Photo caption: UC’s Civil and Natural Resources Engineering PhD candidate Hadi Vatankhah Ghadim.
A research collaboration between Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) and the German Aerospace Centre in Stuttgart is exploring how green hydrogen could transform Aotearoa New Zealand’s energy sector and contribute to the global development of green hydrogen as a renewable and sustainable energy source.
The project, known as the New Zealand-German Platform for Green Hydrogen Integration (HINT), aims to identify where green hydrogen can deliver the most significant impact across electricity, heat, transportation, residential and industrial sectors.
UC Civil and Natural Resources Engineering PhD candidate Hadi Vatankhah Ghadim, who is researching industrial energy hubs for HINT, says green hydrogen holds huge potential for industrial decarbonisation, though not all energy needs can, or should, be addressed equally by it.
“The decision to use green hydrogen must always have a clear, rational justification. My focus is on understanding the feasibility and supply chain models for integrating green hydrogen into New Zealand’s industries, which could help decarbonise steel production, sustainable aviation fuels, and fertiliser manufacturing,” he says.
“To understand industrial decarbonisation, we must consider how industries can share resources like green hydrogen, and coordinate the use of others, like biomass-based fuels for aviation and methanol production. It’s about working together to find the best solutions.”
Vatankhah Ghadim says New Zealand’s unique challenges make it the ideal environment to study these applications and solutions up close. As an island nation with no interconnected neighbours, Aotearoa New Zealand also faces challenges achieving long-term energy security and resilience.
“We can address New Zealand’s specific needs while considering how we can contribute globally, particularly in hydrogen derivative markets like sustainable aviation fuels and methanol production,” he says.
“There is a need for strategic clarity. With the cost of green hydrogen production still higher than fossil-fuel-based alternatives, we can’t afford to invest in uses that aren’t economically or technically viable.
“The ultimate goal of the HINT project is to bridge the gap between research findings and real-world implementation. By identifying economically and technically viable use cases for green hydrogen, we aim to accelerate decarbonisation both locally and globally, “Vatankhah Ghadim, says.
Mapping of hydrogen demand across the 16 regions of New Zealand. The squares on the left of each map show which rungs are included in the underlying data for the maps.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 - Affordable and clean energy.
