the pilbara powerhouse - the new pilbara economic summit...2 and ship to asia ammonia n 2 + 3h 2 →...

Dr Matthew Stocks100% Renewable Energy GroupResearch School of EngineeringThe Australian National University

The Pilbara PowerhouseThe North West’s Renewable Energy Export Potential

North West Interconnected System

re100.eng.anu.edu.au

New generation capacity worldwide

re100.anu.edu.au

Solar learning curve(make more stuff and we get better at it)

Solar panels 200 timeslower cost than 1970

10 times lower cost than 2008

re100.anu.edu.au

re100.anu.edu.au

The Pilbara advantage

Australia’s best solar resource.

Within 10% of world best.

Supply all of Australia’s annual

electricity needs

re100.anu.edu.au

Wind

Relatively good resource in elevated location for tropical Australia.

Very good wind in South West WA

Pumped Hydro Storage

re100.anu.edu.au

High voltage DC transmission (HVDC)

• Transmit gigawatts over thousands of km

• +/- 1.1 million volts• Loss: 10% between Perth and Pilbara• >200GW of HVDC systems• Examples

– Basslink (Vic-Tas): 400kV, 290km, 500MW

– ABB (China): 1100kV, 3000km, 12GW

NEM

NWIS

SWIS

Pilbara exports today

Iron ore • Australia’s biggest export industry

~ 800 million tonnes per annum• Emissions

– 2 Fe2O3 + 3C => 4 Fe + 3CO2

– High carbon emissions from conversion to iron with coking coal (overseas)

– 300MT of CO2 per annum• Double Australia’s total emissions

re100.anu.edu.au

Renewable Hydrogen

Electrolysis• 2 H20 + => 2 H2 + O2

Export “renewable” iron or steel instead of ore• Fe2O3 + 3H2 => 2 Fe + 3H2O• Value added export

– Need more than four times Australia’s current electricity production

re100.anu.edu.au

Hydrogen enabler for renewable energy exports

Direct export• Compress H2 and ship to AsiaAmmonia

N2 + 3H2 → 2NH3 – 160MT per annum world wide– Currently uses hydrogen from natural gas

• CH4 + 2H2O → 4H2 + CO2

• Significant CO2 emissions

re100.anu.edu.au

Hydrogen enabler for renewable energy exportsSynthetic fuels• Synthetic natural gas

– CO2 + 4H2 → CH4 + 2H2O

• Liquid hydrocarbons– Fischer-tropsch process(3n + 1) H2 + n CO2 → CnH2n+2 + 2n H2O– Essential for air travel

re100.anu.edu.au

The Pilbara powerhouse• Pilbara has worldwide solar advantages

– Huge renewable energy potential• Pumped hydro and HVDC enable Pilbara to drive

Australian electricity production• Renewable hydrogen enables low carbon exports

that can dwarf today’s– Hydrogen– Iron– Ammonia– Synthetic fuels

re100.anu.edu.au

re100.anu.edu.au