The Green Hydrogen Economy is coming to Gberqha

If you are looking to future-proof your career, you would do well to look at the job of solar installer or solar plant manager to drive the green hydrogen economy.

The phrase hydrogen economy refers to using hydrogen to decarbonize economic sectors which are difficult to electrify, sectors such as heavy industry, and to replace the fossil fuels currently used in some of the most polluting forms of transportation.

We call the product green hydrogen when renewable energy sources like wind or solar power are used to extract it. All hydrogen gas is created by splitting water molecules (H 2O) into their components of oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H 2). With green hydrogen, renewable energy is used to power the electrolysers that generates the electricity required for electrolysis to split those water molecules.

The 200-year-old fuel of the future

Hydrogen as a fuel source is not a new technology; in fact, it powered the first internal combustion engines 200 years ago! It is the most abundant chemical element in nature and global demand for its use as a fuel has tripled since 1975, reaching 70 million tonnes a year in 2018.

The different ways in which hydrogen is produced are defined by colours. And there’s a whole rainbow out there!

The hydrogen most people are familiar with is brown hydrogen, also called town gas, where coal is one of the fuels used to heat water to break it down into its components. Harmful elements are released as a result of the production of brown hydrogen include carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), and ethylene (C2H4).

Hydrogen powered by nuclear energy is called pink or sometimes yellow hydrogen.

Zero-emissions with green hydrogen

Grey hydrogen involves the use of natural gas, but results in CO2 emissions in the process; blue hydrogen is grey hydrogen with carbon capture, so instead of those CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere, they are captured and buried deep underground.

With green hydrogen, there are zero emissions in its creation and the combustion of this clean, versatile fuel source releases only water vapour to the atmosphere.

The production of hydrogen is going to be centred around port cities like Gberqha. For a start, the ocean offers abundant access to the water that will be used in the creation of hydrogen. The seawater will need to be desalinated first, and this process will also ultimately be driven by renewable technologies to ensure the entire chain of creation is emissions-free. And secondly, the gas can be easily loaded onto the ships that will distribute the fuel around the globe, eliminating the need to use additional fuel to transport the product from inland hydrogen plants.

Industry experts predict that the production of green hydrogen is going to increase the need for solar installers tenfold. Worldwide, we are going to need hundreds, if not thousands, of people to design, build and maintain the solar PV plants. Additional jobs created by the green hydrogen economy will include those involved in the logistics of distributing the hydrogen, or working on the vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

At GREEN, we’re not chemical engineers, so we’ll leave the splitting of the molecules to the scientists, but we are the experts when it comes to teaching you how to safely and effectively install solar PV technology, whether it’s on the roof of a home or a large solar plant that will drive the green hydrogen revolution.

Learn to install safe, effective PV solar

Join us for a 5-day masterclass in the sizing, design and installation of solar PV from 21 to 25 November at GREEN Solar Academy at Nelson Mandela University, Gberqha. The course is a satisfying mix of both theoretical and practical training taught by seasoned solar installers, is endorsed by SAPVIA as suitable solar training under its PV GreenCard programme and credits participants with 5 CPD points (SAIEE/ECSA). Cost is R12 500 ex VAT.

This is the last training in PE for 2022 and the last training at the current price of R12 500 ex VAT. The price increases to R12 300 ex VAT from January 2023.

Register online at https://solar-training.org/solar-installation-courses/region-ZA/location-Port%20Elizabeth/ or contact GREEN Solar Academy on +27 (0) 10 312 6724 or info@solar-training.org