South Africa has the potential to be a world chief in inexperienced hydrogen manufacturing attributable to our pure and technological endowments.
The hydrogen economic system may also help to deal with local weather change challenges by way of decreasing greenhouse gasoline emissions whereas creating jobs alongside the hydrogen economic system worth chains.
In accordance with a current report by Masdar-ADSW, the African hydrogen trade might create roughly 1.9 to three.7 million jobs and enhance GDP by 60 billion {dollars} by 2050.
Uncared for alternative
Nonetheless, not a lot consideration is being paid to the talents wants of the hydrogen economic system and the widening inexperienced hydrogen expertise hole. It’s subsequently crucial that we prioritise the coaching and improvement of a inexperienced hydrogen workforce so we’re prepared when the promise of this renewable vitality know-how reaches our doorstep.
The primary fast process of rising South Africa’s hydrogen economic system is to spend money on expertise improvement and coaching of a hydrogen-ready workforce. This may be certain that important expertise are usually not imported from overseas.
The Chemical Industries Training and Coaching Authority (CHIETA) has recognized 17 future expertise for fulfillment within the hydrogen economic system and developed a ‘High Ten Abilities in Hydrogen’ roadmap. It has additionally launched into a plan to upskill 1 000 chemical engineers to grow to be hydrogen techniques engineers by 2025.
Hydrogen progress drivers
The second key driver of progress is hydrogen infrastructure improvement. This entails shifting the present state of hydrogen initiatives from pre-feasibility and feasibility, to precise funding. Hydrogen initiatives in South Africa want swift execution. The sluggish tempo of execution of hydrogen infrastructure initiatives might considerably stifle the expansion of South Africa’s hydrogen economic system.
Rising the hydrogen economic system requires a complete set of laws, coverage, and rules to facilitate a extra enabling surroundings. Maybe a “Minister of Hydrogen” might assume the function of main the event of an enabling surroundings and its accompanying laws.
What we want just isn’t debilitating rules, however transformative rules that mitigate the dangers related to all facets of the hydrogen economic system. South Africa wants a coherent nationwide hydrogen coverage and a standardised hydrogen certifications framework. The event of enabling laws, insurance policies, and rules for efficient threat mitigation constitutes the third key driver of progress.
The fourth driver for swift and substantial job-creating progress within the hydrogen economic system could be the institution of presidency help schemes. The federal government of South Africa ought to contemplate establishing a Hydrogen Innovation Fund and Hydrogen Financial institution, together with a devoted help fund for hydrogen-related small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
Nations resembling Morocco have witnessed a major share of hydrogen manufacturing – nearly 30% – being attributed to native SMMEs. Authorities help schemes for hydrogen are usually not new and examples could be present in different elements of the world. Within the context of South Africa, deliberate and intentional authorities help would make sure the localisation of hydrogen alternatives.
The fifth important driver of hydrogen’s progress is the necessity for higher coordination and extra cross-sector collaboration.
The non-public sector can not play the function of coordination as its major focus could be revenue maximisation. The function of coordinating all stakeholders within the hydrogen economic system ought to be left to authorities. As an enabler of progress and improvement, authorities ought to facilitate structured collaborative agreements between the main sectors of the economic system concerned within the hydrogen worth chain, that being the vitality, chemical substances, transport, agriculture, and mining sectors.
Abilities and coaching
From a expertise improvement and coaching perspective, the sector training and coaching authorities (SETAs), have been main the way in which with collaborative agreements. These embody agreements between the Chemical Industries Training & Coaching Authority (CHIETA) and the Power & Water Sector Training Coaching Authority (EWSETA), in addition to CHIETA and the Transport Training Coaching Authority (TETA), that are within the pipeline.
Along with these 5 progress drivers, there’s a additional want to scale back the carbon footprint of hydrogen. Hydrogen vitality just isn’t solely zero carbon. The manufacturing of hydrogen might result in substantial carbon emissions, and this may increasingly differ from totally different phases of set up and distribution, to the sorts of hydrogen vitality – inexperienced, gray, blue and so forth – that’s produced. It’s subsequently incumbent on all stakeholders to formulate a transparent plan for zero-carbon hydrogen manufacturing.
These 5 drivers of progress would result in a job creating hydrogen economic system in South Africa throughout the subsequent few years. South Africa wants a combined vitality coverage and hydrogen constitutes an important addition to the basket of success. What is required is the swift implementation of hydrogen initiatives and a transparent coordination plan with collaboration as an apex precedence. Allow us to hope South Africa seizes the hydrogen alternative earlier than it’s too late.
Yershen Pillay is CEO of the Chemical Industries Training and Coaching Authority (CHIETA)
