The Africa Energy Indaba (AEI) conference, now in its 14th year, combines the hybrid model of virtual discussion and debate (March 1-3, 2022) with an in-person on-site exhibit (March 1-2, 2022) at CITCC in Cape Town .

In keeping with the theme of this year’s conference, Energy company-Africa beckons, AEI’s annual conference continues its commitment to energy sustainability through vigorous discussion and debate to find solutions to accelerate adequate energy production across Africa.

Without exception, AEI’s prestigious annual conference features a diverse group of influential and energy-focused personalities and high-profile speakers. AEI luminaries will share their real-world knowledge of the changing African energy landscape and explore what is needed to meet Africa’s growing need for access to energy. One of the main purposes of the event is that it helps raise business opportunities and access the flow of business throughout the event.

AEI 2022 will inform about the African market and future business opportunities in the field of energy, regional integration and the importance of African power pools. The event will also provide an opportunity to learn more about disruptive business models, the need for innovative financing solutions and the impact of Industry 4.0 on the energy sector. Learn about the evolution of grid technologies, renewable and cleaner energy, energy storage and energy efficiency.

Solar panels, wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries are helping to steer the world towards a cleaner energy future. However, much remains to be done to accelerate the pace of change and avert a climate catastrophe. Highly efficient green fuel, capable of powering heavy transport and industry with high demands for energy and heat, is needed to enable change.

Green hydrogen will likely be adopted first by industrial raw materials, transportation and storage. As the use of renewable energy increases the need for long-term storage, reducing emissions is crucial. As wind and solar generation can be seasonal, additional energy must be captured and stored so that it can be used when demand increases. This chasm can be filled with green hydrogen.

Green hydrogen is a new but reliable technology for reducing carbon emissions in areas where electrification is inefficient. The growth of green energy is expected to be among the fastest of all aspects of the energy revolution, generating specialized opportunities for businesses and investors.

Neither gas produced from coal or lignite (brown) nor gas produced by steam methane reforming (gray) is carbon-friendly, and governments and businesses are sourcing and demanding cleaner alternatives.

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One option has been “blue hydrogen”, in which the gas is produced by steam reforming methane; emissions are reduced through carbon capture and storage. However, only half of the carbon is created, not zero emissions.

Green hydrogen is a hydrogen-based fuel that electrolyzes water with electricity produced from low-carbon sources. Using this renewable energy source could almost eliminate emissions.

Day 2 of the AEI conference will see attendees having the unique opportunity to enjoy round table six, entitled “Green hydrogen: better than hot air? Could hydrogen be a game-changer in the energy space, and what will it take to become a viable alternative, given Africa’s unique characteristics?

Today, around 96% of hydrogen is produced by processes involving the consumption of fossil fuels.

However, could green hydrogen production, which is almost entirely independent of fossil fuel sources, become a real possibility? If concerns related to climate change are driving the energy transition, green hydrogen will probably be the solution of choice in several high-emission sectors.

Building a hydrogen economy, like the fossil fuel industry 150 years ago, requires starting from scratch and will not happen without a strategy. The global trend is to create “hydrogen valleys” in order to catalyze development. These are geographic locations (a city, region, island, or industrial cluster) where multiple applications of hydrogen are merged into a single ecosystem that consumes a considerable amount of hydrogen, thereby increasing scale and improving l economics of the project.

With that in mind, the SA National Energy Development Institute, Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Anglo American, Bambili Energy and Engie collaborated on a study to find ways to transform the bushveld complex from South Africa, as well as a larger region. between Johannesburg and Durban, in a hydrogen producing region. The Namibian government announced at COP26 that HYPHEN Hydrogen Energy has been selected as the preferred bidder for a $ 9.4 billion green hydrogen project to be created in the coastal town of Luderitz in southern Namibia.

South Africa is looking to accelerate its own green hydrogen initiatives at Boegoebaai, a proposed new Special Economic Zone (SEZ) above the Namibian border. However, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Boegoebaai could bring South Africa and Namibia closer together as the two southern African countries vie for a share of the green hydrogen export market.

Don’t miss this opportunity to register and learn more about this vital topic at AEI 2022 on Day 2 of the virtual conference.