As Australia has recently submitted new, ambitious emissions targets to the United Nations, it is imperative that both industry and consumers alike identify methods to reduce their carbon footprint.
Victoria has established the Renewable Hydrogen Business Ready Fund as part of the Accelerating Victoria’s Hydrogen Industry program. This program provides funding to support businesses as they identify techniques and processes that will facilitate Australia’s transition to renewable hydrogen, thereby reducing emissions and increasing confidence in renewable energy opportunities.
Australian Engineering Solutions (Austeng) was one of eight program winners in 2021, securing $100,000 with the help of the team at Sprout Scientific. Austeng have taken a unique approach to this challenge and are conducting a feasibility study to determine whether natural gas crematoriums can be converted to renewable hydrogen power.
While sustainable death care may not be the first application of renewable hydrogen that comes to mind, it is an important one. National Geographic estimates that a single cremation can generate approximately 534 pounds of CO2, amounting to ~360,000 metric tons of emitted CO2 per year in the United States alone. The potential to remove this CO2 emissions avenue would be an invaluable step towards achieving Australia’s 2030 climate goals.
Though cremations are a hidden source of CO2 emissions for many consumers, environmentally savvy individuals are now seeking out lesser known carbon neutral options, such as the technology Austeng is investigating. Given their track record with innovative engineering projects, we look forward to the progress Austeng and our other industry partners will make in this space in response to the updated climate goals.
If you want to learn more about Austeng and the exciting projects they are working on, check out their website! (https://austeng.net.au/)
If you are interested in funding opportunities like this, reach out to us here (https://calendly.com/sproutscientific), we look forward to hearing from you!