The Africa Green Hydrogen Forum, like every other renewable energy project, aims to make Africa a successful producer and exporter of sustainably generated hydrogen for a future climate-neutral energy supply. The main goal is to find locations in the continent's west and south that are particularly well suited to manufacturing hydrogen using renewable energy. Dr. Stefan Kaufmann (Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)), Ahmed Badr (International Renewable Energy Agency), and James Mnyupe (Namibian Presidency), to name a few, will officially launch the project on November 22nd and 23rd, 2021, which has received around million in funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

“Africa is a continent with a rapidly expanding population and rising energy needs. Only by working together in Africa and Europe can we overcome the difficulties of climate change and ensure a sustainable, climate-neutral, and secure energy supply. Western and Southern African countries have considerable renewable energy potential. They can be utilized to generate the long-term hydrogen required for the energy transition. The National Hydrogen Strategy, which the Federal Government will unveil in Cabinet on Wednesday, demonstrates the critical role hydrogen will play in the future energy system. Hydrogen will be used to replace fossil fuels on a global scale, as a storage medium for renewable energies, to improve transportation, and to connect the many energy sectors – all while remaining efficient and cost-effective.

The research into green hydrogen as the foundation of a sustainable energy economy, which began some years ago, covers everything from the principles to technologies for the production, storage, and use of hydrogen in new domains such as mobility, energy, and industrial production. The focus of the forum will be on how green hydrogen can be created in huge numbers, delivered over long distances and in enormous quantities utilizing existing infrastructures, and processed into synthetic fuels and industrial chemicals using power-to-x technology.

On the African side, the two climate research centers in Ghana (West African Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, WASCAL) and Namibia are the most important collaborators (Southern Africa Science Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management, SASSCAL). Over the next two years, prospective locations for plants that create renewable energy – such as photovoltaics – and hence hydrogen in combination with electrolyzers will be discovered in collaboration with local researchers, engineers, and technicians. Environmental protection, climate change, and social factors will all be considered, as well as scientific, technological, and economic aspects. Agricultural land and water resources, for example, which is critical for supplying Africa's population, must not be utilized.

The knowledge that will be shared among the energy sector can be used in a variety of ways, including as a guide for the construction of pilot plants and a roadmap for the development of a green hydrogen economy in Sub-Saharan Africa that governments and potential investors can use.

Join the brightest minds and industry leaders at Africa Green Hydrogen Forum, 22nd – 23rd November 2021.

Visit the event website for more information