Overview
The Denham Hydrogen Demonstration Project was designed to test whether renewable hydrogen could support reliable power supply in a remote community.
Located in Denham, Western Australia, the project demonstrated the integration of renewable hydrogen technology with an existing hybrid microgrid incorporating solar, battery, wind and diesel generation.
The project has delivered important insights into hydrogen production, storage, system integration, operations, maintenance and safety. These learnings will help inform future decisions about the role of hydrogen in regional and remote energy systems.
Regions first
The project provided an opportunity to test renewable hydrogen technology in a real remote operating environment and generate practical lessons for industry and government.
Using the latest energy tech
The project included a 704kW solar farm, 348kW electrolyser, hydrogen compression and storage system, and a 100kW fuel cell. Together, these assets enabled testing of renewable hydrogen production, storage and electricity generation within Denham's existing power system.
How did the demonstration plant work?
During the demonstration, the facility produced renewable hydrogen using electricity generated by a dedicated solar farm. The hydrogen was then stored and used to generate electricity through a fuel cell when required.
What's happening now?
The Denham Hydrogen Demonstration Project has achieved its primary demonstration objectives and fulfilled its funding obligations. The project has generated valuable technical, operational and safety learnings for Horizon Power and the broader energy sector.
Horizon Power will continue to share project learnings with government, industry and research stakeholders.
What did we learn?
We've detailed our learnings from the project in the reports below. Visit the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) website for more information.
Helpful links related to your energy account What did we learn?
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Denham Hydrogen Demonstration Project Construction and Commissioning Report [2.56 MB] |
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Denham Hydrogen Demonstration Project Procurement and Design Lessons Learnt Report [0.89 MB] |
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| Project milestone | Date |
| Operational handover | Early 2024 |
| Fully commissioned | April 2023 |
| Producing hydrogen | Late 2022 |
| Demonstration farm construction commences | October 2021 |
| Solar farm construction commences | May 2021 |
| Contract awarded to Hybrid Systems Australia | December 2020 |
Horizon Power acknowledges the Traditional Custodians throughout Western Australia and their continuing connection to the land, waters and community. We pay our respects to all members of the Aboriginal communities and their cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain images, names or voices of deceased people.