Hydrogen and transition technology futures in Japan

In another post I’ll share my efforts to showcase the outstanding collaborations between Victoria and Japan in an official Trade Delegation for my State (and wonderful assistance by DFAT and Austrade) but before that incredible day at the Embassy in Tokyo, I was fortunate to have the chance to discuss Hydrogen and Swinburne's role in understanding the economic and societal implications, as well as technological opportunities and challenges, for its adoption in Australia - particularly in partnership with Japan.

A highlight was being able to speak to Kawsaki’s Mr Kei Nomura and Mr Keiichiro Segawa, the scale of the efforts by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. in Hydrogen and the organisational-wide commitment to the 2030 target for demonstrating a viable commercial development for its adoption is truly astonishing. This remains a significant opportunity for Australia to future-proof our export industries as the world decarbonises, "shipping liquid sunshine" to quote our former Chief Scientist Alan Finkel. I couldn’t help but take a selfie with the award-winning Kawasaki Ninja - the fastest production bike in the world (but perhaps not for too much longer, as a hydrogen-powered motorbike is soon to be released, I was told, which I can’t wait to see!)

I was also very fortunate to visit the hydrogen expo at the Big Sight and be shown Honda's new hydrogen power cell (including a new 150 kW version!) as well as stationary power generation units that can provide off-grid solutions and backup for on-grid businesses. My thanks to Steven Tran and Thomas Sambell for their time exploring the latest offerings by Honda, and I can’t wait to see how we can bring this transition to both economies (and the world!) that little bit faster.