise by putting their hands up and partaking in a vocational hydrogen training course (all other trades are compelled to wait on the delivery of the National Hydrogen Skills and Training Analysis Project) in order to support pilot hydrogen projects that are currently underway. This also has a very clear knock-on effect. Production of cleaner hydrogen will support new industries, create additional new jobs across the hydrogen value chain and contribute to global reduction efforts.

As a final note, Australia has all the tools and resources we need we need in order to support a large hydrogen production industry in the long run, but to get there we need to scale up hydrogen production in the interim and on top of that, act early. Daniel Walton from the Australian Workers Union (AWU) has been very vocal in his eagerness for Australia to become a global hydrogen powerhouse. A report produced for Walton and AWU by progressive research institute The McKell Institute recommends that the government “should prioritise the expeditious scaling of hydrogen production this decade, irrespective of type, in order to maximise the opportunity for a clean hydrogen export economy in the 2030s and beyond.” It also recommends that the government explore ways to accelerate the use of hydrogen in existing industrial processes and develop a domestic reservation system for hydrogen to head off domestic shortfalls. This is fast becoming a prevailing viewpoint with David Norman, CEO of Future Fuels CRC, similarly extolling the virtues of a strong domestic hydrogen industry in a recent paper, further explaining how it would be an important contributor to Australia’s export capabilities and therefore enabling Australia to become a leading player in the hydrogen energy market.

So, no matter if you’re a climate change enthusiast in the spirit of Greta Thunberg or you’re just trying to get through the day in the world-weary words of Diane Keaton, you’re now - as a matter of necessity, as part of Australia’s commitment to a legislated target of net zero emissions by 2050 - a planeteer. And as a self-imposed or by-default level-headed environmental crusader, you need to become quickly acquainted with all things hydrogen. Firstly and most importantly, it bears repeating that hydrogen use is safe. But there is also no question at this juncture that hydrogen will play a substantial role in transitioning the energy system, not least because of its real potential to solve some of our energy challenges. And thanks to our multifaceted energy network it needn’t do the job alone. But how fast are we willing to move to get there? It’s up to you (and you, and you, and you – and you).

Lawrence Shelton is the Communications Manager at the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association. Please feel free to reach out and comment, any feedback is welcome.

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