Toyota's Altona factory in Australia is set for a new identity: from 2020 it will produce hydrogen from renewable sources. A project worth 7.4 million dollars.
In the city of Altona, not far from the Australian metropolis of Melbourne, there is a Toyota facility that will soon be redeveloped. Thanks to a collaboration between the carmaker and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena), this site will have a new life, in the form of a plant for the commercial production and supply of hydrogen.
As the British newspaper Guardian explains, the new centre will produce hydrogen through the electrolysis of water. The energy required will be supplied exclusively from renewable sources, thanks to the installation of solar panels and a battery storage system. The plan foresees the centre becoming operational by the end of 2020 and also including a storage facility and a refuelling station for commercial vehicles. This is a highly demanding redevelopment project, requiring an investment of 7.4 million dollars, provided partly by Altona (3.1 million) and partly by Toyota Australia (4.3 million).
"Hydrogen has the potential to play a crucial role in the future, because it can be used to store and transport the energy of the sun, wind and other renewable sources and use it to power various devices, including vehicles such as the Toyota Mirai fuel cell saloon," says Toyota Australia president and chief executive officer Matt Callachor in a statement. The new Altona centre, he explains, will help the company achieve its ambitious 2050 environmental targets. At the same time, it will help bridge, at least in part, the infrastructure gap that is today the greatest obstacle to the widespread adoption of hydrogen.
In Australia, hydrogen enjoys cross-party support. On one side is the government led by Scott Morrison, which has pledged to develop a national strategy and has already engaged scientists, public administrations and the general public through a popular consultation. On the other is the centre-left Labour Party, which sits in opposition and is proposing a hydrogen development plan worth 1.1 billion euros. An idea that was immediately welcomed with enthusiasm by environmentalists.
According to the head of the government agency Arena, Darren Miller, Toyota's new plant in Altona "will play a key role in the rollout of hydrogen vehicles", particularly heavy goods vehicles, buses and public sector fleets. Australia, he continued, possesses expertise and an infrastructure network that give it a competitive advantage, to be leveraged in the future in terms of exports as well. Energy Minister Angus Taylor echoes this view: in his opinion, Australia is destined to become a "global leader in hydrogen".
