Coastal town becomes first in Australia to trial green hydrogen to replace dirty diesel
An Australian-first renewable hydrogen demonstration plant has been completed in the Western Australian town of Denham, where it will test the technical and commercial viability of using the emissions-free fuel as a baseload power source. Western Australia government-owned utility Horizon Power commissioned the 348kW electrolyser, hydrogen compression and storage system and a 100kW fuel cell as part of a renewable microgrid combining wind, solar and battery storage.The plant, which produced its first hydrogen in October, was designed and built by Hybrid Systems Australia, in partnership with fellow Pacific Energy subsidiary ENGV, alongside a 704kW solar farm dedicated to powering the hydrogen production. Once fully operational in early 2023, the $9.3 million project is expected to be able to power around 100 households or 20 per cent of Denham’s residents and businesses and offset around 140,000 litres of diesel a year. With the four wind turbines – installed between 1997 and 1999 – and its diesel plant coming to the end of their operational lives, Horizon Power sought out a more modern and sustainable replacement to power the town. “Once fully operational the plant will show how renewable hydrogen can be used to replace diesel and other fossil fuels to propel WA to net zero emissions by 2050.”