Abstract

The increasingly severe impacts of climate change demand us to: (a) reduce energy use (b) decarbonise existing high emissions industrial processes and© rapidly replace our present range of carbon-emitting fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) with a suite of carbon-zero and carbon-neutral fuels. The best carbon-zero fuel is direct electrification (from renewable generation), followed by batteries and green hydrogen. New Zealand is very well placed to take up this amazing economic opportunity, and become an exporter of green, energy-intense, high-value products. After setting the scene, I will briefly introduce the German-New Zealand Green Hydrogen Centre / He Honoka Hauwai and summarise NZ-wide industry green hydrogen activities, before focussing on my team’s research into improved catalysts for H2 production from water and CO2 reduction into commodity chemicals.