Namibia and Botswana deserve pats on the back for going big on solar. After all, both have lots of sun and sand, and Namibia has sea to boot. From the seawater, green hydrogen can be electrolysed with the help of excess solar power.
From Namibia’s well-established harbours, consideration could also be given to the exportation of that green hydrogen, and earning valuable foreign exchange for both Namibia and Botswana.
After all, Germany is in the market for green hydrogen, and Namibia and Germany have close ties. What’s more, the Namibia-Botswana agreement to develop 5 000 MW of solar power came hot on the heels of last week’s meeting to get the German-funded Green Hydrogen Atlas-Africa study under way in these parts.
The study embraces 12 Southern African Development Community member countries. Surprisingly, at the study’s inception meeting, far less reference was made to South Africa than one would have expected, given that South Africa is already off the renewables mark in the region.
Clearly, South Africa needs to highlight its potential far more intensely by putting its foot back on the renewables accelerator very firmly.