Published Tuesday, 11 December, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
World Hydrogen Energy Conference comes to Queensland
Queensland will host the 17th World Hydrogen Energy Conference next year, marking the first time it has been staged in Australia.
Premier Anna Bligh said the conference would be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 15-19 June 2008 and the State Government would be the major sponsor.
“The World Hydrogen Energy Conference is a major international event, held every two years in a different major city. The last one was in Lyon, France, in 2006,” Ms Bligh said.
“This is a major coup for Queensland. It puts us once again in the global spotlight as international and national hydrogen researchers, scientists and engineers, along with government and energy industry representatives converge on Brisbane.
“The conference will focus on the latest research and development in hydrogen energy including how hydrogen can be safely produced, stored, transported and utilised. Hydrogen education and regulatory developments will also be discussed”.
“Hydrogen has the potential to contribute to global energy needs in the future but there are significant technical and cost challenges that must be addressed first.”
Ms Bligh said the theme for the 2008 conference was Supplying Energy to a Changing World and discussions on how to best facilitate the commercialisation of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies will be high on the agenda.
“This is a platform for Queensland to showcase its strong capability in hydrogen and fuel cell research and possibly open up a range of international partnership opportunities,” she said.
“One of the speakers will be internationally-renowned scientist Dr Kelly Thambimuthu, CEO of the Centre for Low Emission Technology, which is based in Brisbane.”
Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle added that the Queensland Government is committed to progressing the development of clean energy technologies as part of its overall response to climate change.
“In June 2007, the State Government released a climate change strategy – ClimateSmart 2050 – which recommends activities to reduce carbon emissions and minimise the impact of global warming on our economy,” Ms Boyle said.
“The strategy includes initiatives encouraging the pursuit of research into hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Major research centres such as the University of Queensland, Griffith University and the Queensland University of Technology are already at the forefront of hydrogen research.
“Queensland is also a leading partner in the recently formed National Hydrogen Materials Alliance, a research cluster of 12 Australian universities and publicly funded research agencies.”
Ms Boyle said that the Alliance would harness Australia’s expertise in material science to develop new materials for use in hydrogen generation and storage.
“The Queensland Government is highly supportive of collaborative research to develop low carbon technology solutions to climate change,” she said.
For more information on the World Hydrogen Energy Conference, visit www.whec2008.com
Media contact: Premier’s Office 3224 4500
Premier Anna Bligh said the conference would be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 15-19 June 2008 and the State Government would be the major sponsor.
“The World Hydrogen Energy Conference is a major international event, held every two years in a different major city. The last one was in Lyon, France, in 2006,” Ms Bligh said.
“This is a major coup for Queensland. It puts us once again in the global spotlight as international and national hydrogen researchers, scientists and engineers, along with government and energy industry representatives converge on Brisbane.
“The conference will focus on the latest research and development in hydrogen energy including how hydrogen can be safely produced, stored, transported and utilised. Hydrogen education and regulatory developments will also be discussed”.
“Hydrogen has the potential to contribute to global energy needs in the future but there are significant technical and cost challenges that must be addressed first.”
Ms Bligh said the theme for the 2008 conference was Supplying Energy to a Changing World and discussions on how to best facilitate the commercialisation of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies will be high on the agenda.
“This is a platform for Queensland to showcase its strong capability in hydrogen and fuel cell research and possibly open up a range of international partnership opportunities,” she said.
“One of the speakers will be internationally-renowned scientist Dr Kelly Thambimuthu, CEO of the Centre for Low Emission Technology, which is based in Brisbane.”
Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle added that the Queensland Government is committed to progressing the development of clean energy technologies as part of its overall response to climate change.
“In June 2007, the State Government released a climate change strategy – ClimateSmart 2050 – which recommends activities to reduce carbon emissions and minimise the impact of global warming on our economy,” Ms Boyle said.
“The strategy includes initiatives encouraging the pursuit of research into hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Major research centres such as the University of Queensland, Griffith University and the Queensland University of Technology are already at the forefront of hydrogen research.
“Queensland is also a leading partner in the recently formed National Hydrogen Materials Alliance, a research cluster of 12 Australian universities and publicly funded research agencies.”
Ms Boyle said that the Alliance would harness Australia’s expertise in material science to develop new materials for use in hydrogen generation and storage.
“The Queensland Government is highly supportive of collaborative research to develop low carbon technology solutions to climate change,” she said.
For more information on the World Hydrogen Energy Conference, visit www.whec2008.com
Media contact: Premier’s Office 3224 4500