Australia-based sustainable technologies developer Sparc Technologies has announced that domestic iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has joined its joint innovative green hydrogen project with the University of Adelaide (UoA).
Accordingly, the trio will advance the second phase of the project, which encompasses the construction of the pilot plant and testing of photocatalytic water splitting (PWS) reactors. As a result, the technology will be evaluated extensively before its potential commercialization in the future. Sparc’s one-of-a-kind technology is based on photocatalyst material and sunlight to produce green hydrogen directly from water without the need for electrolyzers.
In the meantime, the pilot plant will be located in the UoA’s Roseworthy campus, with its construction expected to begin in early 2025. According to Fortescue, the technology has the potential to make green hydrogen a more competitive energy source by reducing its costs.