Is hydrogen Asia's new energy commodity? Opportunities and challenges for Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 468
Author(s):  
David Low ◽  
Angus Rodger ◽  
Benjamin Gallagher ◽  
Prakash Sharma

Can hydrogen really be the next big energy disruptor? The technological challenges are significant and have suppressed its presence in the energy transition story thus far, but this is changing fast. The hydrogen market faces a chicken-and-egg conundrum. Demand growth remains limited, hindered by uncertainty over supply and cost. But investment in hydrogen supply is restricted by ambiguity over its role in the future energy mix. Nonetheless, government policy and funding in Japan, China and Korea is creating new demand centres. Will the breakthrough be in power generation, transportation or energy storage? The costs associated with hydrogen production and transportation are its biggest hurdles. But new technologies around liquid organic hydrogen carriers and ammonia are emerging. How is this hydrogen+ philosophy evolving, and could it be a future competitive advantage? Over the past decade, we have already seen how new technology has rapidly reduced other renewable energy costs. We outline our view on whether the same could happen with hydrogen. So, where does Australia fit into this picture, and what is its competitive advantage? Australia is well endowed with natural resources, many of which can reliably generate renewable energy. And with numerous ongoing hydrogen pilot programs, it is uniquely positioned to innovate and export green hydrogen know-how. Can Australia become the global laboratory for hydrogen supply-chain technology? Local upstream companies could be catalysts for change, given their existing producer–supplier relationships across north-eastern Asia. What role could hydrogen play in the future upstream portfolio?

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2728
Author(s):  
Chun-Nan Chen ◽  
Chun-Ting Yang

The Taiwanese government has set an energy transition roadmap of 20% renewable energy supply by 2025, including a 20 GW installed PV capacity target, composed of 8 GW rooftop and 12 GW ground-mounted systems. The main trend of feed-in tariffs is downwards, having fallen by 50% over a ten-year period. Predicting the future ten-year equity internal rate of return (IRR) in this study, we examine the investability of PV systems in Taiwan when subsidies and investment costs descend. We have found that the projected subsidies scheme favours investment in small-sized PV systems. Unless the investment costs of medium-sized PV systems fall or subsidies rise over the next decade, investing in medium-sized PV systems will be less attractive. Nonlinear and linear degradation causes slight IRR differences when using higher-reliability modules.


Sci ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Moriarty ◽  
Damon Honnery

Because of the near-term risk of extreme weather events and other adverse consequences from climate change, and, at least in the longer term, global fossil fuel depletion, there is world-wide interest in shifting to noncarbon energy sources, especially renewable energy (RE). Because of possible limitations on conventional renewable energy sources, researchers have looked for ways of overcoming these shortcomings by introducing radically new energy technologies. The largest RE source today is bioenergy, while solar energy and wind energy are regarded as having the largest technical potential. This paper reviews the literature on proposed new technologies for each of these three RE sources: microalgae for bioenergy, photolysis and airborne wind turbines. The main finding is that their proponents have underestimated the difficulties facing their introduction on a very large scale.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 93-101
Author(s):  
T.A. Zheliezna ◽  
A.I. Bashtovyi

The aim of the work is to analyze possible ways of decarbonization of the EU heat supply sector. The task of the work is to identify the most promising areas and develop appropriate recommendations for Ukraine. The heat supply sector of the EU and Ukraine needs decarbonization, for which there is a big potential and different areas of implementation of relevant measures. In Europe, such a strategy is set out in the Roadmap for decarbonization of the EU heating sector until 2050, the main provisions of which are in line with objectives of the European Green Deal and the EU Strategy on Heating and Cooling. European experts have developed the concept of a smart energy system, which was taken into account when preparing the Roadmap for decarbonization of the EU heating sector until 2050. A number of carried out studies have shown that a smart energy system with 50% district heating integrated with other parts of the overall energy system is more efficient than a conventional energy system or the one based on decentralized heat supply, in terms of the possibility of using a high share of renewable energy. It is recommended for Ukraine to finalize the Concept of green energy transition until 2050, taking into account European approaches to the development of heating systems and the use of modern biofuels. It is also recommended to expand the current Concept of heat supply of Ukraine to the level of a strategy with an emphasis on the development of district heating systems, wide involvement of renewable energy sources and new technologies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spyros Makridakis ◽  
Klitos Christodoulou

Blockchain is a new technology, often referred to as the Internet of Value. As with all new technologies, there is no consensus on its potential value, with some people claiming that it will bring more disruptive changes than the Internet and others contesting the extent of its importance. Despite predictions that the future is perilous, there is evidence that blockchain is a remarkable, new technology that will change the way transactions are made, based on its ability to guarantee trust among unknown actors, assure the immutability of records, while also making intermediaries obsolete. The importance of blockchain can be confirmed by the interest in digital currencies, the great number of published blockchain papers, as well as MDPI’s journal Future Internet which exclusively publishes blockchain articles, including this special issue covering present and future blockchain challenges. This paper is a survey of the fast growing field of blockchain, discussing its advantages and possible drawbacks and their implications for the future of the Internet and our personal lives and societies in general. The paper consists of the following parts; the first provides a general introduction and discusses the disruptive changes initiated by blockchain, the second discusses the unique value of blockchain and its general characteristics, the third presents an overview of industries with the greatest potential for disruptive changes, the forth describes the four major blockchain applications with the highest prospective advantages, and the fifth part of the paper ends with a discussion on the most notable subset of innovative blockchain applications—Smart Contracts, DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) and super safe networks—and their future implications. There is also a concluding section, which summarizes the paper, describes the future of blockchain, and mentions the challenges to be overcome.


Author(s):  
Jill Kickul ◽  
Elizabeth Belgio ◽  
Tim Hanna

This study seeks to determine the influence of the underlying factors and barriers that may inhibit the implementation of new technological investments by entrepreneurial firms. These factors and barriers may include the potential costs, risk of failure, low technological awareness, lack of an outside organization to facilitate development, lack of approachable organizations with which to form partnerships, and lack of contact with other organizations that have implemented technology successfully. Using structural equation modelling (LISREL VIII), results revealed that the value and importance that entrepreneurs placed on learning and adopting new technologies, in addition to the risk of failure, mediated the relationship between many of these barriers and the firms' technological investment during the past year, as well as their willingness to spend on new technology in the future.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
pp. 5396
Author(s):  
Sofia Berdysheva ◽  
Svetlana Ikonnikova

The global energy mix is undergoing an accelerating transformation driven by new resources, novel technologies, and climate change-related commitments. Changes in the use and availability of energy resources have affected fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) trade patterns. Some economies enjoy increasing energy independence, whereas others become more dependent on imports to satisfy their energy needs. Using 2000–2018 United Nations Commodity trade and International Energy Agency energy- and monetary-flow data, we examine the evolution of the international network of energy flows to reveal new patterns and understand their energy security implications. Our work explores how the growth in the U.S. unconventional resources, European Union renewable energy, China’s natural gas consumption, and changes in other country energy flows affect economy positions and trade-network connectivity. Testing the small-world property helps us understand the diffusion of new technologies, including energy-demand electrification and renewable energy adoption. A modified energy-security index is introduced to highlight the interplay between fuel type and trade partner diversification and domestic supply and consumption balance. The results provide insights about the energy transition and its effect on the international network of energy flows and energy security.


2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Askew ◽  
Andrew Lea-Cox

Australia’s early efforts in field abandonment have been limited in comparison to more mature basins, but have proven both complex and high cost, with delayed approvals caused by regulatory uncertainty and social concerns. Three underlying challenges impact operators and government and require action on both sides to resolve: (1) increasing size and scale of decommissioning liability, (2) limited understanding of challenges and cost drivers, and (3) uncertainty of regulations and taxes. Abandonment expenditure is expected to accelerate, with most industry companies already active and more companies expected to abandon in the future (e.g. Gippsland, North Carnarvon). Between 2017 and 2030, the overall impact of decommissioning is estimated to be ~US$5.5 billion, with the government taking up to 60% of this cost through taxes and liabilities. Many companies are looking to upgrade abandonment capabilities and take advantage of new technologies and approaches to reduce costs (although they seem to be struggling to bring programs forward in this period of lower prices). Some companies look to sell assets to late-life operators who tend to be smaller with less abandonment experience and capabilities. In an environment where regulations remain unclear and there is a lack of technology, skills and knowledge around abandonment, the industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Through strategic cost reduction, new technology and operating models, we believe costs could be optimised by a further 10–35%. The industry, National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) and government have started engaging to clarify uncertainty in abandonment regulations. This will require an unbiased process that balances value and risk to all stakeholders and avoids the taxpayer bearing increased costs/rebates from inefficiencies.


Author(s):  
Gia Merlo

Disruptive forces are challenging the future of medicine. One of the key forces bringing change is the development of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a technological system designed to perform tasks that are commonly associated with human intelligence and ability. Machine learning is a subset of AI, and deep learning is an aspect of machine learning. AI can be categorized as either applied or generalized. Machine learning is key to applied AI; it is dynamic and can become more accurate through processing different results. Other new technologies include blockchain, which allows for the storage of all of patients’ records to create a connected health ecosystem. Medical professionals ought to be willing to accept new technology, while also developing the skills that technology will not be able to replicate.


Author(s):  
Tomáš Hudík

This chapter gives a short introduction to machine translation (MT) and its use within commercial companies with special focus on the localization industry. Although MT is not a new field, many scientists and researchers are still interested in this field and are frequently coming up with challenges, discoveries and novel approaches. Commercial companies need to keep track with them and their R&D departments are making good progress with the integration of MT within their complicated workflows as well as minor improvements in core MT in order to gain a competitive advantage. The chapter describes differences in research within university and commercial environments. Furthermore, there will be given the main obstacles in the deployment of new technologies and typical way in which a new technology can be deployed in corporate environment.


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