Green Hydrogen Projects have Started in Africa – But what is Green Hydrogen, and will Africa Largely Benefit from the Production?

Introduction

The world is battling a climate crisis caused by “long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns”. This phenomenon is referred to as climate change. Although these shifts are sometimes natural, human activities since the 1800s have been the main cause of climate change. More specifically, the production of coal, oil, and gas has been a major contributor, due to the billions of tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere as a result of the said production. Amid this crisis, some scientists have argued that green hydrogen forms part of the solution, for the reasons explained below.

What is green hydrogen, and why has it been identified as part of the solution to the climate crisis?

Green hydrogen is hydrogen gas that is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through the process of electrolysis. In the production of green hydrogen, the electrolysis process is undertaken using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, hence the term “green” hydrogen. Resultantly, there is little or no carbon emissions during green hydrogen production. Since green hydrogen can be produced with little or no carbon emissions, it has been identified as part of the solution to address the climate crisis. It can be utilised in sectors that are associated with high carbon emissions, such as transportation. Some of its potential end uses include the production of ammonia, methanol and steel, its use as a fuel to reduce emissions from vehicles, and electricity generation with lower greenhouse gas emissions when compared to coal or natural gas power plants.

Africa’s role in the global demand for green hydrogen

African countries have begun not only developing green hydrogen policies and legislation, but also undertaking green hydrogen projects. In terms of green hydrogen policies and legislation, some examples include Egypt’s Green Hydrogen Incentives Law 2 of 2024, Morocco’s National Green Hydrogen Roadmap, Namibia’s Green Hydrogen and Derivatives Strategy, and South Africa’s Hydrogen Society Roadmap. There are also several green hydrogen projects taking place across the continent, such as the Daures Green Hydrogen Village in Namibia and the Project Nour Green Hydrogen Plant in Mauritania.

As the global demand for green hydrogen increases, Africa plays a critical role. The continent is geographically positioned to produce green hydrogen. As explained above, this type of hydrogen is described as “green” since the process of electrolysis is conducted utilising renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. This makes Africa an optimal location for green hydrogen production, as it is endowed with abundant renewable resources. For instance, the continent ranks as one of the highest in terms of solar and wind capacity factors. Additionally, more than 80% of the continent’s landscape receives about 2000kWh/m2 solar radiation every year. Due to this favourable geographical positioning, other parts of the world are interested in, and have started projects to export green hydrogen from Africa. Of note, the European Union has begun plans to export green hydrogen from Africa to Europe, in order to meet its decarbonisation goals. It is therefore clear that green hydrogen production in Africa will benefit other regions outside of the continent, particularly Europe. The question that then arises is whether such projects will be mutually beneficial, and this concern is discussed below.

Will Africa largely benefit from green hydrogen production? Only if priorities are shifted!

Most of the green hydrogen produced in Africa is expected to be exported outside of the continent, and mostly to Europe. This gives rise to the question of whether African countries and their citizens will largely benefit from green hydrogen production. In exploring this question, several issues become evident. This blog will address one of them, namely, Africa’s energy crisis. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported that more than 600 million people on the continent do not have access to electricity. Additionally, the continent’s modern energy use per capita is one of the lowest in the world. How then, can a continent facing an energy crisis mainly export the green hydrogen it is producing to other regions? If Africa is to continue embarking on the green hydrogen journey, more needs to be done to ensure that it truly benefits from such production. Mutual benefits must be prioritised between foreign investors and African governments partnering in green hydrogen production. Plans for the increased domestic use of green hydrogen should be established before exportation agreements are concluded. A continent facing an energy crisis should, at the very least, attempt to fix the crisis utilising the energy that it is producing.

Conclusion

To conclude, as the world faces a climate crisis, green hydrogen has been identified as part of the solution, and Africa is expected to play a significant role in its production. However, it is important that African countries largely benefit from said production and use green hydrogen to partially solve the continent’s energy crisis.