South Africa Hydrogen Generation Market Overview, 2027

Hydrogen is increasingly becoming a global contender for alternative energy, yet it accounts for less than 10% of global hydrogen usage. As the hydrogen economy expands, the globe is reconsidering how hydrogen is generated, moved, and used. Hydrogen has been used primarily by the chemical and refining industries. Hydrogen is a vital raw ingredient required for the production of ammonia (NH3), which is a significant component of fertilizers used in agricultural sectors all over the world. Hydrogen is frequently used in hydro cracking to produce petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel. It is also used to eliminate impurities such as Sulphur and to generate methanol. Hydrogen generation from low-carbon power might provide several benefits, including addressing renewable energy curtailments from wind, solar, and hydro. It could potentially be included in the national gas infrastructure, particularly for low-concentration hydrogen. Hydrogen is one of the main solutions for storing renewable energy in power generation, and hydrogen and ammonia may be used in gas turbines to boost power system flexibility. Ammonia might potentially be utilized to minimize emissions in coal-fired power plants. China uses and generates more hydrogen than any other country.

According to the report, the market size of South Africa hydrogen generation market is significantly growing in the forecasted period. Steam reforming is the most common method for producing hydrogen-rich synthesis gas from light carbohydrates. In catalytic tube reactors, the input materials such as natural gas, liquid gas, or naphtha are endothermic ally transformed with water steam into synthesis gas. Hydrogen generation from renewable resources is still restricted to small-scale, local solutions and R&D initiatives; industrial-scale steam methane reforming (SMR) of natural gas is the cheapest and most widely used technique, producing the most hydrogen. The steam methane reforming method is the most widely used method for hydrogen generation in the South Africa and it has highest market share. A hydrocarbon-rich feedstock, such as coal, is burned at high temperatures in the gasification process to create syngas rich in hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and CO2. The syngas can then be improved by employing the water gas shift process to convert the CO to CO2 and additional hydrogen. Hydrogen may be used in fuel cells to produce electricity, power, or both power and heat. Today, the most prevalent applications for hydrogen are in petroleum refining and fertilizer manufacturing, with transportation and utilities being burgeoning areas. The South Africa largest market share of hydrogen generation is held by petroleum refineries and ammonia manufacturing.

Traditional combustion engines may add weight and inefficiency to a vehicle. Hydrogen-powered cars use hydrogen fuel cells instead of combustion engines, which convert energy to electricity more effectively. Fuel cells transform the chemical energy of a fuel into electrical energy and are two to three times more efficient than internal combustion engines. Because there are fewer vibrations from moving parts, fuel cells make the car more efficient and quieter. Because hydrogen fuel allows cars to go farther with less refilling, it is excellent for powering heavy-duty tractor trailers and public transportation buses that travel hundreds of miles at a time. The market share of transportation is lower than the other applications, but growth seems relatively good in the South Africa hydrogen generation market. The hydrogen generating market has been divided into captive and merchant segments based on generation and distribution methods. The merchant segment is anticipated to be driven by rising large-scale hydrogen generation using water electrolysis and natural gas technology. Both natural gas and water electrolysis may be used to make commercial hydrogen. By using this technique, less fuel must be transported, which decreases the need to build additional infrastructure for hydrogen production. However, captive hydrogen generation, its constrained production capacity results in higher hydrogen costs.

Impact of COVID-19

The spread of COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented global public health catastrophe that has had an effect on almost every industry, and its long-term effects are anticipated to have an impact on industry growth throughout the course of the projected period. Consumer demand, buying habits, supply chain rerouting, current market dynamics, and significant government involvement have all changed as a result of COVID-19. The South Africa government has taken several measures to secure the availability of raw materials by monitoring the supply and demand of the intermediate commodities needed to produce hydrogen. In addition, the governments of some nations are offering raw material subsidies and assisting domestic producers with short-term loans in order to help SMEs (small and medium-sized companies) and local manufacturers involved in the production of hydrogen. One of the areas that COVID-19 caused the most damage to was the production of hydrogen. Certain initiatives have been made to strengthen international collaboration between the countries. This should encourage investments and enhance the ease of doing business inside the countries. Additionally, a number of relief measures were offered to major and intermediate market hydrogen producing companies. The South Africa governments encouraged technical advances, which gave new and on-going initiatives a boost.

Considered in this report:

• Geography: South Africa
• Historical year: 2016
• Base year: 2021
• Estimated year: 2022
• Forecast year: 2027

Aspects covered in this report:

• South Africa hydrogen generation market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Application wise hydrogen generation market analysis
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Five force models
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendations

Technical type of hydrogen generation in the report:

• Steam methane reforming process
• Coal gasification
• Others

By application type in the report

• Methanol production
• Ammonia production
• Petroleum refinery
• Transportation
• Power generation
• Others

By system type in the report

• Captive
• Merchant

Approach of the Report

This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and listing out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third party sources such as press releases, annual report of companies, analyzing the government generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducted trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this, the analyst has started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers in regional aspects, tier aspects, age group, and gender. Once they have the primary data, they start verifying the details obtained from secondary sources.

Intended Audience

This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to chemical industries, government bodies and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.