Towards an Australian hydrogen economy

摘要

The term 'hydrogen economy' was first coined in 1970 by John Bockris, an electrochemist who was working in Australia at the time. He gave an updated definition of what he meant by the term in 2002 as: '... the hydrogen economy means that hydrogen would be used to transport energy from renew-ables, at nuclear or solar sources, over larger distances, and to store it to supply the cities in large amounts.' Australia is an energy-rich country with a wide variety of energy resources. As such there is little urgency, to push towards Bockris's vision. Yet diminishing oil reserves, the increasing need to combat environmental impacts of power generation and use, and spiralling energy demand require research workers to take the first steps towards a long term Australian hydrogen economy future. This paper outlines some activities and progress towards that future.