Peter Long Future Solutions

I was very upset to hear this week that Karratha won’t be the location for the Solar Space Technologies (SST) ground station, I had been working on for the last year.

This technology transmits solar power generated in space to the Earth using microwaves and a low earth orbit test is to occur later this year when the Japanese launch the prototype satellite.

Karratha would have been only the second place in Australia - after Sydney - to receive clean power from space and there were plans to make Karratha a base for future trials, manufacture and power transmission.

Unfortunately the WA State Grant we applied for is to teach people how to be innovators - it is not to support those that are developing new technology. Not sure about the logic if that - but there you are.

A great pity.

Last week I attended the Australian Green Iron and Steel Forum in Perth. Steelmaking accounts for 7-9% of global CO2 emissions and is difficult to decarbonise. However, with renewable hydrogen and technologies like Direct Reduced Iron and Electric Arc Furnaces, clean green steel can be manufactured.
The opportunity for us in the Pilbara is to make Green Iron - the first stage of the process where iron ore is turned into pure Fe. Green Iron production requires huge amounts of renewable energy, which we hope to have through the Australian Renewable Energy Hub in the north Pilbara.
And if POSCO goes ahead with its Port Hedland Iron project (PHI) we could be making 3.5 MTPA of pellets and 2 MTPA of HBI - which would make us world leaders in green iron production.