Since the rise of Namibia’s green hydrogen agenda, the University of Namibia (UNAM) has inked at least 30 Memorandums of Understanding with national and international institutions on green hydrogen among other efforts to support the Namibia’s push towards a hydrogen driven economy.
With activities under these MOUs underway, the Namibia Green Hydrogen Research Institute in which was established in 2021 by UNAM (72 active researchers) has been at the centre of this drive.
To this end, UNAM has hosted international visiting students and visiting scientists, participated in various national and international fora on Green hydrogen research and value chain and hosted an international conference on Hydrogen Energy Systems, in collaboration with NUST, in 2022.
To date, UNAM is a research partner to green hydrogen pilot projects currently being established in Namibia including the Daures green hydrogen village which is working on the sustainable production and utilisation of green hydrogen and green ammonia from renewable energy sources; the green hydrogen refuelling station which is working on the development of a green hydrogen production plant comprising of hydrogen production, a refuelling station and a training centre and lastly the green hydrogen diesel locomotives project which is working on the development of Africa’s first dual-fuel hydrogen-diesel locomotive, with a unique hydrogen storage method.
“Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight (about three times more than gasoline) but also the lowest energy content by volume (about four times less than gasoline).
“Hydrogen supports a gradual transition towards lower-carbon sources of energy as it can be generated from natural gas and other non-renewable by-products. It can be used as an energy carrier; i.e., a medium to store energy from renewable and other sources. It can be generated at scale with a zero-carbon footprint by using renewable energy to split water (electrolysis),” Dr. Zivayi Chiguvare, Acting Director – Namibia Green Hydrogen Research Institute said.
Global hydrogen demand in 2020 was about 100 million metric tons, and this is set to double by 2030. According to the IEA, the demand for hydrogen could reach 528 million metric tons globally by 2050.
Production of hydrogen could meet 18% of the total final energy demand by 2050. And with its environmental benefits, the hydrogen economy could create opportunities for sustainable economic growth.
An envisioned market for hydrogen and hydrogen technologies with revenues of more than $2.5 trillion per year, and jobs for more than 30 million people globally. Half of this revenue would come from hydrogen sales, the other half from sales of vehicles, trains, boats, machinery, drones, and fuel cell batteries.
“Namibia aspires to reach green hydrogen production volumes of 10-15 Mtpa by 2050 (corresponding to 5-8% of expected international hydrogen equivalent trade volume). Namibia’s ramp-up targets are: 1-2 Mtpa hydrogen equivalent by 2030; 5-7 Mtpa hydrogen equivalent by 2040 and 10-15 Mtpa hydrogen equivalent by 2050,” added Chiguvare.
Looking ahead, UNAM will look to ensure the operationalisation of the signed Memoranda of Understanding on collaboration in green hydrogen research and development; identify and engage with new national and international partners and receive, and host, international researchers including academics and postgraduate students.
“The institution will also seek to establish state of the art laboratories along the whole value chain; perform research in relation to the pilot projects already awarded; identify new research lines and publish research results in renowned journals,” Chiguvare says.
The university will partake in outreach activites which include to host International Conferences on Hydrogen-Based Energy Systems, host a Masterclasses on Green Hydrogen Value Chain for identified audiences and seek certification and / or accreditation for developed short courses and training programmes.
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