Green Hydrogen from Africa

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the usage of natural resources, to produce green hydrogen using water desalination by reverse osmosis and water electrolysis through a polymer-electrolyte membrane (PEM) system. We propose to export the green hydrogen to Europe or other industrialized nations. The setup of the suggested system is in North Africa for its richness in solar irradiation and endowment of huge unused desert lands and its relative closeness to Europe who may use large amounts of hydrogen to help in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable resources. We will assess the technical and economic feasibility of this enterprise with due consideration to the environmental effect. The storage and shipping of green hydrogen may cause a significant increase in the cost of delivered hydrogen. This paper investigates to the possibility of engaging a local community through partial ownership to produce the highly needed green energy product and sell it on the international market. The technical assessment will involve the modelling and simulation of the processes used and the study of the corresponding economics and environmental effects.