Nick Hedley | Don’t get too swept up in green hydrogen hype, South Africa

Green hydrogen is being marketed as an all-encompassing decarbonisation tool, when it’s not, writes Nick Hedley. 

As green hydrogen mania sweeps across the planet – including South Africa – a word of caution is needed. Politicians, investors and businesses are overselling this decarbonisation solution, which means costly mistakes could be locked into our economy for decades.

A quick explainer for the uninitiated: Green hydrogen is a clean, emissions-free energy carrier and fuel, made by splitting water into its individual components – hydrogen and oxygen. To be labelled "green", the splitting process must use power from wind or solar plants, rather than fossil fuels.