Australian startup H2X has launched with the mission of producing a range of hydrogen-powered hybrid vehicles targeting different applications and markets. The company was founded by a well-experienced team from the automotive and new energy field, which has been working together over more than 5 years. The core of the... Read more →

ITM Power announced the formation of the H2OzBus Project and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with a consortium of strategic partners. The consortium comprises Transit Systems, part of the SeaLink Travel Group; Ballard Power Systems; BOC Limited; Palisade Investment Partners; and ITM Power. The partners have signed a... Read more →

While there is global potential to generate renewable energy at costs already competitive with fossil fuels, a means of storing and transporting this energy at a very large scale is a roadblock to large-scale investment, development and deployment. Ammonia produced from renewables can be a viable liquid fuel replacement for... Read more →

The Australian Government has established funding to support hydrogen-powered projects. The A$300 million (US$193 million) Advancing Hydrogen Fund will be administered by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). As an early priority, CEFC will seek investment in projects included in the ARENA Renewable Hydrogen Deployment Funding Round. The ARENA round... Read more →

A comprehensive three-year scientific study into the air, water and soil impacts of hydraulic fracturing (HF) in coal seam gas (CSG) in Queensland, Australia has found little to no impacts on air quality, soils, groundwater and waterways. The study also found current water treatment technology used for treating water produced... Read more →

UK-based Faradion Ltd., the leader in sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery technology, has received its first order from ICM Australia for high-energy sodium-ion batteries for use in the Australian market. Faradion’s sodium-ion technology provides similar performance to conventional chemistries, while replacing expensive materials such as cobalt and lithium with far more abundant... Read more →

On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has opened the $70-million Renewable Hydrogen Deployment Funding Round to help fast track the development of renewable hydrogen in Australia. As announced in November last year, the funding round is expected to play a significant role in supporting... Read more →

Australia-based Woodside has signed an agreement with Japanese companies JERA Inc, Marubeni Corporation and IHI Corporation to undertake a joint study examining the large-scale export of hydrogen as ammonia for use decarbonizing coal-fired power generation in Japan. The consortium has received approval from Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development... Read more →

In an open-acess paper published in Nature Communications, Griffith University (Australia) researchers report having enhanced the catalytic activity of CoSe2 for oxygen evolution in water splitting by incorporating both Fe dopants and Co vacancies into atomically thin CoSe2 nanobelts. CoSe2 nanobelts are ultrathin sheets made out of a lattice of... Read more →

Fortescue Metals Group and ATCO Australia have signed an agreement to explore the deployment of hydrogen vehicle fueling infrastructure in Western Australia. Under the agreement, the two parties will collaborate to build and operate a combined hydrogen production and refueling facility at ATCO’s existing facility in Jandakot in the Perth... Read more →

Rheinmetall has launched its first Australian research and technology program. Under the Autonomous Combat Warrior (ACW) program, Rheinmetall’s Australian, German and Canadian development teams will work alongside research teams from Defense Science and Technology (DST) group, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and... Read more →

A report from the Australian national science agency CSIRO has mapped the critical research steps Australia must take to realize a potential 7,600 jobs and $11 billion a year by 2050 from the burgeoning hydrogen industry. The report found investing in research could solve industry challenges to create five key... Read more →

Leading gas and engineering company BOC, a subsidiary of Linde plc, announced the commencement of a Queensland, Australia-first renewable hydrogen project at its production facility in Bulwer Island, Brisbane. The $3.1-million end-to-end renewable hydrogen supply project received $950,000 funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and is supported by... Read more →

South Australia Premier Steven Marshall released the state’s Hydrogen Action Plan, including the commitment of more than $1 million towards a study to identify optimal locations for renewable hydrogen production and export infrastructure. Premier Marshall said the export of hydrogen presents significant economic opportunity for South Australia. Minister for Energy... Read more →

On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced $15 million in funding to Evie Networks to roll out the largest ultra-fast battery electric vehicle (EV) charging network along Australia’s highways. The funding will support the first phase of the $50.2-million intercity highway charging network with... Read more →

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $950,000 in funding for gas company BOC for a renewable hydrogen production and refueling project in Queensland. The $3.1-million pilot project will involve the installation of a 220 kW electrolyzer and a 100 kW solar array at BOC’s Bulwer Island gas facility... Read more →

Western Australia will host a national consortium to position Australia as a global leader in the manufacture and supply of batteries after a A$135-million (US$96.4-million) industry-backed research hub was supported by the Federal Government. Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, the Hon Karen Andrews, announced that the Curtin University-led... Read more →

Rio Tinto has successfully deployed AutoHaul, establishing the world’s largest robot and first automated heavy-haul, long distance rail network. (Earlier post.) The average return distance of these trains is about 800 kilometers with the average journey cycle, including loading and dumping, taking about 40 hours. Since completing the first loaded... Read more →

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, will partner with Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue) on hydrogen technologies to support the development of new industries, create jobs and pave the way for low emissions export opportunities. The centerpiece of the $20-million partnership is an investment in CSIRO’s metal membrane technology, which enables ammonia... Read more →

Lithium Australia NL reported that its wholly owned subsidiary VSPC Ltd has successfully produced Li-ion battery cathode material, and Li-ion batteries (LIBs), from tri-lithium phosphate produced directly from mine waste using the SiLeach process. SiLeach background. During conventional processing, lithium is recovered only from spodumene concentrates, not lithium micas, which... Read more →

In an Australian first, Toyota Australia is partnering with a Melbourne council for a real-world trial of hydrogen-electric vehicles. From today, three Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), the first of their kind to be driven by members of the public in Australia, will be provided to Hobson’s Bay... Read more →

On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) awarded A$22.1 million (US$16 million) in funding to 16 research projects to propel innovation in exporting renewable hydrogen. The funding has been offered to research teams from nine Australian universities and research organisations including the Australian National University,... Read more →

An economically-sustainable hydrogen industry in Australia could soon be on the cards according to a blueprint released by CSIRO, the national science agency, which found that cost-competitiveness is firmly on the horizon. Source: CSIRO. The National Hydrogen Roadmap sets out a path to develop the action and investment plans required... Read more →

In a successful demonstration of technology capability, researchers at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have filled Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo hydrogen fuel cell vehicles using ultra-high purity hydrogen produced in Queensland using CSIRO’s novel H2-NH3 membrane separation technology. (Earlier post.) Ammonia (NH3) has high capacity for... Read more →

On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $1.5 million toward the funding of Australia’s first green hydrogen innovation hub at Jandakot in Western Australia. Total project value is $3.3 million. In Jandakot, gas company ATCO will trial the production, storage and use of... Read more →

Kokam Co., Ltd, successfully deployed for Alinta Energy, a leading Australian utility, a 30-megawatt (MW) system / 11.4-megawatt hour (MWh) Energy Storage System (ESS), the largest lithium-ion battery deployed for industrial application in Australia. The ESS features Kokam’s high power Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Oxide battery technology, and is... Read more →

Lithium Australia (LIT) has finalized its acquisition of advanced cathode material production technology, acquiring 99.7% of the equity in Brisbane-based Very Small Particle Company (VSPC). The VSPC facility is a 2 to 4 tonnes-per-annum pilot plant that incorporates an integrated laboratory, coin-cell production facility and battery-testing equipment. Cathode powder producer... Read more →

The Australian, Japanese and Victorian governments and a consortium of companies have launched the pilot of an innovative supply chain that will deliver liquefied hydrogen from the Latrobe Valley in Australia to Japan. The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project will convert brown coal from the AGL Loy Yang mine... Read more →

Emissions analysis commissioned by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has found an affected VW diesel vehicle to be using up to 14% more diesel after being recalled for the mandated emissions system fix. Conducted in partnership with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the real world testing was commissioned to... Read more →

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is awarding $11.9 million (US$9 million) in funding for Australian biofuel company Ethanol Technologies Limited (Ethtec) to complete the development and demonstration of its advanced biofuel technology. As part of a $48-million (US$36.5 million) project, Ethtec aims to construct a $30-million (US$23-million) purpose-built pilot-scale... Read more →

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced a trial for a new type of electrolyzer which could see excess renewable energy stored in the gas grid and used to decarbonize Australia’s gas supply. On behalf of the Australian Government, ARENA has provided A$5 million (US$4 million) in funding to Wollongong-based... Read more →

Researchers at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have years of experience researching the best ways to separate pure hydrogen from mixed gas streams. Now, the researchers have developed a thin metal membrane that can separate high-purity hydrogen from ammonia used as a hydrogen carrier. Ammonia (NH3) has... Read more →

Australia and Japan recently signed a memorandum at the headquarters of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) which will allow liquid hydrogen (LH2) to be shipped in bulk for the first time. Ship containment systems are being developed in Japan that will be capable of safely transporting liquid hydrogen in... Read more →

The Fast Cities Network. Click to enlarge. Brisbane, Australia-based Tritium, developer of the Veefil Electric Vehicle (EV) Fast Charger, has launched a Fast Cities Network initiative to establish Australia’s largest fast-charging network in Australia and the first in Eastern Australia. Located within the SE Queensland region, the proposed 430 km... Read more →

Australia’s CSIRO and its equivalent in India, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have launched a three-year, A$6-million (US$5.6-million) collaboration focused on improving processes involved in the production of dimethyl ether (DME), a clean-burning synthetic liquid fuel. DME is non-toxic and non-carcinogenic and can be produced from natural... Read more →

In Australia, as part of the Victorian Government’s Electric Vehicle Trial (earlier post), DiUS Computing delivered a demand management demonstration project using Victoria’s Smart Grid. The project, which ran from June to December 2012, was the first end-to-end use of Victoria’s Smart Meter infrastructure for electricity demand management. The results... Read more →

A techno-economic analysis of renewable aviation fuels by Australian researchers has found that, based on currently available long-term reputable technological data, biorefineries producing biofuels from microalgae, oil seeds of the Pongamia tree, and sugarcane feedstocks would be competitive with crude oil prices at $1,343, $374, and $301/bbl, respectively. Sensitivity analyses... Read more →

2013 TS030 Hybrid. Click to enlarge. Toyota Racing unveiled the revised TS030 Hybrid car which will run in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) this season. The TS030 made its debut in the WEC in 2012, and notched up three victories in six races.... Read more →

Interrelationship between EV energy economy (y-axis) and and the electricity grid emissions intensity (x-axis) in determining full fuel cycle greenhouse gas emissions. The color regions represent 100 gCO2e/ km increments in full fuel cycle emissions performance. A conventional Mazda 3 would sit around midway of the middle color band at... Read more →

A representation of the newly developed catalyst on an aluminium oxide surface depicts the core-shell structure. Click to enlarge. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, along with collaborators from Italy and Spain, have designed new core-shell type catalysts inspired by the concepts of supramolecular chemistry that oxidize methane 30 times... Read more →

Location of the Ichthys project. Source: INPEX. Click to enlarge. Japan-based INPEX Corporation and its joint venture partner Total have made the final investment decision (FID) for the Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Australia, representing an investment of US$34 billion dollars. INPEX is the operator—its first time in... Read more →

Australia-based Licella, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ignite Energy, has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand to examine the development and commercialization of a process to convert woody biomass into sustainable aviation biofuel. Licella has developed a process using a continuous flow catalytic hydro-thermal... Read more →

The Australian Government has released a discussion paper outlining the issues involved in the setting of mandatory standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from passenger vehicles from 2015. The planned CO2 standards will complement the Government’s carbon price scheme and help to reduce carbon emissions from light vehicles. The paper... Read more →

Modelled vehicle sales per year in Scenario 3. Source: AECOM. Click to enlarge. According to a recently published report commissioned by the Victoria (Australia) Department of Transport from AECOM, electric vehicle (EV) technology offers the state of Victoria potentially significant economic benefits by the late 2020s. Such economic benefits could... Read more →

Australia’s per capita CO2 emissions are higher than those of the US due to an emissions-intensive energy sector. Click to enlarge. Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard unveiled Australia’s carbon pricing plan—a core element in a new clean energy plan—in a short address to the nation. Under the scheme, around 500... Read more →

Australia-based airline Virgin Australia is partnering with Renewable Oil Corporation (ROC), Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation and Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre (FFI CRC) to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel that also has benefits for the Australian farming community and the environment. The consortium plans to use fast pyrolysis and... Read more →

Ford’s EcoLPi Falcon has gone on sale in Australia and is making its debut at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne. The new EcoLPi in-line six-cylinder engine is an advanced liquid phase injection, dedicated LPG powerplant that produces 27% more power and 10% more torque than previous E-Gas... Read more →

Renault and Better Place formed a strategic partnership in Australia, expanding their global relationship. Under this agreement, Renault will import the first electric car equipped with a switchable battery, the Fluence Z.E. (earlier post), into Australia, and Better Place will provide the electric car charging network and services that make... Read more →

It will be much harder and more expensive for Australia to do its fair share on climate change without a carbon pricing scheme, according to the final report of the Garnaut Climate Change Review – Update 2011, Australia in the Global Response to Climate Change. The final report recommends that... Read more →

Possible e biomass to liquid fuel refining process pathways. Source: CSIRO. Click to enlarge. Establishing an economically and environmentally beneficial, bio-derived Australian and New Zealand aviation fuels industry is a viable proposition, according to a report compiled by CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia’s national science agency) in... Read more →