1960s gas back in fashion as ATCO tests new blends for your stove

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 4 years ago

1960s gas back in fashion as ATCO tests new blends for your stove

By Hamish Hastie

After being dumped in favour of natural gas in the 1960s, hydrogen gas could find its way back into Perth homes if trials by WA's gas network operator are successful.

On Thursday ATCO opened its clean energy innovation hub in the southern Perth suburb of Jandakot, where the company is creating hydrogen by using electricity to split hydrogen molecules from water and using the gas in a mock house.

ATCO is testing a hydrogen blend gas in Jandakot.

ATCO is testing a hydrogen blend gas in Jandakot.Credit: John Woudstra

Hydrogen was used in WA's gas supply up until the 1960s when natural gas took over.

The company is testing different blends of natural and hydrogen gas to determine how much the current mix could be changed before gas infrastructure needed to be upgraded.

ATCO chair and chief executive Nancy Southern said hydrogen blended into the gas supply helped reduce carbon emissions.

"What we're doing is seeing how much hydrogen we can put into the existing system ... without a wholesale change of all of your meters, the nozzles for firing up your natural gas stove or water heater," she said.

Ms Southern estimated the cost impact of a 20 per cent hydrogen blend could result in a 10 or 20 per cent increase in gas prices initially but as technology developed it could reduce dramatically or even be cheaper than natural gas.

"The more we test this and the more we practice with this in proof of concepts and prototypes, the quicker we will get to an economic hydrogen fuel cost that can be blended," she said.

"Hopefully [it will] not only reduce emissions in natural gas but actually, eventually, at least balance with the price of natural gas today, perhaps even reduce it."

Advertisement

Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said she was confident hydrogen technology would follow the price drop of renewables such as wind and solar.

"Ten years ago look at what the cost of producing solar energy was and how that's come down," she said.

"We anticipate we will see the same thing come down with the production of hydrogen."

Blended hydrogen gas forms a pillar of the state government's renewable hydrogen strategy, also launched on Thursday.

Hydrogen can be used to generate electricity when used in fuel cells, allowing it to charge electric vehicles and machinery on the go or power microgrids. Hydrogen created using electricity from renewable sources is called renewable hydrogen.

Under the strategy the government will establish a $10 million renewable hydrogen fund to facilitate private sector investment in the industry.

The strategy will focus on areas that take advantage of WA's land, renewable energy resources, existing infrastructure, workforce and access to energy-hungry Asian markets.

Under the strategy, the government wants to have approved a renewable hydrogen export project, use renewable hydrogen in a remote WA location, and have built a renewable hydrogen refuelling facility by 2022.

By 2040, the government wants WA hydrogen exports to have the same market share as LNG enjoys.

WA’s gas pipelines and networks should also contain at least 10 per cent renewable hydrogen blend.

Most Viewed in National

Loading