Universities in green hydrogen ‘moonshot’ for Africa, Europe

Southern Africa can become a powerhouse in the global green hydrogen revolution, thanks to a groundbreaking initiative led by universities in Africa and Europe.

During the annual Southern African Sustainable Energy Conference (SASEC) held near Stellenbosch in South Africa from 13-15 November 2024, Stellenbosch University (SU) and the University of Groningen (UG) in the Netherlands, announced plans to establish a research and innovation hub dedicated to renewable energy and green hydrogen – the FUTURA Hydrogen Campus Southern Africa (HyCASA).

This ambitious project comes at a time when Europe is seeking to diversify its energy sources and decarbonise its economy. Green hydrogen, which is produced using renewable energy, is seen as a key component of this transition. Southern Africa, with its abundant solar and wind resources, is ideally positioned to become a major supplier of green hydrogen to Europe, creating a mutually beneficial partnership for both regions.

‘Green’ hydrogen, so called not for its colour – it is a colourless gas – but because of its environmentally friendly production method, can be distinguished from other types of hydrogen, such as ‘grey’, ‘blue’ and ‘brown’ hydrogen, which are produced using fossil fuels and have a higher carbon footprint. Green hydrogen can also be converted into ammonia, another potential clean energy carrier, which is easier to store and ship.

Europe-Africa partnership

The HyCASA announcement was made by Professor Cristina Trois, director of SU’s Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES), speaking at the conference.

The presence of diplomatic representatives from various European countries as well as Japan at the announcement underscored the growing international collaboration in the green hydrogen sector.

Europe, with limited renewable resources for large-scale green hydrogen production, is looking to import 20 million tonnes by 2030, Professor Craig McGregor, director of SU’s Solar Thermal Energy Research Group (STERG) and leader of the green hydrogen platform at SU, said in a presentation. Japan is also “expected to be a huge importer of clean hydrogen and ammonia”, Tasuku Nakanishi of the country’s embassy in South Africa said.

Long pipeline

A crucial element of the proposed Southern Africa-Europe Green Hydrogen Corridor involves constructing a 1,000km pipeline along the western coast of Southern Africa, extending from Saldanha Bay in South Africa to Lüderitz in Namibia. These ports are envisioned as key hubs for shipping green hydrogen and-or green ammonia to Europe.

Gasunie, a state-owned Dutch company with its head office in Groningen that manages gas infrastructure, is collaborating with South Africa and Namibia to study the feasibility of the pipeline project. “A hydrogen campus here would be an important step in developing the bigger ecosystem,” Dr Ulco Vermeulen, director of business development at Gasunie, said at SASEC 2024.

Ambitious vision

HyCASA aims to be more than just a research facility. It envisions a ‘quadruple helix ecosystem’ that brings together academia, government, industry and society to foster innovation and accelerate the development of a green hydrogen economy in Southern Africa. The proponents of HyCASA aim to attract €300 million (about US$316 million) in public and private funding over the next 10 years to realise the following goals:

• A new campus: Teaching and research facilities, including laboratories and testing facilities, as well as student accommodation, to be established near SU’s current Stellenbosch campus.

• Research and innovation: State-of-the-art research and interdisciplinary collaboration to drive innovation in renewable energy technology and hydrogen production, storage and utilisation.

• Start-up incubation: Support and resources to be provided for hydrogen-focused start-ups, with the goal of launching 20 new enterprises within the next decade.

• Skills development: Dedicated training programmes in sustainable energy and hydrogen technologies to equip 2,000 professionals and students per year, including 50 PhD candidates, with the skills needed for the burgeoning hydrogen sector.

Strong impetus

The motivation for HyCASA is linked to the urgent need to increase PhD training in Africa, Trois explained. Earlier this year, the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) approved 16 new collaborative PhD programmes, with the expectation of graduating 1,000 PhD holders annually within the next decade.

The Africa-Europe CoRE in Renewable Energy, a joint initiative of ARUA and The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, is co-led by SU and Ghent University (Belgium). Other partners include Makerere University (Uganda) and the University of Ghana, as well as UG and the University of Oslo.

The initiative boasts a wide network, also including other universities in Africa (Addis Ababa; Dar es Salaam; KwaZulu-Natal; Maasai Mara; Rwanda; and the Witwatersrand) and Europe (Coventry and Radboud).

In line with ARUA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, the PhD programme aims for a 70% female enrolment. This emphasis on empowering women is reflected in the name of the HyCASA initiative. “We call it FUTURA because that is the feminine form of futuro, which means ‘future’ in Italian,” Trois explained.

The FUTURA PhD programme aims to shape global future energy leaders with ‘catalyser modules’ and leadership training developed in collaboration with the African Doctoral Academy at SU and the ‘Rising to the Top’ Women in Engineering Leadership Academy, an initiative of the International Federation of Education Societies in Washington and SU.

Inspiration from Europe

Professor Lorenzo Squintani, the director of UG’s Wubbo Ockels School for Energy and Climate and a co-proponent of HyCASA with Trois, described the initiative as a “moonshot” – an ambitious and groundbreaking project that aims to achieve something extraordinary. Just like the Apollo 11 mission that landed humans on the moon, HyCASA aims to achieve a giant leap forward in renewable energy as well as green hydrogen research and innovation for Africa.

Squintani is a key player in the Hydrogen Valley Campus Europe (HVCE) initiative in and around Groningen in the northern Netherlands. HVCE, with its three campuses focusing on research, innovation and industrial applications, serves as a blueprint for HyCASA.

“By learning from the successes of HVCE and adapting its model to the unique context of Southern Africa, we can create a thriving hydrogen ecosystem that benefits both regions,” he said.

Netherlands-South Africa collaboration

The collaboration between the Netherlands and South Africa in the green hydrogen sector has been steadily growing over the past few years. It was formalised with the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2023, solidifying the commitment of both countries to work together on developing a green hydrogen corridor.

Gerben Klein Lebbink, a business developer from the embassy of the Netherlands in South Africa, said this partnership has already yielded several concrete initiatives, including a skills gap analysis, research into the water-hydrogen nexus, a pre-feasibility study for large infrastructure, and collaboration on fuel cell technology.

The European Union is also actively supporting South Africa’s green hydrogen ambitions. In September 2024, the EU announced two grants totalling €32 million (about US$34 million) to leverage private- and public-sector investment across the hydrogen value chain in South Africa.

South Africa’s long road in hydrogen research

South Africa has been actively involved in hydrogen research and development for over 15 years, starting with the launch of the Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) programme in 2008 by the country’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), as it is now known.

HyCASA builds on the HySA foundation to further advance hydrogen technologies and contribute to the development of a thriving hydrogen economy in Southern Africa.

Professor Sampson Mamphweli, head of the DSTI Energy Secretariat at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), emphasised the government’s commitment to supporting the development and commercialisation of hydrogen technologies, aligning with South Africa’s broader goals of reducing emissions, promoting a diverse energy mix, and fostering public-private partnerships.

The DSTI Renewable Energy Hub-and-Spokes Programme plays a crucial role in supporting renewable energy research across South Africa. SU serves as coordinating hub, with other universities contributing in three spokes – the University of Pretoria in solar thermal research, Nelson Mandela University and the University of Fort Hare in solar photovoltaic research, and the University of Cape Town in wind energy research.

While the potential of green hydrogen is immense, challenges remain. The cost of production needs to come down, and infrastructure needs to be developed to support its widespread adoption. Furthermore, ensuring a just transition that benefits all members of society is crucial.

In his second presentation at the conference, McGregor highlighted specific risks for South Africa and Namibia in their proposed hydrogen corridor with the Netherlands. These include the large scale and cost of developing the necessary projects in the face of a yet uncertain demand trajectory and lack of long-term guarantees.

However, these risks could be mitigated by building practical knowledge with pilot projects, performing analysis through modelling, and learning with targeted research, he said. HyCASA, with its focus on skills development, research and innovation, can play a pivotal role in overcoming these challenges and unlocking the opportunities of the green hydrogen economy in Southern Africa.