The role of hydrogen in the changing energy mix

After a successful three-city roadshow to packed audiences of over 500 people in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, Siemens is bringing its webcast ‘The role of hydrogen in the changing energy mix’ to audiences nationwide.

The news follows last year’s announcement of a $55 million investment by Neoen and Megawatt Capital (developers of the Hornsdale Wind Farm) in partnership with Siemens and Hyundai to establish a 1.25 MW hydrogen electrolyser, which converts electricity to hydrogen. The initiative, being established in Canberra, will include a refuelling station and service centre and an initial fleet of 20 hydrogen-fuelled cars, including a technical support and research program.

Siemens Chairman and CEO Jeff Connolly said, “Australia is the first country outside of Germany to order the SILYZER 200, which won ‘Product Innovation of the Year’ award at the 2015 German Renewables Award.

“There is a lot of talk about battery storage being the solution to managing intermittent power sources on the grid, such as solar and wind renewables. However, the topic of energy storage is much bigger, and chemical storage such as hydrogen will also play a very real and important role,” said Connolly.

The webcast will explore the potential of hydrogen in light of the Australian electricity industry’s significant transition, with increasing penetration of renewable energy and grids struggling to maintain security. Siemens’s Fred Farchmin and local experts will discuss how hydrogen could help in reducing transportation emissions and building the nation’s export potential.

The global importance of hydrogen’s role was reiterated by the formation of the Hydrogen Council at the recently concluded Davos Economic Forum, where 13 prominent energy, automotive and other companies committed to investing €10 billion into the hydrogen economy and infrastructure over the next five years.

Webcast details

• Date: Monday, 27 March
• Time: 2 pm (AEDT)
• Registration: Click here