Green hydrogen is considered the best option for reducing emissions in difficult-to-decarbonise sectors, including heavy industry, heavy-duty road transport and aviation.
However, the adoption of hydrogen globally for new applications has been slow, with demand remaining low. Autonomous intergovernmental organisation International Energy Agency estimates that global green hydrogen demand must increase to 530-million tonnes a year by 2050 to meet net-zero emissions goals.
As a result, many countries worldwide are ramping up investments in green hydrogen and adopting green hydrogen-related roadmaps and policies, among them is South Africa, which is one of only a few countries in a position to decarbonise its economy and export green hydrogen or its derivates, including green ammonia and methanol.
Several factors provide South Africa with a competitive advantage in terms of the production of green hydrogen. The country has excellent wind and solar resources, as well as the land on which to build renewable-energy generation infrastructure. South Africa also produces more than 75% of global platinum-group metals, which are used in the electrolysers that produce hydrogen and in the catalysts in fuel cells.
All these factors place the country in good stead to produce renewable hydrogen at scale and at competitive prices.
Creamer Media’s ‘Hydrogen 2022: Green hydrogen gaining momentum’ report delves into the global hydrogen sector, including demand and supply, investment, the technology behind the energy source, as well as the trade thereof. The report specifically highlights the significance and potential of South Africa as a green hydrogen producer, including the resources and technology it has to produce the fuel. It also discusses some of the projects that it is undertaking to achieve its ambitions of becoming a significant green hydrogen producer.