Change of Directions Hydrogen Newsletter 29.03.2023
This week we take a look at how Africa is transforming into a global player for hydrogen, how Spain sees its future in the hydrogen economy, and a possible breakthrough in fuel cell technology.
Welcome to Change of Directions,
Hydrogen will change the landscape of energy production. Countries that are highly dependent on oil and gas imports may become energy independent, and even import energy to other countries. Of course, this will have a massive impact on the global power structure. Especially for countries in Africa, which find themselves in the midst of a fight between the USA, the EU, and China. Energy independence means that they can build up their economy with less influence from other countries, reduce their debt, and have more freedom for their citizens.
This will take some time, but some countries have already taken their first steps. South Africa is one of them. The country’s strategy is to become one of the world's largest exporters of locally-produced hydrogen by 2050. South Africa benefits from the possibility of building up large solar and wind farms, but is lacking funding at the moment. On the other hand, the ongoing energy crisis in the country is costing the economy more money than building up the facilities it needs to produce green hydrogen. Tani Salma from the Center of Strategic and International Studies has more on the strategy. https://www.csis.org/analysis/south-africas-hydrogen-strategy
It is clear that north African countries like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya (if the civil war ends) are in a good position. But also east African countries like Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe are planning to ramp up hydrogen production. One example is the new agreement between Zimbabwe and Hydrogène de France (HDF Energy). The new facility will produce 178 GWh of energy, which is enough for nearly 220,000 people. https://cleantechnica.com/2023/03/24/hdf-energy-signs-mou-with-zimbabwes-zetdc-for-utility-scale-solar-project-green-hydrogen-storage/
The EU has massively shifted their energy policies since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine. While the import of Russian gas has sunk dramatically for some countries, others, like Hungary, are still and will be dependent on these imports for a longer time. It is clear that the EU will not be able to produce enough green hydrogen for its needs. Not surprisingly, the EU is also looking into the African continent to secure the hydrogen its member states will need. https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Fuel-Cells/Europe-Looks-At-Africa-As-Main-Partner-For-Green-Hydrogen-Economy.html?h2fd
While African countries are still in the early phases of building up their energy production, some countries in Europe are one step further. Spain is one of them, and they are betting heavily on hydrogen. It makes sense for a country with a lot of access to wind and sun. The northern part of the Atlantic is known for steady winds, while the south has no shortage of sun, even in the depths of winter. The country has already achieved its clean H₂ capacity targets four times over, with a 15.5-gigawatt capacity currently in place when compared to its original four-gigawatt goal for 2030. You can read more about the hydrogen roadmap here:
https://climate-laws.org/geographies/spain/policies/green-hydrogen-roadmap
One of the two mass-produced hydrogen cars in the world, the Hyundai Nexo, will get a new update in 2024. The SUV was introduced in 2018 and has been in production since 2019. Therefore, the fuel cell of the car requires a significant update because the technology has advanced massively in the last five years. The third-generation fuel cell that will be introduced by Hyundai in the next year sounds promising. The Korean car manufacturer states that the new fuel cell will be 30 percent more efficient, which will result in a range of 800 km (ca. 497 mi). They also promise that the lifetime of the cell has doubled from 10 to up to 20 years.
https://topelectricsuv.com/news/hyundai/new-hyundai-nexo-500-mile-range/?h2fd
One key element that is still hampering the success of fuel cells is the use of platinum. The element is key for the electrolysis method that is used today. But platinum is rare and expensive and the growing demand for fuel cells of all sorts is ramping up the price of platinum. It is also clear that the earth does not contain enough platinum that can be produced without significant costs. Scientists have been looking for better substitutes for years, and it seems that researchers from the University of Twente have found the right mix of components.
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-composite-material-green-hydrogen.html
If you missed it: listen to Sanjay Ravi, the GM for Mobility of Microsoft, about the company’s B2B approach in the mobility sector.
That was it for this week. Thank you for subscribing to the Change Of Directions newsletter! If you have any questions or if you want to share an interesting link, feel free to contact us: contact@changeofdirections.com