Australia’s green hydrogen ambition could be left blowing in the wind
Federal government needs to step up efforts to establish an offshore wind industry if it is to capitalise on emerging green hydrogen demand
OPINION: The Australian government needs to start being more proactive in helping establish Australia’s offshore wind industry if it is to seriously emerge as a significant green hydrogen producer.
However, it needs to do more, such as set offshore wind capacity targets, streamline the regulatory process, and advance policies to encourage investment in an industry which is yet to get started Down Under.
The government should also look to take advantage of the decades of experience built from its offshore oil and gas industry to help progress floating wind.
Australia’s Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre claims that floating wind will be needed to access “many of the best Australian offshore wind resources”.
Blue Economy estimates Australia’s technically accessible offshore wind resource at about 2.23 terawatts, which is far in excess of current and projected electricity demand across the Australian electricity markets.
This means that, in addition to its excellent solar resources, Australia has a real opportunity to utilise its potential excess renewable energy capacity to become a world leader in green hydrogen production.
However, other countries are also looking to seize the potential opportunity from the emerging hydrogen economy and Australia could be left behind if it does not move quicker.