Related article: Sparc Hydrogen progresses pilot plant development

The provisional patent application has been submitted by Sparc on the back of more than 12 months of work with the University of Adelaide investigating alternate substrates, coating methods and delivery systems within photocatalytic water-splitting (PWS) reactors.

Initial proof of concept has been achieved with an analogue photocatalyst material demonstrating the potential to improve the current methods for coating and delivery of particulate photocatalysts to achieve higher solar to hydrogen efficiencies and lower operating costs through increased durability and better handling.

The majority of this work has been completed at the University of Adelaide with funding from Sparc Technologies.

Sparc managing director Nick O’Loughlin said, “The lodgement of this provisional patent application is significant not just insofar as the technology’s potential to improve the cost and efficiency of photocatalytic water splitting systems, but also the synergies it demonstrates between Sparc’s coatings and polymers expertise being applied to uplift the value of its investment in Sparc Hydrogen.

“Results in the lab are very encouraging and given the nascent stage of the PWS industry there is strong potential to deliver a highly relevant and complementary platform technology protected by IP which is 100% owned by Sparc Technologies.”

Sparc Hydrogen’s utilisation of PWS technology is set apart from conventional approaches to produce green hydrogen. Crucially, PWS does not rely on renewable energy sources such as solar or wind farms, nor expensive electrolysers, to produce hydrogen from water. This addresses a fundamental issue in the nascent green hydrogen industry—the cost of renewable power.

Related article: New catalyst could advance green hydrogen production

Sparc Hydrogen’s pioneering technology employs a photocatalyst material and sunlight to produce ‘ultra-green’ hydrogen directly from water. Hydrogen produced from PWS can serve as a clean fuel or feedstock to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries.

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Sparc has also secured an in-principle agreement from the University of Adelaide to locate the plant at its Roseworthy Campus, and progressed the detailed design and engineering for the pilot-scale water splitting reactor.

Related article: Aussie breakthrough to slash green hydrogen costs by 40%

Each of these milestones represents material de-risking of the pilot plant development workstreams building on from the pre-FEED study and the successful prototyping work completed at the CSIRO Energy Centre in early April 2024.

In parallel, work continues in the laboratory to test and optimise Sparc Hydrogen’s photocatalytic water splitting reactor under a range of conditions using different photocatalyst materials. A decision to proceed with the pilot plant remains subject to Sparc Hydrogen board approval.

Sparc Technologies managing director Nick O’Loughlin said, “Sparc is delighted with the progress that the Sparc Hydrogen team has made over recent weeks and months with respect to key development workstreams for the pilot plant.

“In particular, formalising a relationship with Shinshu University providing a collaboration for the supply of their world-leading photocatalysts for testing in Sparc Hydrogen’s reactors, is a significant milestone.

“I would also like to thank the University of Adelaide for their ongoing support, as evidenced by the in-principle decision to locate the pilot plant at Roseworthy Campus.”

Related article: Sparc tests photocatalytic water splitting reactor at CSIRO

Shinshu University Professor Kazunari Domen commented, “Shinshu University is pleased to collaborate with Sparc Hydrogen on the research, development and field testing of a concentrated sunlight water splitting photocatalytic reaction system.

“Such reaction environments have not been tested at Shinshu University before, and we are very interested to see what kind of activity and reaction characteristics our photocatalyst will exhibit. The knowledge gained will be important for the scale-up of the reactor.”

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The University of Adelaide has been assessing crop trials of the hardy plant in South Australia and regional Queensland. The crops, which are suited for drought conditions, produce large amounts of sugar that can be fermented into bioethanol.

“Bioethanol yields from agave fermentation could rival the most successful biofuel feedstock crops around the world,” Associate Professor Rachel Burton told Australian Associated Press.

“Importantly, it doesn’t compete with food crops. It’s fast growing, so the whole plant could be used rather than just harvesting the leaves. And it is up to 10-times more water efficient than some other crop plants.”

Agave sugar could also be used in place of fossil fuels in the production of paints, plastics and high-value chemicals.

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The project – valued at more than $3 million – is expected to benefit industry, government and the community, and places the university at the forefront of energy storage expertise.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $1.4 million in support for the project, to be led by Associate Professor Nesimi Ertugrul in the University’s Centre for Energy Technology and School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Associate Professor Ertugrul, who has 30 years of research experience in power electronics, will develop a mobile testing unit with his team that can travel around Australia to test the technical performance of battery energy storage systems under real and simulated electrical load conditions.

As part of the project, the team will also develop a publicly accessible database for Australian energy storage expertise.

“Our mobile testing unit, about the size of a shipping container, will be able to go on-site to test how battery operated systems are performing and integrating with energy infrastructure both on-grid and off-grid,” Associate Professor Ertugrul said.

“It is expected battery storage technologies will become the major industry in the next five-10 years, offering solutions from small domestic to very large scale applications.

“Therefore, this unique test system will allow us to understand the technology under real operating conditions in Australian environments. It will give us the potential to create a knowledge base for industry and system developers, while also providing advanced training facilities for the nation. Energy storage technology developers, installers, electricity infrastructure operators and energy users all stand to gain from the project.”

ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the project demonstrates ARENA’s commitment to funding knowledge sharing activities and will play a key role advancing Australia’s energy storage market both on and off the grid.

“Reliable, cost-effective storage has a vital role to play in smoothing out energy supply and increasing the amount of renewable energy used in Australia,” Mr Frischknecht said.

“This project is set to build industry confidence in energy storage technologies and has the potential to accelerate investment in grid connected and remote locations, particularly where there are high levels of renewable energy generation.”

The South Australian Government, SA Power Networks, the Energy Networks Association and South Australian company Solar Storage are providing a total of $650,000 in funding towards the project. Further in-kind support will be contributed by those companies as well as ZEN Energy Systems and Power and Drive Solutions, bringing the total value of the project to more than $3.1 million.

The Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy Tom Koutsantonis said the University of Adelaide should be congratulated on a commercial research proposition, which has strong private sector support and fosters the state’s advanced manufacturing expertise.

“Innovations like this also directly contribute to South Australia’s economic priority of unlocking the full potential of our resources, energy and renewable assets and supports our commitment towards Adelaide becoming a carbon neutral city,” he said.

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The agency’s CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the collaborative project led by the university was an important next step for energy storage development and would build on other efforts already underway.

“Reliable, cost effective storage has a vital role to play in smoothing out energy supply and increasing the amount of renewable energy used in Australia,” he said.

“The knowledge bank will act as a central repository of energy storage expertise, bringing together reports and case studies, along with information on regulation, reliability, safety, operation and performance of energy storage systems in Australia.”

The mobile facility will be able to conduct independent simulated and field testing of energy storage technologies and generate high resolution data for the knowledge bank.

“This project is set to build industry confidence in energy storage technologies and has the potential to accelerate investment in grid connected and remote locations,” Mr Frischknecht said.

Project leader Associate Professor Nesimi Ertugrul, from the University of Adelaide, said industry participation would be critical to the success of the project.

“We expect battery storage to become a major industry in the next five-10 years, offering solutions from small domestic to very large-scale applications,” he said.

SA Power Networks, Energy Networks Association, Solar Storage Australia and the South Australian Government are collectively contributing $650,000 towards the project, which is scheduled for deployment at the first site on the SA Power Networks grid by early 2016.

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