SIR, – In reference to your story, Region opens door to hydrogen idea, January 29, according to the multinational company Hydrogenics,  www.hydrogenics.com,  it takes 57 kWh of electricity and 20 litres of water to produce one kilogram of hydrogen, which has an energy content of 121 MJ.

In a recent Australian Renewable Energy Agency report, arena.gov.au/
assets/2018/12/large-scale-solar-program-a-look-at-levelised-cost-of-energy.pdf, average production cost of large-scale solar power is $108/MWh or $0.108/kwh.

This equates to $50.87/GJ for hydrogen, making it a very expensive alternative to natural gas – currently $8.50/GJ. Hydrogen production would require renewable electricity at well below-production cost. 

For transport applications, hydrogen is compressed to 700 bar, 10,000 psi, which would be a major hazard if involved in an accident. 

Compressing hydrogen to that pressure also takes a lot of energy and Hydrogenics quotes a delivered cost is 65 kWh/kg. This works out at $7.02/kg at $0.108/kWh.

Hydrogenics claims one kilogram of hydrogen has the energy equivalent of 3.77 litres of petrol which works out at $1.87/litre and a fuel-cell vehicle will travel 100 kilometres on one kilogram of hydrogen.

Hyundai claims up to seven kilometres per kWh for their Kona electric vehicle which is 14.3 kWh per 100 km, hyundai.com/au/en/cars/suvs/kona/kona-electric.

Assuming an off-peak price of $0.25/kWh, the cost per 100km in the Kona is $3.58, almost half the cost of a hydrogen-
fuel-cell vehicle.

Production and maintenance costs for a hydrogen-fuelled vehicle would be higher and it’s very unlikely that people will opt for hydrogen-powered vehicles over electric for personal transport.

For heavy vehicles, agricultural machinery and aircraft, the use of hydrogen is even less likely when there is a lower cost alternative.  

Mercuris Biofuels is currently building a cellulosic biofuel plant in Queensland that will deliver ‘drop in’ diesel and jet fuel for about $0.56 per litre, mercuriusbiofuels.com.

The heavy-transport, farming and aviation sectors have huge amounts invested in current equipment stocks and it makes no economic sense to change to a more expensive alternative fuel when a lower cost renewable option is available.

The Wimmera would be much better off to follow Queensland’s example and develop a bio-economy instead.

Daryl Scherger

Ararat 

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