ARENA backs Toyota Australia's hydrogen demo

The Toyota Australia Hydrogen Centre project, which will show how hydrogen can be a viable fuel source for transport and an energy storage medium, has secured AUD 3.1 million (USD 2.2m/EUR 2m) in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The AUD-7.4-million project has been initiated by Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Ltd as part of a larger transformation at the former car manufacturing plant in Altona Victoria.

The Toyota Australia Hydrogen Centre is expected to produce at least 60 kg of renewable hydrogen per day through electrolysis, with the needed power coming from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and battery storage, ARENA said Tuesday. The project’s goal is to demonstrate the end-to-end process for the hydrogen creation chain, which, in addition to hydrogen production, also includes compression and storage, and electricity generation via hydrogen fuel cells. The fuel can be used in both mobile and stationary applications.

UK hydrogen specialist ITM Power (LON:ITM) said separately on Tuesday that it has sold a 0.25-MW rapid-response PEM electrolyser to Toyota Australia for the project.

“Hydrogen has the potential to play a pivotal role in the future because it can be used to store and transport energy from wind, solar and other renewable sources to power many things, including vehicles like the Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle,” said Matt Callachor, head of Toyota Australia.

(AUD 1 = USD 0.7/EUR 0.62)

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