The South African Institute for Advanced Materials Chemistry (SAIAMC) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) contributed significantly to the successful execution of a green hydrogen generation project in the Western Cape recently.
UWC worked with a joint venture comprised of Keren Energy, Sakhumnotho, Cape Stack, and Namaqua Engineering as the primary technology and skills development partner on a green hydrogen proof of concept (POC) project in Vredendal under SAIAMC. The initiative is one of the first in South Africa to demonstrate the possibility of green hydrogen production utilizing solar energy.
The facility is equipped with a 100 kW photovoltaic solar system, which will be utilized largely to generate green hydrogen. The hydrogen produced will be used in a variety of industrial applications and, eventually, in future fuel cell automobiles.
Keren Energy, a renewable energy company focused on solar, biomass, and hydro energy, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a joint development agreement with Cape Stack, a manufacturer of hydrogen electrolysers and fuel cell stacks – which has a technology development partnership with SAIAMC at UWC.
Keren Energy is demonstrating its value as a strategic partner with an established network of industrial partners in the green energy production market as a successful bidder in South Africa’s Department of Energy REIPPP project.
Namaqua Engineering, a Vredendal-based firm, is the engineering partner on the 100kW project.
Transfer of Technology
The development of hydrogen electrolyser technology at UWC began more than two decades ago and accelerated with the involvement of Dr. Stanford Chidziva, SAIAMC Technical and Safety Manager, who initiated the prototype green hydrogen production system for general hydrogen consumption at the SAIAMC Innovation Center’s RDI facility. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr
Chidziva successfully constructed a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Water Electrolyser (PEMWE) with a hydrogen discharge pressure of 20 bars in partnership with a renowned international electrolyser firm.
The hydrogen generation system utilized in this project was extensively tested and validated at the SAIAMC facility before being incorporated at the Namaqua Engineering plant in Vredendal in collaboration with Cape Stack.
Development of Human Resources
It is critical to prepare graduates with updated skills for positions in a new energy environment as we enter an era of cleaner, greener, and more sustainable energy production systems.
Over the last 50 years, skills development programs in the traditional energy sector have proved the value of on-the-job training through hands-on apprenticeships and similar initiatives.
The Vredendal project, and others similar to it, serve as an excellent platform and outlet for SAIAMC’s human development program, which exposes graduates from Universities of Technology (UoT) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges with a NQF level 5-6 to the most critical aspects of the industrial working environment.
The curriculum is specifically developed to increase our youth’s employability in the emerging energy economy. SAIAMC’s vast network of over 50 industrial collaborators, ranging from major to small businesses, places it in a unique position to bridge the knowledge-skills divide. This programme’s success is contingent upon ongoing involvement with industry partners such as Keren Energy and Cape Stack, as well as alignment with local business needs.
In this instance, the Vredendal project serves as a real-world training environment, with SAIAMC utilizing the site for human development to expose graduates and other energy professionals to a functioning green hydrogen project.
The project’s excellent safety standards are a result of Dr Chidziva’s enthusiasm for hydrogen safety. His research experience encouraged him to pursue studies at a world-renowned university specializing in hydrogen safety, Ulster University in the United Kingdom, where he earned a Master of Science in Hydrogen Safety Engineering (Cum Laude) in 2014. He then earned a PhD and is now one of South Africa’s first hydrogen safety experts.
Keren Energy’s Managing Director, George van Rensburg, is ecstatic with the company’s collaboration with SAIAMC on the Vredendal project.
“Collaborating with UWC was critical to the project’s success. The partnership has resulted in a number of synergies between the private and academic sectors, and we expect that these collaborations will continue to grow in the future.
“Having Dr. Chidziva and the rest of the SAIAMC team on board has instilled immense confidence in us, as we now have access to some of the most accomplished South African minds in the area.
“It’s difficult for energy technology start-ups to obtain approved skills and field experience in such a young area. SAIAMC provides us with the direction and leadership necessary to bring such ideas to fruition,” van Rensburg continues.
With world-class solar resources, large open plains, and 75% of the world’s platinum group metals (PGMs), South Africa has a significant advantage in terms of green hydrogen generation potential. Assuring the development and protection of intellectual property, as well as technology transfer and project management capabilities, are all critical components of complementing these natural advantages in the South African context.
