STATIONARY POWER
Fully certified, grid-connected hydrogen power inside a renewable hydrogen microgrid
CLIENT
CS ENERGY
SECTOR
Grid-connected power generation
LOCATION
Western Downs, Queensland
AT A GLANCE
30 kW
GRID CONNECTED OUTPUT
4
INDEPENDENT CERTIFICATIONS
2.2 m²
SYSTEM FOOTPRINT
2025
COMMISSIONED
CS Energy’s Kogan Renewable Hydrogen Demonstration Plant was designed to prove the full hydrogen chain on one site: a 2 MW behind-the-meter solar farm powering a ~1 MW electrolyser, with battery storage, on-site hydrogen storage and out loading, and a fuel cell to turn stored hydrogen back into grid power. Built beside Kogan Creek Power Station in Queensland’s Western Downs, it was one of the few Australian projects producing hydrogen from dedicated renewable generation alone.
Energys was engaged by CS Energy, with delivery managed by the plant’s EPC contractor, IHI Engineering Australia, to supply the fuel cell element of that chain. It had to do more than generate: it needed to draw hydrogen from the plant’s own production, connect to the microgrid for start-up power, export to the grid through compliant inverters, and clear every hazardous-area, gas-device and electrical certification a utility site demands.
The engineering challenge: deliver a fully certified, grid-connected hydrogen fuel cell that operates as an integrated element of a live third-party hydrogen production and microgrid environment.
THE BRIEF
Certified to connect: hydrogen power on a utility site
ENERGYS’ SCOPE
What Energys delivered
Energys acted as design authority and manufacturer of the fuel cell power system, delivering it through to certification and commissioning within the plant’s hydrogen and microgrid environment, under the management of EPC contractor IHI Engineering Australia.
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Energys engineered a 30 kW configuration of its fuel cell power system for direct connection to the plant’s hydrogen supply and electrical infrastructure, including electrical and control system integration with the site microgrid. The design incorporated an AC input interface for site-supplied start-up power, AS/NZS 4777.2-compliant inverters for grid export, and hazardous-area design to support independent certification.
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The system was manufactured and assembled at Energys’ facility in Mulgrave, Victoria, as a compact 2.2 m² package housing the fuel cell stack, hydrogen handling and balance-of-plant. Factory assembly and testing verified performance and safety functions before shipment to Queensland.
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Energys commissioned the system within the live hydrogen environment in 2025 and supported independent certification: a Hazardous Area Certificate of Inspection and Confirmation from QGE Group, a Gas Device (Type B) Approval Certificate from Resources Safety & Health Queensland, and Certificates of Testing and Compliance for both the electrical installation and equipment from RiE. Site acceptance testing was signed off with logged evidence of full 30 kW electrical output, and Energys delivered the operational and maintenance documentation for the plant.
THE SYSTEM
30 kW Grid-Connected Fuel Cell Power System
A 30 kW PEM hydrogen fuel cell power system, developed in-house as a standardised product and integrated within CS Energy’s megawatt-scale renewable hydrogen production and microgrid demonstration facility at Kogan Creek, Queensland.
The system draws hydrogen directly from the plant’s production and storage rather than from on-board storage, and takes start-up power from the site through an AC input interface to the microgrid. System architecture incorporates hydrogen handling systems and a compact fuel cell power system package with a footprint of 2.2 m² that houses balance-of-plant, a 45 kW PEM fuel cell stack and AS/NZS 4777.2-compliant inverters for grid-connected AC export.
Independently certified for hazardous areas, Type B gas device approved and electrically certified for installation and equipment. Commissioned 2025.