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LAVO™ and Springfield City Group Partner to Bring Hydrogen-Storage Solutions to Greater Springfield

By February 17, 2021 5   min read  (977 words)

February 17, 2021 |

fuelcellsworks, LAVO™ and Springfield City Group Partner to Bring Hydrogen-Storage Solutions to Greater Springfield
  • LAVO and Springfield City Group sign MoU to deploy LAVO hydrogen technology in Greater Springfield.
  • Springfield to be the home of the first Australian production facility for the Nedstack fuel cell under JV between LAVO and Nedstack announced in 2020.
  • LAVO System units set to be deployed in Springfield by July 2021, with the production facility targeted for completion in January 2022.
  • Springfield aims to become a net exporter of energy by 2038, a vision that LAVO is well-positioned to support.

LAVO, an Australian technology and lifestyle company powered by hydrogen, and Springfield City Group (SCG), the master developer of the Springfield area ‘known as the Springfield City’ (Springfield), today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deliver innovative and sustainable energy solutions to the City of Springfield and surrounding areas.

The City of Springfield is one of the largest master-planned privately constructed cities in Australia, located 28km from Brisbane in Queensland. Identified as a nation building project by the Australian Government, more than $18 billion invested into the project by public and private stakeholders and is set to more than double in population by 2030.

Clean energy is central to SCG’s vision for Springfield, which aims to become a net exporter of energy by 2038. LAVO will partner with SCG on initiatives to deliver on this vision.

Under the MoU, LAVO, alongside its JV partner Nedstack[1], will develop a fuel cell and LAVO unit manufacturing facility in Springfield, establishing the first Australian facility to produce the Nedstack fuel cell, a critical component of the LAVO System.  This is also the Australia first fuel cell production line to be established to offer the local produced fuel cell to the broader industry in Australia.

Preparations for development of the facility are already underway. Construction is expected to begin in Quarter 3, 2021 with a targeted timeline for completion by Quarter 1, 2022 and start of production is planned for later in the same year. The facility is expected to deliver 200 jobs during construction, 50 positions once operational and contribute $30m to the local economy.

Further, LAVO and SCG have agreed to work together to identify co-development opportunities in Springfield City, including deployment of LAVO technology across residential, industrial and commercial environments. This includes integration of LAVO technology into utility scale solar farms developed by SCG.

Deployment of the LAVO System in Springfield City is expected to begin in July 2021 as part of the LAVO pilot program. The pilot program is supported by a co-funding grant awarded to LAVO via the Federal Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) to establish and commercialise local manufacturing capability of the LAVO system.

In line with LAVO’s core business values of supporting innovation and sustainability to deliver a clean energy future, LAVO will act as an energy partner to SCG. In this role, LAVO will join SCG’s ‘Building Our Nation through Innovation – The Springfield City Concepts’, a set of strategic initiatives that have been presented to the Federal Government’s National COVID-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC) demonstrating key strategic initiatives that are innovative, industry leading activities. Importantly, these initiatives are focused on delivering economic recovery and jobs activation.

Alan Yu, CEO and Executive Director of LAVO, commented: “We are very excited to be working with the Springfield City Group and helping deliver on its vision of a city that leads in innovation, design, entrepreneurship and, importantly, sustainability. We would be hard pressed to find a team whose values align more perfectly with our own.

“This MoU demonstrates the immense potential of the LAVO System, and we look forward to the exciting collaborations that we will undertake alongside SCG. In the meantime, we continue to work closely with our production and manufacturing partners to bring this incredible technology into homes by July 2021.”

Maha Sinnathamby, Chairman of SCG, also commented: “I am pleased to welcome LAVO as a strategic partner of the City of Springfield and look forward to their support as we deliver on our vision and work toward our net-zero energy target by 2038.

“LAVO’s cutting edge hydrogen energy storage system will be an important feature to Springfield’s Energy Plan. As our relationship grows, we look forward to exploring many more opportunities to apply LAVO’s technology and expertise more broadly to deliver on our strategic nation building initiatives.”

LAVO which was launched in Australia in September 2020, has the first and only commercial-ready hydrogen energy storage system in the world designed for everyday use by residential homes and businesses, called the LAVO system. Set to be installation-ready in mid-2021, the LAVO system is designed to be easily integrated with existing solar panel infrastructure, with the company exploring further applications for its patented metal hydride solution.

Senator Paul Scarr, Senator for Queensland, said: “Springfield is part of the fastest growing area in Queensland. It is a great place to live and work.

“LAVO and SCG’s hydrogen storage project is a great example of a project, which would drive jobs growth in the advanced manufacturing sector. I am excited about the opportunities projects like this would provide to our young people.

“I congratulate both LAVO and SCG on the signing of this MOU. It represents a significant milestone in the progress of this exciting project.”

Linda Apelt, Agent‑General for Queensland Government in Europe, said: “I am very pleased to learn that LAVO and Springfield City Group have signed an MoU that will drive innovation and opportunity in a sustainable, clean energy economy for Springfield and one of Australia’s fastest growing regions. Trade and Investment Queensland’s Europe office continues to explore and support these opportunities from The Netherlands, demonstrated by our recent ‘Queensland Hydrogen Strategy’ roundtable co-hosted with FME, the Dutch association of technology enterprises, to share Queensland’s ambitious energy and economic plans with leading Dutch businesses, investors, government bodies and researchers.”

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