An Australian-first trial is creating ‘green’ hydrogen gas made from renewables to power Sydney homes.

Energy company Jemena has partnered with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) in a $15 million trial to convert excess solar and wind power into hydrogen gas, which will be stored and used in Jemena’s New South Wales gas network.

Hydrogen gas is being viewed as a potential new 'Australian-made' energy source. Credit:James Davies

The H2GO project will see Jemena build a 500-kilowatt electrolyser in Western Sydney which will be powered by excess renewable energy to ‘crack’ water, separating it into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be stored as a gas which can be reintroduced into the gas network when needed.

“In its first stage, the trial will be able to deliver enough hydrogen to power 250 homes, once it is scaled up it will have the energy storage capacity equivalent of 8 million household batteries,” Jemena's newly appointed chief executive Frank Tudor told Fairfax Media.