A Green Hydrogen Alliance has been established by Germany and New Zealand.
The Green Hydrogen Alliance was born when German research institute, the Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht (HZG), approached Otago researcher, Professor Sally Brooker, to establish a joint German-New Zealand research centre on green hydrogen following a call from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to fund bilateral initiatives in the Asia-Pacific Research Area (APRA).
“New Zealand researchers have exciting and unique expertise relevant to the global green hydrogen economy. We need to combine our kiwi know-how and ingenuity to achieve the critical mass to make the most of working with a major partner such as Germany.”
Professor Brooker, of the University of Otago’s Department of Chemistry.
The main purpose of the BMBF-APRA partnership is to support the establishment of collaborative links and lay the foundation for a physical presence of German partners in New Zealand. BMBF approved phase one and have invited the Alliance to submit a full proposal.
Together with Associate Professor Aaron Marshall from the University of Canterbury, Professor Brooker has brought together researchers and engineers from universities, Crown Research Institutes (GNS & Scion), the MacDiarmid Institute, Ara Ake, and Callaghan Innovation. These scientists are partnering with private sector experts in the New Zealand Hydrogen Association and consulting with Iwi to build a national ‘Team Green Hydrogen’. The group is also negotiating with MBIE for support for the further development and implementation of the BMBF-APRA proposal.
Green hydrogen is hydrogen created sustainably using renewable energy (solar, wind, water, geothermal), or from biomass. The resulting hydrogen gas can be used to generate electricity, power engines, heat homes and industrial processes, make fertilizers and other chemicals, or to store excess energy until it is needed.
Unlike fossil fuels, or hydrogen produced from natural gas, green hydrogen does not produce greenhouse gases. The only waste product from burning hydrogen is pure water.
