Australian energy infrastructure company Jemena is pioneering a $15m project that could see homes and businesses in New South Wales powered by green hydrogen as early as 2021.

Jemena’s Western Sydney Green Gas Project will build a demonstration scale power-to-gas electrolyser powered by solar and wind energy. The new 500kW electrolyser will inject green hydrogen gas into Sydney’s existing natural gas grid, the Jemena Gas Network – the biggest gas distribution network in Australia.

If scaled, power-to-gas hydrogen technology could help green the gas network, supplementing existing natural gas with carbon free hydrogen generated by wind and solar power.

A portion of hydrogen produced as part of the trial will be diverted to a gas engine generator to generate electricity to be exported back into the grid, with hydrogen off take made accessible for use in an onsite hydrogen fuelling station for fuel cell vehicles.