The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has identified West Africa as a climate-friendly powerhouse with massive hydrogen production potential, with the region capable of supplying 1500x Germany’s green hydrogen need by 2030.
According to the BMBF-led ‘H2 Atlas: Atlas of the Potentials of Green Hydrogen Production in Africa,’ West Africa could create up to 165,000TWh of green hydrogen yearly with the availability of wind and solar energy, and 120,000TWh of this could already be generated today for less than €2.50 ($3).
Green hydrogen presently costs between €7 ($8.56) and €10 ($12.23) per kilogram in Germany.
The feasibility study, which will continue from 2020 to 2022 and cost €5.7 million ($6.9 million), aims to find viable places for green hydrogen production as well as test the production, transportation, and processing of green hydrogen in Africa.
The first findings for the 15 countries of the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) reveal that three-quarters of West Africa’s land area is suitable for wind turbines, with power production prices around half those in Germany.
Furthermore, solar systems can be installed on nearly one-third of the country’s land.
A new master’s degree program in green hydrogen technology will commence in September 2021 to teach scientific specialists in Africa to promote green hydrogen development.
Approximately 180 students will be trained in the first three iterations of the program, which will take place at four universities in Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Senegal, and Togo; one semester of the master’s degree will be spent abroad, while the remaining semester will be spent in Germany.
The first results of the BMBF project ‘Green Hydrogen Potential Atlas’ have indicated great ability for a collaboration between Germany and West Africa, with the region having the potential to create up to 165,000TWh of green hydrogen per year, according to Anja Karliczek, Federal Research Minister.
