Impact Pillar 2

Accelerating Decarbonisation in the Blue Economy

Contributing to the development and adoption of hydrogen as a fuel source particularly for blue economy industries including optimising DC microgrids, demonstrating the use of hydrogen for terrestrial and marine applications, supporting maritime decarbonisation, developing a skilled workforce and improving community acceptability and understanding.

This is a mock title to add to this new section here as an extended intro to the pillar

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

Accelerating commercial-scale open ocean aquaculture production by advancing regulatory frameworks, optimising technologies, increasing productivity and efficiency while reducing emissions, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing fit-for-purpose aquaculture production systems.

OUTCOMES

  • 1
    Deliver Australia’s first Green Hydrogen Production and Research Facility in Tasmania aimed at accelerating the decarbonisation of blue economy industries – featuring a highly innovative DC hydrogen microgrid, controlling one of Australia’s largest electrolysers, generating 100% renewable, green hydrogen.
  • 2
    Demonstrate renewable hydrogen production and certification, validating green credentials through electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources.
  • 3
    Accelerate decarbonisation of maritime and industrial sectors, including aquaculture, vessels and transport, through targeted hydrogen research and demonstration.
  • 4
    Pioneer the development and application of DC microgrids to simulate renewable energy inputs and industrial loads, enabling real-world testing and driving innovation across hydrogen and blue economy systems.
  • 5
    Assess energy needs in remote operations and island settings – covering electricity, transport, and vessel operations – to determine integrated energy management solutions to support the transition to zero-emissions.
  • 6
    Develop a skilled and future-ready hydrogen workforce, supporting implementation and maintenance across the entire hydrogen value chain.
  • 7
    Enhance community understanding and acceptance of hydrogen, positioning it as a viable, low-emission alternative to diesel and other fossil fuels.

Our efforts under Impact Pillar 2 will contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals:

CASE STUDY

HYDROGEN PRODUCTION & RESEARCH FACILITY

Ocean industries are almost always beyond the feasible reach of cable supplied electricity and therefore offgrid. The challenge addressed by the Blue Economy CRC in its demonstration projects and industry-aligned research is how to decarbonise offshore industries, such as aquaculture, while maintaining reliable energy supply. With an Exclusive Economic Zone of 10 million km², Australia has enormous potential for deploying offshore renewable energy converter technologies for electricity generation, green hydrogen production and oxygen production to power remote offshore systems and hydrogen-powered vessels.

Hydrogen is an effective way to store clean energy and supply electricity to offshore sites beyond the reach of subsea power cables. Additionally, hydrogen’s flexibility means it can displace diesel and other fossil fuels in aquaculture and vessels. The oxygen produced in the process of making hydrogen provides an added benefit to aquaculture.

The Hydrogen Production and Research Facility has been built to support research and demonstration aimed at decarbonisation of offshore industries, by integrating a 700 kW electrolyser with an innovative DC microgrid configured flexibly to emulate electricity- and hydrogen-use scenarios in the blue economy.

READ FULL CASE STUDY

PILLAR 2

PROJECTS

  • 3.22.003

    Modelling and operation of a hydrogen microgrid with 700kW electrolyser

  • 3.22.002

    System level modelling to improve the performance of Offshore Sustainable Power

  • 1.21.007

    Hydrogen Powering of Vessels

  • 3.20.004

    DC Microgrids for Offshore Applications

  • 3.20.001

    Hydrogen Storage and Distribution

  • 3.20.002

    Offshore/High Energy Sustainable Hybrid Power Systems

  • offshore waters for aquaculture
    3.21.001

    OES Study on the energy requirements of offshore aquaculture as a market for OE

PILLAR 2

PhD STUDENTS

  • Ziba Khalilipalandi

    Macquarie University

  • Avy Sheina

    Auckland University of Technology

  • Alamgir Hossain

    University of Tasmania

  • Hasith Jayasinghe

    University of Technology Sydney

  • Neil Salam

    Griffith University

Impact
Pillar 1

Developing Open Ocean Aquaculture

Impact
Pillar 3

Scaling Offshore Energy Developments

Impact
Pillar 4

Integrating Ocean Use

Impact
Pillar 5

Optimising Ocean Governance & Stewardship