CQUniversity & Sunshine Hydro innovate renewable energy tech

CQUniversity has partnered with Sunshine Hydro to launch an initiative centred on the development of a Mini Superhybrid technology, aimed at supporting the decarbonisation efforts in Central Queensland. The initiative will also serve as a globally significant testbed for long-duration storage and renewable energy advancements.

The Superhybrid, developed by Sunshine Hydro, is a novel piece of software capable of live modelling a renewable energy ecosystem. This includes integrating components such as pumped hydro, electrolysers, wind, and solar energy. The mini Superhybrid will act as a research platform to further develop the capabilities of a real-world Superhybrid, particularly in tracking power feed into the grid amongst other functionalities.

The collaboration was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CQUniversity and Sunshine Hydro. This partnership is expected to enhance regional skills development, particularly in the training, operation, and maintenance of flow batteries, electrolysers, hydrogen production, and dispensing, as well as methanol production facilities.

Paul Hodgson, Director of the CQUniversity Centre for Hydrogen and Renewable Energy, noted the benefits of the partnership: "This partnership will assist in establishing deeper training capability for technology, operation and maintenance of flow batteries, electrolysers, hydrogen productions and dispensing and methanol production facilities. In doing so, it allows us to enhance skills development in the region through up-skilling and indeed cross-skilling workers in the energy and mining sectors, as it will open doors to other projects, for example, green fuels."

Hodgson further highlighted the potential of the Mini Superhybrid project to foster job creation and skill development in the Gladstone region. "The potential for the CQU Mini-Superhybrid as a proof-of-concept to supply hydrogen as feedstock to a possible green fuels plant provides further opportunities for job creation, new skills and a path to enable Gladstone to become a future sustainable green fuels hub," he stated.

Under the terms of the MoU, CQUniversity and Sunshine Hydro have committed to co-funding two research higher degree scholarships through the Elevate Scholarship Program. This initiative aims to bring the learnings from the project to a global audience, informing how the future of long-duration storage and renewable energy is built.

Rick McElhinney, CEO of Sunshine Hydro, expressed his optimism about the educational and financial implications of the project. "The learnings that will come out of this will be world-leading and followed globally, informing how we build the future of long-duration storage and renewable energy. Course work will be developed based on it and students from all over the world will come to Gladstone based on this edge," he said.

McElhinney also emphasized the financial viability and broader implications of the project, stating: "This will also prove a model that is financially viable to support Long Duration Energy Storage in the market, and accelerate the road map to making Port of Gladstone and other Australian locations into green fuel hubs."

The partnership between CQUniversity and Sunshine Hydro is expected to play a significant role in advancing renewable energy technologies and contribute to the overarching goal of decarbonisation in the region.