Atco has won a $1.5m grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for its Clean Energy Innovation Hub in Western Australia that produces, stores and uses hydrogen.
The hub, located at the company’s Jandakot Operations Centre in Western Australia, uses hydrogen to help energise a commercial-scale micro grid.
The $3.3m project is an extension of Atoc’s existing GasSola Residential Hybrid Energy System trial, also in Western Australia, which integrates solar photovoltaic and battery storage with localised household natural gas electricity generation.
The data gathered from the Clean Energy Innovation Hub will provide insights into optimising hydrogen storage and distribution, as well as blending hydrogen with natural gas.
It will also be used to show how hydrogen could act as a future balancing fuel supporting the electricity grid, Atoc said.
The hub allows for household applications to be tested in a “living lab” utilising a modular residential home built by Atco and installed at Jandakot.
Atco Australia managing director and chief operating officer Pat Creaghan said: “Securing this grant is a major accomplishment.
“We intend to play a leading role in the development of forward-thinking, clean energy solutions and our Clean Energy Innovation Hub is at the very heart of those plans.”
The hub is expected to be fully operational in 2019 with first results from the micro grid due to be available later that year.
Image: ATCO
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