ABSTRACT
Current practice around, and challenges facing, energy provision in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) remote communities are discussed: hydrogen energy is introduced as a solution to alleviate the challenges therein. Options for hydrogen supply in NT remote areas are economically evaluated and their feasibility is discussed. While current capital expenditure limits pose the main barrier to hydrogen supply in remote areas of the NT, it was found promising in terms of environmental effects, long-term economic return, reliability of energy supply, and community empowerment.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Tuan Thai
Tuan Thai is a recent graduate for the Bachelor of Engineering Science / Master of Engineering at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory, the class of 2021, with a discipline in civil and structural engineering. He was born and raised in Darwin all his life with family, and had developed the enthusiasm for design and construction that would help and benefit the lifestyles of people ever since finishing high school.
Ali Rajabipour
Ali’s research is generally focused on the long-term behaviour of structural elements and remote housing. Ali is also working on the long-term behaviour of natural composites in remote applications. He has completed risk assessments on several major water infrastructure projects.
Charles Fairfield
Charlie is a Chartered Professional Engineer and holds the Power and Water Corporation Chair in Sustainable Engineering at Charles Darwin University. He is seconded to PWC’s Water Services Division where he collaborates on research into projects ranging from asset management to odour-dispersion modelling. He has worked as a consultant to the water industry for over 30 years. He is a member of the Australian Water Association and a Fellow of The Institution of Engineers Australia.