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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Collocated offshore wind-hydrogen

Sam Lee Mohan A * and Andrew Taylor A
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- Author Affiliations

A Xodus Group, Perth, WA, Australia.

* Correspondence to: Samuel.leemohan@xodusgroup.com

The APPEA Journal 62 S44-S47 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21162
Accepted: 12 April 2022   Published: 13 May 2022

© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.

Abstract

The hydrogen industry in Australia is in its infancy with most projects at this stage supported either by State Governments or through the funding arms of the Federal Government. The market is rapidly developing and interest in hydrogen has grown exponentially over the past few years. Governments in Australia and many countries around the world have set decarbonisation targets and it is expected that Hydrogen will play a major role in fulfilling these commitments. Largely driven by policy announcements and commitments, several hydrogen projects are currently in development in Australia and globally. Current forecast data indicates over 200 GW of electrolyser capacity are either planned for deployment or under construction. While industry moves forward with deployment-scale projects, incumbent fuels occupy a healthy competitive position. For example, in Western Australia natural gas prices are around $6/GJ and are set to remain stable into the foreseeable future, largely due to Western Australia’s domestic gas reservation policy. However, the impact of volatile oil prices on domestic natural gas remains to be seen. Although potential green hydrogen projects are mostly in early stages, increased opportunities for partnerships on the supply side or joint venture arrangements with energy producers and demand side off-takers, will accelerate these projects achieving feasibility. However, in achieving target hydrogen prices, the barriers remain significant. One such barrier, is the cost of renewable electricity and one such solution could be collocated offshore wind-hydrogen systems. By nature, offshore wind is an intermittent energy source. Hydrogen could be used as a means of storing renewable energy for electricity balancing, and as a dedicated source for large-scale hydrogen production. Hard-to-abate sectors remain a significant challenge as we transition to net-zero. Hydrogen may be used to de-carbonise hard-to-abate sectors as many stakeholders see offshore wind as the primary partner for hydrogen production. This paper discusses collocated wind-hydrogen systems as a potential pathway for offshore wind deployment and commercial hydrogen production.

Keywords: collocated wind hydrogen, green hydrogen, green hydrogen offshore, hydrogen, offshore hydrogen, offshore wind-hydrogen, produce hydrogen offshore, wind-generated hydrogen.

Sam Lee Mohan has more than 23 years of experience in the energy industry with complex regulatory and non-regulatory companies in both Australia and United Kingdom. Sam is currently Head of Hydrogen Strategy at Xodus Group is responsible for setting and delivering the company’s overall strategy for hydrogen. Sam experience spans across engineering, regulatory, policy, finance, project management, energy markets and strategy. Sam conceptualised and was the Project Director for an Australian-first, Clean Energy Innovation Hub project; Australia’s first green hydrogen microgrid and more recently conceptualised and designed ATCO’s Clean Energy Innovation Park project, a 10 MW hydrogen production plant. Sam spent over 10 years at Scotia Gas Networks in the UK, 3 years at Water Corporation and the last 6 years at ATCO in Australia before joining Xodus Group in 2021. Sam holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Portsmouth and an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business.

Andrew Taylor is passionate about energy transition, and applies his experience in leading change, managing projects and building coalitions of stakeholders to drive a better energy future for Australia. Andrew delivered industry-first outcomes through engagement with diverse stakeholders, including Ministerial offices, executive management, regulators, industries, policy agencies, environmentalists, landowners, and commercial and recreational fishing groups. Andrew was the General Manager, Decommissioning at National Energy Resources Australia (NERA) before joining Xodus Group as Principal Environmental Consultant. Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Political Science from the University of Western Australia.


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