Page 39 - Energize April 2022

VIEWS AND OPINION

Why green hydrogen is the fuel of the future

BY JONATHAN DEBASC, ENGIE

enewable energy has widely been heralded as the future for countries on the journey
towards becoming net-zero-emission economies. Solar and wind, in particular, have
Rbeen in the spotlight in South Africa because of the country’s abundance of resources
– with some of the highest load factors globally.
There is, however, another option in the renewable energy mix that has flown under the
radar, but which offers equally as many opportunities to drive socio-economic growth, while
simultaneously helping the country reach its goals of transitioning to a low-carbon economy
in a just and inclusive way: hydrogen.
Hydrogen has a wide-ranging and significant role to play in decarbonisation efforts,
as well as in building resilience to the impacts of climate change. Hydrogen and fuel cell
technologies offer an alternative source of clean electricity and allow for energy to be stored
and delivered in usable form.
Using hydrogen – particularly green hydrogen – as an energy carrier could potentially
reduce South Africa’s dependence on fossil fuels that cause global warming, while reducing
the country’s reliance on imported oil.
Green hydrogen – made through water electrolysis using energy from renewable sources
such as solar, wind and hydropower – is one of the growing forms of green energy that
Jonathan Debasc
offer immense opportunities, with future uses that include fuel for the transport sector and
power plants, heat and electricity production for heavy industry such as the petrochemical,
mining and manufacturing sectors as well as homes, and feedstock for chemicals and other One such opportunity is its ability to
products. create demand for metals – especially
Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) such as
Unlocking South Africa’s potential to become one of the world’s largest green platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium,
hydrogen exporters osmium and ruthenium – and support the
There are significant opportunities to harness the potential of green hydrogen in South sustainable extraction, processing and
Africa. A Green Hydrogen report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that South Africa is recycling of PGMs.
well-positioned to produce green hydrogen and its derivatives. Some of the best renewable South Africa hosts at least three-
energy load factors in the world and vast available land resources in the country mean that quarters of the global reserves of PGMs in
just one percent of South Africa’s land area would be sufficient to produce 10 megatonnes its Bushveld Igneous Complex, and these
(Mt) of green hydrogen. metals are not only critical in industrial
Lower water requirements for production than coal-based power generation – only using and medical applications but also form a
up 31 percent of current power sector use – and the ability to use desalination at the coast, key input into proton exchange membrane
further mean that green hydrogen production could aid water security in South Africa – a (PEM) fuel cell technologies. These
boon for a country where water scarcity is a key challenge. technologies mean that the chemical
One of the ten key findings of the report, Decarbonising South Africa’s Power System, by energy of fuels can be directly converted
the National Business Initiative (NBI), Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and BCG also found to electricity in a highly efficient way and
that South Africa is able to offer a highly competitive production cost of hydrogen – below with low greenhouse gas emissions.
$1,60/kg by 2030 – which has the potential to make South Africa one of the largest global
exporters of green hydrogen and green fuels if the country is able to effectively harness Using a hydrogen valley as the
these capabilities. building block of South Africa’s
This, in turn, will create employment opportunities and drive broader economic growth. hydrogen economy
Creating a hydrogen economy could add between $3,9-billion and $8,8-billion to South Harnessing these capabilities and
Africa’s gross domestic product by 2050 and create between 14 000 and 30 000 jobs each capacity is key to building South Africa’s
year, according to the Hydrogen Valley Feasibility Study Report released in October by hydrogen economy. And one of the vital
the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), Anglo American Platinum, clean energy building blocks of this economy is the
solutions provider Bambili Energy and ENGIE. establishment of a hydrogen valley in
Rapid and ongoing technological innovations and advancements will help enable greater the country, which is expected to serve
access to more affordable sources of green hydrogen production and create opportunities as an industrial cluster, bringing various
for growth at scale. hydrogen applications in the country

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