ENERGY Hydrogen filling station
GREEN HYDROGEN IN SOUTH AFRICA Green hydrogen presents a wealth of oppor tunities to assist with South Africa’s economic recover y and the countr y’s ability to transition to a low-carbon, climateresilient future. Ziyanda Majodina speaks to Fahmida Smith, market development principal at Anglo American and vice chairperson of the African Hydrogen Par tnership, about the impor tance of green hydrogen locally.
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reen hydrogen uses renewable energy to split water by electrolysis into hydrogen and oxygen. It can also be transformed into ammonia, synthetic fuels and used in hydrogen fuel cells within mobility, stationar y and backup power solutions – offering alternatives to decarbonise the transportation, petrochemical, mining and shipping industries.
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IMIESA July 2022
Green hydrogen is produced from renewables such as solar/PV and wind, while grey hydrogen can be created from natural gas or coal. Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas to heat up homes and be stored through liquid organic hydrogen carriers.
Advantages of green hydrogen Hydrogen is a clean, sustainable and versatile form of energy. It can be used
in hydrogen fuel cells and deliver energy where it is needed. It can also be utilised in a variety of applications, from transport to baseload or backup power generation. The benefit of green hydrogen is that it is found abundantly. Green hydrogen can be produced locally and manufactured near end-use stations. “From a decarbonisation perspective in relation to diesel trucks, buses or plant and equipment on mines, we have found that hydrogen provides zero-emissions solutions to diesel-fuelled systems and in terms of refuelling infrastructure – the speed it takes to refuel hydrogen vehicles in comparison to a diesel system is almost equal,” says Smith. “Green hydrogen also offers various options when it comes to decarbonisation solutions. For instance, the introduction of hydrogen in hard-to-abate sectors like steel manufacturing enables the production of green steel. In addition, carbon-neutral
