Green Hydrogen Economics and Transition Challenges

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Webinar details

Although hydrogen has been known since 1670 and an average of 56 million tons is produced annually for industrial purposes, the large-scale production, widespread distribution, and use of green hydrogen remains a relatively new concept globally. While some countries, particularly within the EU, possess well-developed gas distribution infrastructure, the distribution of green hydrogen still presents significant challenges. Its adoption is further hindered by economic models that currently make it more expensive than natural gas.

As a fuel, green hydrogen’s combustion characteristics present additional difficulties for the designers of gas turbines and piston engines. Consequently, a phased approach is often adopted, initially blending small percentages of hydrogen with natural or petroleum-based gases. Some manufacturers anticipate that internal combustion engines capable of running on 100% hydrogen will take years to fully develop, and are therefore producing upgradeable engine units in the interim.

Safety is another key concern. Public perception often equates hydrogen with high risk, viewing it as potentially explosive. However, despite hydrogen’s high calorific value, its physical properties as a gas can make it safer than many other conventional fuels.

• The webinar will be recorded and will be sent out to registered attendees afterwards.
• A certificate of attendance will be provided to attendees who request one near the end of the live webinar session.
• Please note: the time stated on this event is in UTC. You will need to convert this to your own time zone.

Key takeaways from this webinar

• Understand the different types of hydrogen, with a focus on how green hydrogen fits within the broader industrial hydrogen landscape.
• Recognize the technical, logistical, and financial challenges involved in the distribution and adoption of green hydrogen, both locally and for export.
• Gain insight into hydrogen’s combustion and safety characteristics, as well as the complexities of adapting internal combustion engines for hydrogen use.

Related courses

This webinar/topic relates to our school of Renewable Energy  and is particularly found in the following courses:

• Professional Certificate of Competency in Fundamentals of Green Hydrogen Technology
• Professional Certificate of Competency in Hydrogen Energy – Production, Delivery, Storage and Use
• Professional Certificate of Competency in Hydrogen Powered Vehicles
• Professional Certificate of Competency in Green Smelting Technologies
• 52894WA Advanced Diploma of Applied Electrical Engineering (Renewable Energy)
• 52910WA Graduate Certificate in Hydrogen Engineering and Management

About the presenter

Dr. Andries Van der Linde, EIT Lecturer and Technical Director of Harvard Green Energy

Starting from humble beginnings as an apprentice electrician at the South African Railways, Dr Van der Linde caught the eye of the training officer at Volkswagen SA where he subsequently worked as an electrician resulting in an electrical engineering scholarship. After completing his studies, he worked at Volkswagen as engineering planner until he was offered a full-time post as a lecturer at the now, Nelson Mandela University. After adding Mechanical Engineering to his name, it did not take him long to initiate one of the first renewable energy research programs in South Africa to which he added several firsts resulting in him being awarded both the De Beers and Oppenheimer Awards for research, enabling him to read for his PhD at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. During this time, he published prolifically and was invited to speak at conferences across the globe. His research career ended on a high note with him being awarded the largest grant in academic history to initiate a large-scale wind demonstration project. This project resulted in the first commercial wind farm in South Africa earning him the accolade as the initiator of the South African wind energy industry.

He left the academic environment to start his own energy consultancy. However, he never left the academic environment behind because since then he supervised post graduate students at the Da Vinci Institute, moderating examinations at the Tswane University of Technology, while acting as a visiting academic at the Texas Southern University. At the time the educational system was being restructured in South Africa and even here he left his footprint as a consultant to several SETAs, the Engineering Council and the South African Qualification Authority whom he assisted with Unit Standard and Course Development.