On Thursday, August 29th, St Peter's was lucky to have Professor Sally Brooker from the University of Otago speak to us about the future of “green” hydrogen, and sustainable energy usage for the benefit of the planet.
We learnt about how we need to replace fossil fuels by renewable energy sources such as hydro, solar, wind and geothermal which New Zealand has great potential for. New Zealand could be the “Saudi Arabia of wind energy” and with the correct investment in these sources, infrastructure and storage, there is evidence New Zealand could become a world leader and exporter of ‘green commodities’ across the world, which would greatly boost New Zealand’s economy. Professor Brooker also told us of the likelihood of a “carbon tax” on products being imported into Europe, with the tax being split 50% on importer and exporter, meaning it would be neither attractive nor profitable for New Zealand’s produce, causing catastrophic effects on the economy as New Zealand exports over $9 billion in goods to Europe annually. (2022. www.mfat.govt.nz)
Professor Brooker explained how the hydrogen currently made is “grey” or “brown” which means the hydrogen is made by fossil fuels (coal and gas) and with emissions up to 10 tonnes of CO2 per 1 ton of hydrogen produced. We need to change this to “green” hydrogen which has zero carbon emissions as it only uses water being split through electrolysis (H2O = H2+O). There is also a third way; “blue” hydrogen which is the same as “brown” and “grey” hydrogen, but the CO2 is captured, lowering the emissions. By 2050 it is essential we produce 530 million tonnes of hydrogen annually with 99% of hydrogen produced being “green” or blue” across the globe.
There is a huge future of hydrogen in Southland with many innovations happening here down south. With the University of Otago being the only university in the Southern Hemisphere offering the course of BSc Energy Science and Management, we have a huge advantage in this rapidly growing sector of the economy. Jobs in this area are in high demand, have great pay and you get to help change the world in a positive way. The talk with Professor Brooker was very interesting and I would recommend it to anyone with a passion for science and who wants to create innovations for the benefit of the planet.
Eilish Greene, Year 11 ‘Protecting the Future’ Science class.
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