Vast Solar, Solar Methanol Consortium receive funding from HyGATE

Vast Solar, and the Solar Methanol Consortium have been selected to receive $19.48 million (EUR13.2 million) from an Australian-German collaboration fund, HyGATE, to develop a world-first green methanol demonstration plant, SM1 in Port Augusta in South Australia.

Methanol is the most versatile hydrogen derivative which, if produced using clean energy, has the potential to decarbonise several hard-to-abate industries, including shipping and aviation.

A side benefit is that the project will utilise C02 captured in a pilot plant being developed by industrial technology company Calix and building products group Adbri to produce low emissions lime.

Vast Solar leads the Solar Methanol Consortium in Australia as Principal Energy Partner alongside Fichtner in Germany and is supported by Calix as Principal CO2 Supply Partner and the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI).

SM1 will produce 7,500 tonnes per annum of green methanol and the consortium has attracted the interest of local and international offtakers, including major shipping companies and airlines.

The Port Augusta project is seen as a catalyst for a solar methanol industry in Australia, with the potential to export the fuel to Germany and other global markets, creating hundreds of highly-skilled jobs.

Other projects to be supported by the $50 million German-Australian HyGATE fund announced by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency were:

• Atco Australia and Fraunhofer IST received $800,000 to support the ScaleH2 project
• Hysata and Fraunhofer IPT received $8.98 million to support the high-efficiency ‘capillary fed’ electrolyser pilot project
• And Edify Energy and Siemens Energy Global GmbH received $20.74 million to support the Edify Green Hydrogen project.