Hydrogen can be made from fossil fuels, which contributes to global warming, or it can be made from renewable energy and water using an electrolyser, producing zero carbon emissions. When made with renewable energy, green hydrogen enables the production of low-carbon, high-value goods such as green steel, fertiliser, cement, aluminium and ammonia.
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Describing hydrogen made from fossil gas or coal as "clean" because of the addition of expensive and hitherto largely unsuccessful carbon capture and storage is simply greenwashing, Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, now chair of Fortescue Future Industries, describes it as "a con".
Australia's vast potential to use renewable energy to produce green hydrogen has us well-placed to be a major player in this field. If our federal government can get over its fossil fuel fetish we can be lifters, not leaners, on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and we can benefit into the future from a lucrative industry.
John Ryan, Griffith
An imperfect energy source
John Hutchison (Letters, February 3) wonders about the logic of using electricity to produce hydrogen to produce electricity in the proposed Kurri Kurri power plant. The process is far from 100 per cent efficient, so it only has potential to make sense as a form of imperfect energy storage.
Pumped hydroelectric energy storage is also less than 100 per cent efficient but worthwhile nonetheless if abundant cheap renewable electricity is used to pump water uphill so it is available to be run down again through turbines at times of low direct generation and/or high demand when high wholesale electricity prices occur. I gather that the Kurri Kurri plant might only end up running 2 per cent of the time and it might struggle in competition with battery and hydro storage.
Peter Campbell, Cook
Ten years of misery
It is a sad reflection on the pathetic state of our democracy that some of the asylum seekers we are unlawfully holding in detention will this year commence their 10th year in prison. This is a worse sentence than others have been given for manslaughter.
The imprisonment of these refugees is a direct breach of the national commitment we made as signatories to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This is not an Australia in which any one of us can have pride.
Gerry Gillespie, Rural Australians for Refugees, Queanbeyan
Not mere concerns of the left
Zed Seselja is wrong if he thinks the independents movement is a "billionaire-backed front for the Green left" ("Fundraising battle heats up in ACT Senate race", February 2). All round the country, ordinary people who've never been politically active before are demanding something different from the status quo.
Communities want to be heard and David Pocock is listening. We want our voices heard, not just those of the party machine. We want integrity restored to parliament and we know climate action is long overdue. It is a mistake to dismiss these as concerns of "the left".
A Williams, O'Connor
Press scrutiny is essential
Ian Pilsner (Letters, February 1) is rather sensitive to critique of government actions by Crispin Hull and Jack Waterford.
He ignores the fact they also contribute suggested improvements to policy and will no doubt will continue whatever government. It is a journalist's job to hold governments to account. No one is perfect (some pollies think they are) and some speak plainly in recent revealed messages.
We are all supposed to all learn from our mistakes, however, Scotty and his ministers have repeatedly made the same mistakes.
They deserve criticism for that. How can we maintain democracy if there is no objective criticism from the press?
Colin Handley, Lyneham
Voting for 16-year-olds
Sixteen-year-olds are no dumber than the rest of us and, in many ways, less dumb. It's time to give them a say in their terrible future.
