Brendan James is happy for now to be a modest player in what is likely to become a huge, important new market. He is developing a carbon-free energy company, laying down a challenge to global oil suppliers whose filling stations dominate our roads and highways.
He believes the survival of his business is not an issue. LINE Hydrogen is building its first supply network in Tasmania, which he expects will eventually expand to compete against petrol and diesel.
Hydrogen can be used in existing combustion engines or in new-age fuel cells. There are no polluting carbon emissions when hydrogen comes from green sources, and its versatility in cars, trucks, planes and ships could make it a rival to battery power. It is the most abundant chemical substance in the universe, found on Earth mostly as water and first used in
