Bulletin #44 : 6 June 2025

President Kelly

Whilst missing in action last week to attend his father's 100th birthday (not his 95th as previously mis-reported - and I didn't even cop a fine!) President Kelly returned to a welcome fit for a hero! 

Guest Speaker - Dr Terry Humphries - Hydrogen Storage

Wayne Duke introduced Terry who he met at Levy Stapleton's first birthday party, Terry being good friends with Jaclyn and Jackson. One thing led to another resulting in Terry being invited to speak to us today.

Terry is a senior research fellow at Curtin university and part of the Hydrogen Storage Research Group (HSRG) which is a world-class research group in the field of hydrogen and energy storage, focusing on innovative solutions for hydrogen storage and its applications.

Since its establishment the group has been at the forefront of research, addressing industry challenges and advancing technologies for a sustainable energy future. Their work spans a wide range of areas, including the development of solid-state hydrogen carriers and export materials, thermochemical energy storage systems and next generation solid state batteries. The HSRG also collaborates with international partners and industries ensuring their research addresses real-world needs and contributes to the global hydrogen economy.

Terry loves to give talks to different groups creating awareness in communities of the HSRG  and began his presentation with an acknowledgment of Country.

The HSRG is led by Professor Craig Buckley for the last 20 years and the group consists of about eight or nine staff and eight or nine PhD students which increase and decrease as the year goes along. The research would not be possible without the various funding agencies and industrial partners needed to run the project.

 

Hydrogen economy is a necessary transition that is needed to make way from fossil fuels. 

It's not just the fact that fossil fuels are going to run out and the fact that we can't keep up with production or with the ongoing demand for energy that we need today. It is mainly pushed by climate change as well. We are all seeing the issues whether it be the forest fires, bushfires, floods that we are seeing in NSW and Qld and that's all to do with climate change, so we need to be able to build up our renewable energy and hopefully everyone is getting on board with this.

We need to come up with a way to actually store this energy because we need it for applications such as phones, watches, and cars where we tend to use batteries because it's nice and simple. 

However we need to start thinking about large-scale applications where batteries aren't so good, they're very expensive and not got much energy density, so if we are going to power a city or a mining site then large-scale is where we need to go, especially if we have to store energy for seasonal storage.

Not many people are aware of hydrogen at the moment, yet it's been in many country manifestos since 2019.

Hydrogen's extremely low density and small molecular size make it difficult to store and transport efficiently, especially compared to fossil fuels.  

However, hydrogen is the smallest and lightest element; 1L of gasoline weighs about 0.74kg, while 1L of hydrogen at standard temperature and pressure weighs only 0.009kg. Storing large quantities without massive infrastructure is a significant challenge.

Hydrogen is categorized by production method: grey/black/brown (from fossil fuels), blue (from fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage or utilization), green (from renewables via electrolysis), and white (naturally occurring, geologically sourced hydrogen). The transition to a hydrogen economy involves moving from fossil-based hydrogen to green hydrogen, with blue hydrogen as a transitional option and white hydrogen as a potential supplementary source.

Green hydrogen is the ultimate goal for a sustainable hydrogen economy, but blue and white hydrogen may play important transitional or supplementary roles. 

The hydrogen economy requires coordinated advancements in four main areas: production, utilization, distribution, and storage. Each area presents unique challenges and opportunities. Production can use grid energy and electrolysers; utilization includes vehicles, synthetic fuels, ammonia, and green steel; distribution and storage are technically challenging and are the main focus of the research group.  

Australia has significant potential for hydrogen production, especially using solar photovoltaics in coastal areas. Maps show that the best regions for hydrogen production are near ports, facilitating export. Projected hydrogen demand is 2-9 million tonnes by 2030 and 20-230 million tonnes by 2050. Many energy-deficient countries are seeking to import hydrogen, and Australia is seen as a reliable supplier.  

The four main export methods are liquid hydrogen (requires storage at -253°C, very expensive ships); ammonia (already widely shipped, but toxic and requires high temperatures for hydrogen release); liquid organic hydrogen carriers (recyclable, but need heating to 200°C to release hydrogen); and sodium borohydride (can be shipped on standard cargo ships, potentially as low as $4.40/kg, and is safe and stable). 

The group is developing a process to produce sodium borohydride using green electricity, ship it globally, and release hydrogen by adding water at the destination. The byproduct, sodium borate, is shipped back for recycling in Australia. The project received $8 million in government funding in 2023. Sodium borohydride has been used in industry since the 1950s and contains 10.7% hydrogen by weight; when reacted with water, the effective hydrogen yield is 21.4%. Electrochemical regeneration is being developed to recycle sodium borate back to sodium borohydride without the need for electrolysers. The main challenges are scaling up production, perfecting recycling, and ensuring the process is economically viable. 

Hydrogen vehicles require a network of refueling stations for practical use across regions. Heavy haulage trucks, though only 4% of vehicles, contribute 27% of transport emissions. Replacing diesel with hydrogen in these trucks could reduce CO2 emissions by 57%. There is high demand for hydrogen vehicles, but supply is limited and infrastructure is lacking. 

Hydrogen is invisible and odorless, making leak detection critical for safety and exploration. The group is developing Raman scattering-based sensors for airborne and pipeline detection. White hydrogen, naturally occurring, was recently discovered in France (92 million tonnes in Moselle, March 2025), and similar reserves may exist in Australia due to geological processes. The sensors can be mounted on planes or used in plants and pipelines to detect leaks or natural emissions.

Hydrogen can cause embrittlement in metals and permeate non-metals, leading to potential pipeline failure. The group is testing materials and developing composite solutions, such as pipelines with liners and metal cores, to balance permeability and resistance to embrittlement. Permeability rigs and other testing setups are being used to evaluate materials.

 Terry explained that there is reseach being carried out on solid-state batteries as a safer alternvie to liquid electrolyte batteries which can catch fire in accidents and discussed the overall prospects and challenges for the hydrogen economy  covering cost efficiency recycling and public perspectives. However according to the 2024 Australian strategy, Australia has the most hydrogen projects globally, though progress is slow. The US (especially California) and China are also highlighted as active producers, with California having hydrogen refueling sites at petrol stations. Main production areas are those with abundant renewable energy.

To date there have been no known safety incidents with hydrogen-fueled vehicleds. Atco's hydrogen cars in Jandakot were cited, with detailed safety features such as pressure and temperature sensors, safety valves, and the behavior of hydrogen in case of a tank rupture (hydrogen rises and burns quickly, reducing risk).  

Hydrogen storage and usage have historically experienced cycles of progress and decline, often driven by external factors such as oil prices. The current momentum is driven by climate change concerns and has lasted about 10 years, with significant funding and global investment. However, progress is still considered slow, and more sustained effort is needed to avoid repeating past failures.

A full presentation can be found on the Club website.

Directors' Reports and Member Announcements

Veronica :

• Membership meeting next week after breakfast
• Launch of the Global Hand Charity major fundraising event "Offtraq" take a flyer and support this event.
• The funeral of Dr Alan Eggleston, long time member of this club will be held Saturday 7 June at Christchurch Grammar 10am.

David R:

• Gala luncheon to celebrate our Changeover on Friday 27 June. Details in the Events page (scroll down after reading this) or book at trybooking.com/DBENN 

Wayne M: 

• Last weekend when Kelly was MIA, saw the publishing of a double volume of the 'Gillen Dynasty' which Kelly had put together to celebrate his father's 100 birthday. As well the number of invitees doubled on the day - a testimony to his father's reputation in the community.

Lew T:

• 34 years ago Reg Willis, a member of our Club was appointed District Governor of D9465, his theme for that year was 'Simply the Best' and was most fitting for Reg's dedication and commitment to Rotary. This year another member of our club - Veronica Lawrance - has been nominated as District Governor of D9423 - the combined Districts of 9465 and 9455 - now covering the whole of Western Australia. 
• Please come and show Mill Point support as she takes up the mantle of DG on Saturday 14 June at the Leederville Function Centre 6.00pm, $55 pp two course meal, dress Cocktail. Book at https://www.trybooking.com/DBDYO

Kelly:

• In April the Council of Legislation (CoL) met (Governing body for Rotary International). 86 enactments were transmitted to the CoL who adopted 31 recommendations and rejected 37. The Mill Point RC Board have met and reviewed the proposals finding no direct impact on the club and so will vote on these recommendations in the positive. A copy of the report (37 pages) will be uploaded to the Club's website page in the Member's only section. 

One Fine(s) Day...

• Soccer fans and has-beens who saw the goal last night Australia 1: Japan 0. 
• End Of Year (EOY) tragics who hit the sales and now have heaps of stuff they don't know what to do with.
• BoM says from June to August days and nights will be warmer and wetter in WA, so those who've given up or tossed their snorkels and flippers away - cough up your dollars! 
• Telstra supporters now that Telstra has been caught colluding with Starlink to provide regional service they were already supposed to be providing!
• Fishermen and women for another "Doomsday" oarfish otherwise known as the 'King of Herring' found on a beach in Tassie by dog-walkers. Can grow up to 8m long and lives in depths of 150-800m deep.
• The incoming DG before she spends all her cash on 'chicken dinners' visiting other clubs! 

Winner of Heads and Tails

President Kelly took up the reigns as the weekly 'Tosser' throwing 2 x Heads, 2 x Tails, a Head & Tail and finally 2 Tails which saw newly inducted Bassem take out the wine of the week. Doesn't he look happy! 

Attendance

36 attendees in all, including guest speaker Dr Terry Humphries, 3rd time visitor and prospective member Diane Allen (who will be inducted next week), and visitors Carole and Shaun O'Brien.