William van Niekerk – Chairman
William van Niekerk is chairman of the NWBA.
Trained as a civil engineer, William has experience in projects in construction, infrastructure and in the energy sector. He also has extensive experience in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship. He has been chairman of the NWBA board since January 2019.
“We merely borrow the world from the generations to come, and we owe it to them to manage it in good stewardship. Hydrogen is a clean, alternative energy carrier that can help our society transition from fossil to sustainable energy. The current methods of generating renewable (mainly electrical) energy are susceptible to fluctuating yields (wind power, cloudy weather, etc.), which causes corresponding problems for the electricity net. Storage of this energy is a problem that can partly be solved by conversion to hydrogen. Due to its relatively low specific weight and high energy density, hydrogen can be used in many applications – from energy carrier to raw material for various industries. Decentralised use of fuel cells does not result in harmful emissions and is increasingly safe and reliable thanks to ongoing technical development,” says William.
“Although hydrogen is not the only solution, it is an important link in the combination of alternatives. I believe in this combination as well as in its smart integration into today’s infrastructure. Together we can accelerate that by working on economically attractive innovations and their application.”