Green Hydrogen for City of Cockburn

September 23rd, 2020

Green Hydrogen for City of Cockburn

The City of Cockburn is investigating the use of renewable hydrogen as a transport fuel for its waste collection and light vehicle fleets, as well as its use for embedded co-generation.

Main proponents:

City of Cockburn

 Main end-use classification:

Hydrogen mobility, power

 Status:

Under development

 Estimated cost:

Feasibility study – AUD$325,000
Other involvement:

 

 Production details:

Hydrogen production – 200 to 300 tonnes per annum under evaluation, final figures are subject to feasibility study outcomes

 Location:

Western Australia, Australia

 Announced funding:

AUD$149,000 – Western Australian Government Renewable Hydrogen Fund (feasibility study)

AUD$176,000 – City of Cockburn

Project description

The City of Cockburn, a local government area 22 kilometres south of Perth, is undertaking a feasibility study to examine the use of renewable hydrogen as a zero-emissions transport fuel for its waste collection and light vehicle fleets. An additional aim of the development would be to provide hydrogen for embedded co-generation at the Cockburn Aquatic and Recreation Centre and the new administration building.

The principal aims of the feasibility study are to determine the more detailed engineering and design requirements and associated economics of a dedicated, off-grid photovoltaic (PV) solar array to power a deionised water electrolysis plant at Henderson Waste Recovery Park for a Final Investment Decision by the City of Cockburn on:

  • Generation of renewable hydrogen for refuelling the City of Cockburn’s waste collection and light vehicle fleets, and
  • Providing (renewable) hydrogen fuel for embedded fuel cell co-generation at the City of Cockburn’s Aquatic and Recreation Centre in order to reduce power purchased from the grid, in particular during peak power cost periods. Hydrogen would also provide thermal heating for the water at the Centre to off-set natural gas usage via the collection of thermal energy from the fuel cell.

Secondary aims of the feasibility study are:

  • Explore uninterrupted power systems for the resource recovery precinct and other City of Cockburn infrastructure, including fuel cells to replace diesel for fire suppression systems.
  • To determine the feasibility for utilising hydrogen at the City of Cockburn’s proposed new administration building adjacent to the Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
  • The project will knowledge share the outcomes to support regional and remote areas to assist in decision-making to invest in future off-grid hydrogen generation and associated hydrogen refuelling and/or hydrogen off-take projects.

Possible hydrogen production levels are under study and no figures have been confirmed; however, the initial investigation of the scale required by the City of Cockburn is in the range of between 200 to 300 tonnes per annum, noting this is subject to further details to be determined by the feasibility study.

Following a tender selection process, the feasibility study commenced in April 2021 with the final report expected to be completed in the latter part of 2021.

Milestones

January 2020: The feasibility study for this project is one of seven feasibility studies to which funds were allocated in January 2020 by the Western Australian government under its Renewable Hydrogen Fund.

 

Updated: July 2021