University of Adelaide: Experts Join Forces to Advance Hydrogen Production Technology
The latest technology and developments in the hydrogen sphere will be discussed by over 70 experts from around the world when they meet at a virtual international forum convened by the University of Adelaide.
“The Hydrogen Production Technologies (HyPT-3) forum will explore in-depth a range of current and emerging zero carbon emission (CO2-free) hydrogen production technologies,” said the University of Adelaide’s Professor Greg Metha from the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences, who is convener of HyPT-3.
“A global focus on decarbonisation is driving demand for low-carbon energy solutions and rapid innovation in hydrogen production technologies.”
The HyPT-3 forum runs from Tuesday 12 to Friday 15 September. The meeting of minds follows on from the very successful forums HyPT-1 in 2019 and HyPT-2 in 2021. This year’s event will explore the major area of interest for the hydrogen industry, namely cheap hydrogen production, including limitations and future prospects of large-scale electrolysers.
“Renewable hydrogen is a significant part of meeting the challenge to reduce carbon emissions, particularly for sectors and industries that cannot be readily electrified,” said Professor Metha.
“Large-scale electrolyser installations can be powered directly by renewable electricity, helping to enable the efficient use of clean energy, despite the variability that characterises some renewable energy sources. However, alternative technologies such as photocatalysis are also emerging and we will explore their potential to contribute to decarbonisation.”
At the forum experts from around the world will:
Appraise current technologies including their projected effectiveness as well as their limitations;
Discuss the challenges and limitations of emerging technologies, and how to reduce their costs; and
Consider how to integrate systems, how to scale them up and increase their effectiveness.
International signatories to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change are committed to the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century.
“Perfecting the technology that will produce cheap and renewable hydrogen at large scale is one of the key steps in helping the world to achieve net-zero emissions,” said Professor Metha.
The University of Adelaide leads globally transformative research that overcomes complexity, drives change, and creates value for a more sustainable future. South Australia is primed to become a world-class, low-cost green hydrogen supplier.
Other areas that the forum, which is an initiative of the University’s Centre for Energy Technology, will focus on are emerging electrolysis technology, production of hydrogen from natural gas with solid carbon by-product, bioresources and waste, technology associated with thermochemical, photo-electrochemical and photocatalysis processes, and the emerging field of naturally occurring hydrogen.