Abstract:

South Africa’s abundant solar resource positions it favourably as a renewable hydrogen provider. The country’s domestic market for hydrogen is small, with no plans or policies in place to stimulate market expansion. In contrast, Japan is actively pursuing a CO2 free hydrogen economy, opening export opportunities for several countries. Several existing and emerging hydrogen production technologies were investigated. Solar assisted steam/methane reforming with CO2 capture is the cheapest option, although current CO2 capture techniques remove only about 90 % of the CO2 generated. Using a combination of existing wind, small hydro and solar PV and CSP to power low temperature electrolysis seems like the most economical carbon free solution. Production volumes are limited by the low capacity factor of these renewable energy technologies. Of the emerging technologies, the Cu-Cl cycle shows the most promise, but still requires significant research and development to reach commercial maturity. Furthermore, significant transport and transmission infrastructure investment is required to realize South Africa’s full export potential.

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