Blue Economy CRC
Blue Economy CRC
The aim of the CRC is to develop sustainable offshore industries to increase seafood and offshore renewable energy production, including through the use of whole-of-supply-chain hydrogen technologies operating in an offshore microgrid system.
| Lead participants:
Participants in the CRC include significant industry associations, major company entities, State Governments, Commonwealth research organisations and Universities |
Classification:
Research and development
|
Status:
In progress |
Estimated cost:
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| Research partners:
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Main supply chain category:
Whole supply chain (offshore applications) |
Location:
Registered office is in Tasmania, Australia |
Announced funding:
AUD$70 million – Australian Federal Government Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program (Round 20 Funding Round) |
Research description
In April 2019, the Federal Government announced a co-funding offer to the Blue Economy CRC of AUD$70 million over a ten year period commencing 1 July 2019. The combined investment from the Commonwealth and CRC participants (cash and in-kind support) totals in excess of AUD$300 million over the life of the CRC.
The aim of the CRC is to develop new (sustainable) offshore industries to increase seafood and offshore renewable energy production, including through the use of whole-of-supply-chain hydrogen technologies operating in a microgrid system, this being enabled through a series of five research programs.
The focus of the first five years of the program will be developing and testing new offshore aquaculture and renewable energy technologies, to be brought together on a single platform to demonstrate the benefits of co-location.
The offshore research platform would integrate renewable energy and aquaculture technologies with other engineering activities, such as autonomous and remotely-operated vehicles, in a proof of concept design, aimed at delivering new research outcomes along with commercially viable new materials, concepts, prototypes and monitoring systems.
As at December 2020, approved hydrogen-related studies under Research Program 3: Offshore Renewable Energy Systems (ORES) included Hydrogen storage and distribution, Offshore/high energy sustainable hybrid power systems, and DC microgrids for offshore applications.
In December 2020, the CRC announced the acquisition of key R&D infrastructure to develop an offshore hydrogen microgrid to be located in Tasmania’s North. The new infrastructure consists of a new generation 700kW electrolyser (manufactured by UK-based ITM Power) a microturbine and a microgrid (developed by Optimal Group) that will form the foundation of an offshore hydrogen microgrid. This infrastructure is intended to support a number of future projects (predominantly aligned with the ORES Program but relevant to all Programs)
This description was reviewed by a CRC representative in January 2021.