Victorian Hydrogen Refuelling Station Will Use Wind And Solar Power

Waste collection trucks to be powered by rain, wind and sun | Image: Orderinchaos, CC BY-SA 3.0

Victoria’s Moreland City Council has received government funding for an ambitious project to transition its diesel-fuelled waste trucks to hydrogen extracted using wind and solar power.

The project involves the conversion of vehicles and construction of Australia’s first commercial-scale hydrogen refuelling station that will use electrolysis applied to stormwater to extract hydrogen. The energy required for the electrolysis will be sourced from a wind farm and an on-site 1.2-megawatt solar power system Moreland Council plans to build.

According to Moreland Mayor Helen Davidson, the cost of running the vehicles on hydrogen will be the same as diesel; but without the emissions. Project partner H2U states an added bonus will be a reduction in vehicle noise.

The station will initially create fuel for 12 of Council’s waste collection trucks, with view to transitioning City of Moreland’s entire heavy fleet in the future. Construction of the refuelling station is expected to commence in 2018 and it will be fully operational by early 2020.

Towards Zero Emissions

Moreland is a municipality in the inner north of Melbourne, covering 50.9 square kilometres and incorporating suburbs including Brunswick East/ West, Coburg/North, Fawkner, Glenroy, Pascoe Vale/South and Oak Park.

Moreland City Council was the second Victorian local government and the third council in Australia to be certified carbon neutral for its corporate operations. It also has a plan in place to reduce carbon emissions across the Moreland community 22 per cent by 2020 (based on 2011 levels). According to its Zero Carbon Evolution Strategy (PDF), the Moreland community is on track to reaching zero carbon by 2045.

Solar power has played an important role in Moreland’s carbon reduction efforts, both in terms of Council’s own operations and in the wider community.

“Moreland has always been a recognised leader when it comes to sustainability initiatives and this world first project will take us closer to achieving our zero emissions goal,” said Cr. Davidson when the hydrogen refuelling station project was originally announced earlier this year.

The $9.37 million project is being supported with $1 million from the Victorian Government under the $20 million New Energy Jobs Fund (NEJF) .

“We’re investing in new energy technology to reduce greenhouse emissions and create jobs,” said Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio. “It’s a fantastic example of how the New Energy Jobs Fund is creating jobs and boosting renewable energy capabilities across Victoria.”

Minister D’Ambrosio says the project will create 15 ongoing full-time local jobs and has the potential to generate more than 100 indirect jobs

The first and second rounds of the NEJF have closed, and a third round will open late this year.