The Times Australia
Mirvac Harbourside
The Times World News

.

New Zealand is touting a green hydrogen economy, but it will face big environmental and cultural hurdles

  • Written by David Dempsey, Senior lecturer, University of Canterbury
New Zealand is touting a green hydrogen economy, but it will face big environmental and cultural hurdles

In its plan to retool the economy[1], the New Zealand government highlighted green hydrogen[2] as a game-changing fuel. It can indeed be used to make climate-friendly fertilisers[3] and steel or to power some modes of transport[4] that aren’t suited to batteries.

But to provide a buffer against the volatility of overseas markets, Aotearoa would need to be as energy independent as possible. Ideally, this would mean consuming only green hydrogen produced here, using abundant renewable hydro, wind and solar resources.

A hydrogen economy is good in theory, but to make the switch at the scale of Aotearoa’s climate ambitions would require about 150 petajoules of hydrogen each year, according to one estimate[5]. That’s about a quarter of our current energy use[6].

Hydrogen is produced in a process known as hydrolysis – the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen gas, using electricity. To produce a quarter of Aotearoa’s energy consumption, hydrolysis would consume an enormous amount of water, about 13 million tonnes each year, the equivalent of a month’s worth of Auckland’s water demand.

This raises both cultural and technical issues, which we must address before embarking on a transition to hydrogen as a green fuel.

Read more: Breakthrough in gas separation and storage could fast-track shift to green hydrogen and significantly cut global energy use[7]

Consuming water has cultural implications

Freshwater has enormous significance to iwi and hapū. However, their views on hydrolysis as a consumptive use of water are not widely understood. If cultural complexity is ignored, hydrogen infrastructure or processes may fail to achieve an appropriate fit within Aotearoa New Zealand society and the technology could be orphaned.

Instead, we could start addressing this early through wānanga with representatives from a wide range of potentially affected iwi. Recognising and addressing cultural concerns at the outset will allow Māori to shape how the technology is developed and to share in the economic benefits of a hydrogen economy. The intention is to better understand how green hydrogen technologies and infrastructure could belong in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Close-up of a hydrogen-fuelled truck
Green hydrogen production would require enormous amounts of water. Shutterstock/Scharfsinn

Supposing we are willing and able to make this vast quantity of hydrogen, our experience with other fuels suggests we would need about a month’s worth in storage at any given time. Storage helps to smooth fluctuating market demand, takes advantage of seasonal excess of renewables (in very windy, very sunny weeks) and provides emergency reserves for “dry year[8]” crises.

Storing hydrogen underground

Unfortunately, hydrogen can’t be stored as a liquid except in specialised containers[9] that keep it at extremely low temperatures. Like a freezer, this is always consuming energy.

A hydrogen storage tank at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Hydrogen is stored in liquid form at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Wikimedia/Doe, CC BY-ND[10]

Hydrogen could be kept in special high-pressure tanks, but we would need more of these tanks than we have people in New Zealand. These tanks would be costly, cover large tracts of productive land and would be prone to damage by natural hazards. Where would they all go?

Scientists have been looking at the possibility of storing hydrogen underground[11], in great caverns carved in salt or in old oil and gas fields[12].

We already do this with natural gas in Taranaki[13]. When it’s not needed, gas is injected into an old field called Ahuroa and then extracted as required. Underground storage of gas (methane) is common practice, providing energy resilience. For example, given the disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine, Germany[14] is accelerating gas storage in geologic reservoirs[15] in time for winter.

Read more: Green hydrogen is coming - and these Australian regions are well placed to build our new export industry[16]

We have recently shown there may be enough space[17] in other Taranaki rock reservoirs to store hydrogen underground. But it won’t be easy.

We know the gas can react with certain kinds of rock. It can even be a meal for hungry microbes. Both these processes would consume a valuable fuel. But predicting whether they will happen requires special laboratory experiments that can replicate the extreme pressure and temperature three kilometres below ground.

We are also still learning how to predict how hydrogen will move underground. We know that some of the injected gas will never come back out. This is the “cushion[18]” that acts a bit like a spring that pushes the other hydrogen back to the surface.

Some hydrogen may also escape into the atmosphere through small cracks in the rock. We’ll need to know how much, set up surveillance to watch for it and consider its effect on the climate[19].

These are just a few of the challenges posed by underground storage of hydrogen. But our experience with natural gas storage gives us confidence we can manage them with the right research and planning.

Read more: Don't rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate[20]

Making it work

New Zealand’s hydrogen future remains uncertain, but work is underway to prepare. Early signs for underground storage[21] of green hydrogen are promising and there’s lots of[22] enthusiasm[23] for it overseas.

But technical feasibility is not enough: any solution must make economic sense and be acceptable to the wider public, particularly tangata whenua.

Proving the feasibility of any new idea takes time. We need to develop, sometimes fail, refine and then find success. But with each new extreme weather event, its clear we don’t have a lot of time. In this new era of adaptation, governments, industry, communities and scientists will need to work more closely than ever.

References

  1. ^ retool the economy (environment.govt.nz)
  2. ^ green hydrogen (www.mbie.govt.nz)
  3. ^ climate-friendly fertilisers (ballance.co.nz)
  4. ^ some modes of transport (www.hiringa.co.nz)
  5. ^ estimate (firstgas.co.nz)
  6. ^ current energy use (www.energymix.co.nz)
  7. ^ Breakthrough in gas separation and storage could fast-track shift to green hydrogen and significantly cut global energy use (theconversation.com)
  8. ^ dry year (www.mbie.govt.nz)
  9. ^ specialised containers (answers.khi.co.jp)
  10. ^ CC BY-ND (creativecommons.org)
  11. ^ storing hydrogen underground (www.stuff.co.nz)
  12. ^ old oil and gas fields (www.futurefuelscrc.com)
  13. ^ natural gas in Taranaki (en.wikipedia.org)
  14. ^ Germany (www.theguardian.com)
  15. ^ geologic reservoirs (erdgasspeicher.de)
  16. ^ Green hydrogen is coming - and these Australian regions are well placed to build our new export industry (theconversation.com)
  17. ^ may be enough space (gasischanging.co.nz)
  18. ^ cushion (www.kyos.com)
  19. ^ effect on the climate (www.edf.org)
  20. ^ Don't rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate (theconversation.com)
  21. ^ underground storage (www.underground-sun-storage.at)
  22. ^ lots of (www.smart-energy.com)
  23. ^ enthusiasm (www.wsp.com)

Read more https://theconversation.com/new-zealand-is-touting-a-green-hydrogen-economy-but-it-will-face-big-environmental-and-cultural-hurdles-187521

Mirvac Harbourside

Times Magazine

YepAI Joins Victoria's AI Trade Mission to Singapore for Big Data & AI World Asia 2025

YepAI, a Melbourne-based leader in enterprise artificial intelligence solutions, announced today...

Building a Strong Online Presence with Katoomba Web Design

Katoomba web design is more than just creating a website that looks good—it’s about building an onli...

September Sunset Polo

International Polo Tour To Bridge Historic Sport, Life-Changing Philanthropy, and Breath-Taking Beau...

5 Ways Microsoft Fabric Simplifies Your Data Analytics Workflow

In today's data-driven world, businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline their data anal...

7 Questions to Ask Before You Sign IT Support Companies in Sydney

Choosing an IT partner can feel like buying an insurance policy you hope you never need. The right c...

Choosing the Right Legal Aid Lawyer in Sutherland Shire: Key Considerations

Legal aid services play an essential role in ensuring access to justice for all. For people in t...

The Times Features

Macquarie Bank Democratises Agentic AI, Scaling Customer Innovation with Gemini Enterprise

Macquarie’s Banking and Financial Services group (Macquarie Bank), in collaboration with Google ...

Do kids really need vitamin supplements?

Walk down the health aisle of any supermarket and you’ll see shelves lined with brightly packa...

Why is it so shameful to have missing or damaged teeth?

When your teeth and gums are in good condition, you might not even notice their impact on your...

Australian travellers at risk of ATM fee rip-offs according to new data from Wise

Wise, the global technology company building the smartest way to spend and manage money internat...

Does ‘fasted’ cardio help you lose weight? Here’s the science

Every few years, the concept of fasted exercise training pops up all over social media. Faste...

How Music and Culture Are Shaping Family Road Trips in Australia

School holiday season is here, and Aussies aren’t just hitting the road - they’re following the musi...

The Role of Spinal Physiotherapy in Recovery and Long-Term Wellbeing

Back pain and spinal conditions are among the most common reasons people seek medical support, oft...

Italian Lamb Ragu Recipe: The Best Ragù di Agnello for Pasta

Ciao! It’s Friday night, and the weekend is calling for a little Italian magic. What’s better than t...

It’s OK to use paracetamol in pregnancy. Here’s what the science says about the link with autism

United States President Donald Trump has urged pregnant women[1] to avoid paracetamol except in ...