Launch of pilot technology assessment report on electrolysers for green hydrogen production in South Africa

The Technology Assessment (TA) pilot project in South Africa, implemented by stakeholders in South Africa with close collaboration by UNCTAD, focused on assessing green hydrogen electrolyser technologies. 

This event will formally launch the TA Report, which aims to assess the benefits and risks for South Africa of adopting and producing these technologies in the country. 

The report highlights the potential for competitive commercialization of these technologies and the implications for national development and includes a draft Action Plan. It is a pilot technology assessment aimed at building national capacity in technology assessment and assessing an area of technology that may contribute to both energy security and decarbonization efforts in South Africa.

The launch event will provide a platform for discussing TA, the adoption of the practice of TA in Africa and key elements of the report.  It is expected to contribute to broader knowledge-sharing within Africa on TA methodology and practices and opportunities for diffusing TA more widely across the continent. 

The event is intended to engage policymakers, experts, and stakeholders from academia, industry, government and civil society to raise awareness of the practice of TA and the opportunities for diffusing TA more widely in Africa. 

This is seen as important in light of the rapid technological advances taking place in a number of frontier technologies that are creating important economic, social and environmental implications and raising critical ethical, regulatory, legal and other concerns. 

Participants will also have an opportunity to network and contribute to discussions on the potential of green hydrogen and electrolyser technologies for sustainable development in South Africa and beyond.

The launch will take place on the margins of the 2024 Science Forum South Africa.

Topics for Discussion

• The adoption of TA in Africa
• Insights from the South African TA on green hydrogen electrolyser technologies
• Broader application of TA to address sustainable development challenges in Africa