Green hydrogen is a clean source of fuel that offers a number of advantages over battery-powered electric vehicles, and South Africa is poised to become a global player in its production.
Hydrogen fuel is produced as a byproduct of water electrolysis which separates water, or H2O, into oxygen and hydrogen.
The term “green” is used to distinguish hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower, as opposed to “grey” and “brown” hydrogen which is produced using natural gas and coal, respectively.
While any type of hydrogen can be put into a fuel-cell car, the global demand is primarily for green hydrogen as a form of clean fuel to help facilitate a transition to zero-emissions transport.
Advantages of green hydrogen
The first and most immediate advantage of hydrogen is that it is the most common element in the universe.
While there are still challenges associated with its extraction and refinement, hydrogen has the potential to be an abundant and renewable source of energy, both for cars and in our everyday lives.
Hydrogen is also far more energy-dense than any fossil fuel, which means hydrogen fuel-cell cars have the potential to be more powerful than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts, though the displacement of car’s engine will still be the main determinant of performance.
Another benefit of this energy density is that hydrogen cars have ranges that are much more in line with ICE vehicles, compared to many battery-electric cars.
One of the most common concerns about electric cars is their lack of range compared to ICE vehicles.
One hydrogen car – the Toyota Mirai – advertises a maximum range of 647km, which is better than what most of the battery-electric cars currently available in South Africa are capable of, though this gap is likely to narrow as battery technologies continue to improve.
Another concern of battery-electric cars is their long charging times and a potential lack of charging infrastructure.
The fuel cells that convert hydrogen fuel into energy can be recharged in under five minutes, and the car itself can be refueled at a hydrogen fuel pump just like an ICE vehicle, giving hydrogen cars a notable advantage over battery-electric vehicles which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours to charge, depending on the model and type of charger used.
This also means that hydrogen fuel stations can be implemented almost anywhere that a traditional fuel station could, albeit at a greater cost as hydrogen requires more complicated storage and transportation than petroleum.
How South Africa could benefit
The advantages of green hydrogen fuel could make it a far more practical alternative to battery-electric vehicles in South Africa, given its much closer resemblance to the fossil fuels that we are used to.
The country also stands to benefit from the growing demand for hydrogen fuel as it transitions away from its dependence on fossil fuels, especially coal.
South Africa’s access to the ocean, as well as numerous solar and wind projects, means the country is in a prime position to become a major producer and exporter of green hydrogen.
“Green hydrogen is South Africa’s next great export opportunity,” said Gladys Nabagala, director of the energy transition advisory Group at Royal HaskoningDHV.
Sites for production or export of green hydrogen have already been identified at Saldanha, Boegobaai, Cape Town, Gqeberha, Ngqura, East London, Durban, and Richards Bay, she said.
An additional benefit of green hydrogen production is that it creates desalinated water as a byproduct, which could help to alleviate water-stressed communities.
“With petrol prices on the rise and unemployment figures increasing again, there’s no better time than now to rethink how we can transition towards cleaner energy while also creating new industries that could employ more South Africans,” said Nabagala.
The global green hydrogen market size is expected to surpass R1.3 trillion by 2030 while this sector is set to experience a continued annual growth rate of 54% from 2021 to 2030.
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