The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a $20.9 million grant to Wollongong-based startup Hysata to commercialise its next-generation hydrogen electrolyser technology.
Hysata will develop and test a 5 MW unit at their new Port Kembla manufacturing site. Before being transferred to Queensland, the electrolyser array will be deployed in situ for additional testing and validation.
Stanwell Corporation is investing $3 million in the project and providing the site and infrastructure for the electrolyser’s field development.
The demonstration unit will be located near the Stanwell Power Station in Rockhampton, Queensland. The site has land, water, and grid connection capabilities available.
Due to ARENA-funded research at the University of Wollongong, Hysata was founded to commercialise this groundbreaking electrolysis technology.
The patented ‘capillary fed’ electrolyser cell developed by Hysata removes practically all resistance in the electrolysis process. Existing electrolysers suffer energy losses due to electrical resistance and gaseous bubbles developing on electrodes, lowering overall system efficiency.
Hysata’s technology has been demonstrated to produce hydrogen at 95% (41.5 kWh/kg) efficiency, much outperforming current methods that run at 75% (52.5 kWh/kg).
According to ARENA, using less power can potentially lower the cost of renewable hydrogen generation. The method also reduces plant balancing costs due to lower electrical resistance, which results in fewer cooling requirements.
If provided at scale, these decreased input costs will help cut the levelised cost of hydrogen, making renewable hydrogen an economically viable energy supply.
ARENA earlier granted Hysata $8.98 million via the German-Australian HyGATE program, with an extra contribution of €5.9 million from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Hysata is presently developing a 200 kW electrolyser system with the aid of the HyGATE grant, which will show the major components of the 5 MW commercial scale demonstration unit.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the project is a critical step towards facilitating purchase orders for the technology.
“Hysata is a great example of Australian innovation leading the way in renewable energy. This electrolyser technology could be a game-changer for renewable hydrogen,” Miller stated.
“The demonstration at Stanwell’s site will be key to unlocking commercial demand for Hysata’s product by proving the technology works at scale,” he added.
According to Hysata CEO Paul Barrett, this is a critical milestone in the company’s aspirations to rapidly expand its innovative technology, which will help hasten the world’s transition to net zero emissions.
“Green hydrogen is critical for decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors, and we are committed to helping our customers deliver the world’s lowest cost green hydrogen,” Barrett said.
“We look forward to creating more local jobs and strengthening Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities through this project, which will pave the way for Hysata’s scaling to fulfil a multi-billion-dollar pipeline of orders from around the world,” he added.
Stanwell CEO Michael O’Rourke stated that the company’s support for Hysata’s technology commercialisation was a significant step towards Stanwell’s aim of fostering the growth of Queensland’s renewable hydrogen sector.
“We are excited to support Hysata by facilitating the commercialisation of this innovative Australian-made technology through a field pilot,” O’Rourke said.
The system’s initial development is now ongoing, with the field pilot at Stanwell scheduled to begin in 2025.
