Powering 80% of trucks with W2X
Australian households dispose of 10 million tonnes of waste to landfill each year. Despite Australian businesses’ best recycling efforts, a further 12 million tonnes of business waste is disposed of to landfill annually. This is at a time that when government household waste from landfill diversion targets by 2030 of 70% to 80% exist and go unactioned. The Australian Government reports that Australians are disposing more waste to landfill than ever, well below these aspirational net zero diversion targets.
Empirical studies show on average this level of Australian household and business waste to landfill is capable to manufacture 2.2 million tonnes of hydrogen manufactured from waste (Sub.Zero hydrogen). This domestically, manufactured hydrogen source is capable to be a substitute for an estimated 12 billion litres of diesel annually.
Yearly, around 15 billion litres of diesel, or 50% of all Australian diesel sold, is estimated to be consumed by registered buses, light commercial vehicles, and articulated and rigid trucks. That is, Australians regenerating and recycling its household and business landfill waste are capable to domestically manufacture sufficient hydrogen to fuel and charge 80% of its bus and road freight transport fleet.
The powerful combination of Sub.Zero hydrogen using Hydrogen capable Plasma Assisted Gasification and zero emission truck and bus battery electric and hydrogen fuel powertrains enables many Australian use cases to transition away from fossil fuels. Capable to deliver up to 11% pa in Australian greenhouse gas reductions. Today’s actions, with current technology implementable by 2027, can see Australian companies delivering significant greenhouse reductions of Australian road freight.
80/20 - The Pareto principle
Do you remember the Pareto Principle? 80% of outcomes result from 20% of the causes.
2030 is less than six years away. Australia has less than 800,000 light vehicle, trucks, and buses. That is, one-sixth of road freight vehicles contribute to 57% of the road freight transport sector’s GHG emissions.
Xseed Solutions’ report demonstrates the principle of a four times positive impact from a focused plan provides an instrumental freight transport decarbonisation target. Xseed Solution advocates for a broader framework for the production of hydrogen beyond electrolysis, combined with the introduction of phased in framework of tighter truck and bus emissions standards is long overdue. The objective of a combined waste and road transport reduction emissions policy is to lower the capital purchase of ZEVs so that early movers in the agricultural and road transport sectors can plan towards 2030.
Enabling and actioning coordinated government policy to focus on diverting 100% of landfill waste, to fuel 24% of our road vehicles to lower 48% of the road transport’s CO2e emissions further reduces government net zero targets from 43% to well above 50%.
Three key findings
Based on the Xseed Solution report’s key findings Sub.Zero hydrogen is the more favourable environmental and economic decarbonisation reduction pathway. It compares favourable from both an operating and capital cost perspective with three key findings:
Sub.Zero hydrogen from Resources, Energy and Chemical Hubs (REC Hubs) or Consortium Resources, Energy and Chemical Hubs (C-REC Hubs), provide the lowest carbon intensity outcomes.
Light commercial vehicles, rigid trucks, and long-haul trucks (500km) provide the most effective TCO outcomes near term.
Hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains utilising Sub.Zero hydrogen infrastructure reduces to be cost competitive by 2027.
Regenerating resources to live locally
The EU has embarked on building ZEV refuelling stations every 300 km by 2030. Multiple ZEV powertrains are currently available, or will be available, within the next 2 years. Waste to Hydrogen to X technologies, including Sub.Zero hydrogen, exists today to action and deliver zero waste, climate positive local councils and numerous, multi-tiered government policies.
Currently, the pieces of the puzzle are actionable in Australia to resolve both aspects of the admired “chicken or the egg” dilemma of infrastructure and users for many sectors including waste, agriculture, healthcare, and road freight transport.
Prioritise Australian resources, incorporating our landfill waste, to enable a circular economy hydrogen and e-methanol highway. This underpins a climate positive eco-system connecting regional and urban Australia - stimulating extensive “live local” domestic Hydrogen to X manufacturing growth opportunities.