THE CSIRO Hydrogen Refuelling Station, at Clayton in Victoria, has won a major prize at the 2024 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards held this week at the Victorian Arts Centre.

The award covers Victoria’s most innovative engineers and engineering projects. It recognises the contributions of engineers and showcases their work in society. 

Engineers Australia (EA) general manager for Victoria, Jerry Andrews, said that by acknowledging these achievements “we not only highlight their innovation but also pave the way for future engineers, setting new standards and inspiring the next wave of talent in the profession.”

The CSIRO Hydrogen Refuelling Station was launched by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and Swinburne University of Technology’s Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2).It is one of Australia’s 12 hydrogen refuelling stations operating or currently under construction but is the first all-in-one fast hydrogen station. It is seen as representing a major step forward in decarbonising transport. It is also primarily used for hydrogen research.

Engineers Australia said this innovative facility enables the production and dispensing of green hydrogen for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and provides critical infrastructure for the future of hydrogen-powered transport. 

“With its compact, integrated design, the station serves as a scalable model for hydrogen refuelling, offering a solution to one of the key challenges in transitioning to a low-carbon economy,” it said.

Built with the purpose of enabling hydrogen (H2) research, the $2.5 million station uses green hydrogen produced with electricity from renewable sources. 

It can generate up to 20kg of green hydrogen a day via electrolysis, and has a storage capacity of 80kg, enough for more than 10 cars. It takes about six minutes to refuel a car with hydrogen.

This allows H2 cars to travel over 600km emissions-free on a full tank. Australia markets two H2 cars – the Hyundai Nexo and Toyota Mirai, both available for lease.

Located at CSIRO’s Clayton site in Victoria, the station showcases the real-world application of the alternative fuel and will be used to demonstrate H2’s utility for transport. 

Swinburne University of Technology’s deputy vice-chancellor of research, Professor Karen Hapgood, said: “Hydrogen plays a key part in our transition to clean energy, and demonstration projects such as these help to test technical, regulatory and economic aspects of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, and support the urgent training and workforce development for this expanding hydrogen energy ecosystem.”The filling station will also be used to test emerging hydrogen technology and to train the next generation of drivers on the use of hydrogen stations to ensure Australia remains internationally competitive. 

CSIRO chief executive Dr Doug Hilton said hydrogen will play a significant role in Australia’s energy transition and the decarbonisation of our road transport sector. 

“The technology is an exciting piece in the puzzle in Australia’s renewable energy future and will deliver long-term community and environmental benefits, boost the economy and create new jobs and opportunities for Australia and Australians,” Dr Hilton said. 

“This is innovative, inventive, inspired technology that builds the sovereign capabilities Australia needs to transition to net zero.” 

Professor Hapgood said the launch of the hydrogen station brought Australia another step closer to creating a carbon neutral world by 2050 or earlier.

“As a university with sustainability in our DNA, we are proud to be playing an important role in driving the implementation of the hydrogen economy in Australia, through our Victorian Hydrogen Hub and collaboration with CSIRO,” she said.