Hydrogen refuelling trial underway

The first of three hydrogen refuelling stations planned for warehousing and trucking operations should be operating within 12 to 18 months, Hiringa Energy chief executive Andrew Clennett says.

The firm is currently choosing 20 potential locations around the country for the trial sites, which will ideally include a forklift operation and a nearby truck stop. 

Clennett says the initial three sites are likely to cost about $30 million including fuel supply.

Costs are falling as manufacturing volume builds, he says, but lead times for equipment delivery are already increasing due to growing global demand for hydrogen-related equipment.

“So the sooner we make a decision the better,” he told BusinessDesk.

The refuelling and distribution project is one of 11 either underway or expected to start within the next year. It will draw on two hydrogen supplies: a 'green' product made using renewable energy and a 'grey' net-zero carbon product sourced by cleaning up flue emissions from a major industrial site.

Clennett says hydrogen costs are falling rapidly and it is important firms and policymakers keep their minds open to the best available options long-term.

He cited the cost of fuel-cell electric buses, which have fallen sharply. They are now comparable with battery-electric vehicles and don’t face the same range, weight and passenger count restrictions.

Clennett says the country is going to need a “suite” of renewable solutions to meet its climate change targets, including battery-electric vehicles, hydrogen, wind, solar and geothermal.

The key is to let the technologies play to their strengths, understand their full system costs, and avoid looking for “silver bullets.’’