Flare Gas to Energy Using Hydrogen Fuel Cell Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: The Nigerian Perspective

Abstract

Abstract Energy must be available and affordable to attain energy security as it is fundamental to human and economic development which drives virtually every aspect of the world economy. Globally, the energy demand is increasing; however, the increase is more significant for the African continent due to increased population, industrialization, and economic development. As a proactive measure, technology to meet the demand is crucial to find, develop, process and produce this energy. One of the challenges of the African continent is gas flaring due to gas management solutions and cost-related issues. Based on the African Energy Portal, (Africa Energy Portal, 2020) Nigeria loses about $2.5 billion yearly from 178 flare sites (predominantly onshore sites) nationwide, ranking Nigeria the 7th country on the list of the most flared gas countries in the world. While this is a massive loss in revenue for the major stakeholders, it is also detrimental to public health. While there are other complementary technologies available to help utilize more flared gas, the hydrogen fuel cell has proven to be more instrumental in the quest for acleaner and sustainable energy. With Europe as a frontline adopter, the sustainable energy benefits of a hydrogen fuel cell can be seen in its continuous development, deployment, and utilization in most of its countries. Africa, especially Nigeria has the potential to reduce gas flaring by 70%, (Africa Energy Portal, 2020) via the deployment and usage of fuel cells technologies in the conversion and utilization of flared gas to clean hydrogen gas, which can serve as alternative energy used in a wide range of applications across multiple sectors. This paper focuses on the impact of gas flaring, and the application of evolving hydrogen fuel cell technology as a means of flare gas reduction and gas recovery through steam reforming of methane. It also discusses the constraints of implementing hydrogen fuel cells in Africa, using Nigeria's Oil and Gas Sector as a case study.