Featured Company aims to capture Pilbara sunlight in hydrogen, ship it to Japan

A plan to "bottle" sunlight via hydrogen in Western Australia's Pilbara and export it to Japan is edging closer to reality, according to a Sydney-based company.

Renewable Hydrogen is planning to establish a small 10-megawatt-hour PV solar farm near Karratha.

As part of the pilot program, the company is proposing to purify seawater before separating hydrogen from oxygen via electrolysis, a process powered by solar energy.

The hydrogen becomes a vehicle for storing renewable energy and is converted into transportable forms for export.

Renewable Hydrogen's initial plan is to export the hydrogen to Japan as ammonia, but executive director Andrew Want said the hydrogen could also be converted into other forms such as synthetic methane or LNG.

"We will effectively bottle it and ship it to Japan on a true industrial scale," Mr Want said.

The company, along with the Pilbara Development Commission and a confidential Japanese partner, is finalising a feasibility study into the pilot project.

Company aims to capture Pilbara sunlight in hydrogen, ship it to Japan - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)