- The government is supporting Deakin’s Hycel Hydrogen Hub Program.
- Hycel Technology Hub–(VHESIF $9m, Commonwealth funding $9m ($2m already provided in December 2019), Deakin $2m, in-kind contributions from industry partners PACCAR Kenworth, Future Fuels CRC, and Warrnambool Bus Lines $3.7m)The Victorian
A new research and training facility is to be constructed on the Warrnambool campus, which will become one of Australia’s first regional hydrogen hubs – a key element in Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy – and specialize in the development, testing, training, demonstration, and manufacture of hydrogen fuel technology.
The new facility will include a fuel cell wing with specialized fuel cell assembly and testing equipment plumbed with hydrogen, an innovation space to support SME development and training facilities for hydrogen application technologies, and a multifunctional space for social license education and demonstration activities.
Applications of research outcomes will include fuel cells for transport, especially for heavy vehicles, and assess the suitability for natural gas pipelines to carry hydrogen for housing and industry.
For example, Deakin is partnering with Warrnambool Bus Lines to develop an optimization model for hydrogen refueling logistics, supporting a plan to transition buses from diesel to hydrogen.
In partnership with South West TAFE, Hycel is developing an education pipeline, connecting industry to vocational and tertiary providers so that workers are ready for the hydrogen jobs of the future.
Construction is scheduled to begin at Deakin’s Warrnambool campus in December 2021 and complete in December 2022, with research innovation and design of education programs to be underway in late 2021.
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