Hydrogen exports from Africa to Europe will remain “prohibitively expensive” without policy interventions, a new study suggested.
The fuel known as “green” hydrogen — made by splitting hydrogen out of water molecules using renewable electricity — has drawn much interest globally as a way to decarbonize heavy industries that are hard to electrify.
As countries assess the most economically viable places from which to procure the fuel, some governments in Europe have been exploring importing cheaper green hydrogen in the form of ammonia from countries including Kenya, Mauritania, and Namibia.
Research published by the journal Nature Energy, however, found that “de-risking and strategic location selection” would be key to making African green hydrogen exports competitive with those of other regions.
