Transport and use of solar energy in hydrogen

CSIRO has demonstrated a concept for utilising two of Australia's largest energy resources, solar energy and natural gas. Solar energy is used to reform natural gas to produce solar syngas (H2/CO), then shifted to hydrogen. The resulting hydrogen contains 20% embodied solar energy. The concept allows the choice to use either the syngas directly, or hydrogen. Much of Australia's gas reserves exist in the high solar regions, and gas pipeline infrastructure is in place to transport the solar gas to the cities. Alternatively the solar gas can be used on site in large gas turbines, for distributed generation in gas engines in remote regions, or as a chemical feedstock. The most significant market penetration at present would be for syngas, however the project has demonstrated it is possible to produce hydrogen of a quality sufficient for a hydrogen fuel cell. An improved version is now under construction at Australia's National Solar Energy Centre.