Making headway with hydrogen 

Adelaide: Green hydrogen is expected to be the next big thing but questions remain over whether it will provide society with an affordable source of green energy in the future. 

The University of Adelaide’s Professor Gregory F Metha will explore this cutting-edge area on Tuesday 11 October at the latest Research Tuesdays lecture. 

Demand for the zero-carbon fuel, green hydrogen, is expected to grow six-fold by 2050. The International Energy Agency has called for investment in it, US President Joe Biden has backed it with US$9.5 billion, and China has named it one of the “six industries of the future”.  

While green hydrogen is critical to meet global net-zero targets, it’s expensive, and costs more than using fossil fuels. Currently, there is no financial incentive to switch to a clean energy source whereby conventional green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy generated by solar panels or wind farms. 

Researchers at the University of Adelaide are working on bypassing the wind farms altogether, and dispensing with the electrolysis process that it powers.  

They have patented an apparatus that separates water into hydrogen and oxygen using only solar radiation. This single-step process for producing green hydrogen could completely change the world. 

Join the University of Adelaide’s experts to learn more about this exciting leap toward an affordable green future.