| Media item | |
| | Going nuclear | Herald Sun,
Melbourne
by Geoff Gwilym
| 28 Jul 2023 | | General News - Page 49 - 270 words - ID 1898772718 - Photo: Yes - Type: Advertorial - Size: 218.00cm2 | |
ADVERTISING FEATURE
A recent article from Reuters reported on a Swedish AGovernment move to advance with plans to build new nuclear energy plants, in a country that 40 years ago voted to phase out atomic power. As we ponder the energy needs in Australia, and particularly with targets of 50 per cent of all new cars being electric by 2030, I wonder if the country would view nuclear energy as something necessary to electrify the vehicle fleet? Hydrogen, we know, will become a bigger player in EV usage, as the canister of hydrogen e?ectively powers an EV through generating energy via a fuel cell in the vehicle. But there are big questions whether Australia can produce enough green hydrogen, at a competitive $2 per kilo when it retails at multiples of that. It's unlikely blue hydrogen (generated largely from gas) or brown/black hydrogen (coal generated) will win many votes for any government, even though the Albanese administration has committed large research and development funds to maximise hydrogen's capacity to help solve our future energy needs and to form a strong export market for the country. Trucks, rail and potentially planes will all use hydrogen in the future and its use in heavy machinery is where hydrogen can make a big dent in Australia's Co2 emissions. If we assume a vehicle fleet of 20 million vehicles will still be on our roads in 25 years, with most being electrified, direct battery or hydrogen fed, would we think about nuclear as an option to maintain the race to net zero Co2 emissions by 2050? Prepared by Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce
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