GH2GH - Green Hydrogen for Decentralised Energy Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

In large parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, electricity supply via national electricity networks is deficient. Ghana is considered one of the developed countries in the Sub-Saharan region and is experiencing large population growth, with 86% of the population in Ghana having access to the electricity grid by 2020. However, the electrification rate of the population in the Sub-Saharan Africa region is only 48% and that of the rural population is as low as 28.5%. The power grid is often unreliable and power outages are common. Off-grid solutions are often the cheapest and most reliable way of electrification.

Climate change is already having a major impact on the country, with frequent droughts and a shift in dry and rainy seasons. The Akosombo Dam on the Volta Reservoir, whose power plant represents more than a third of Ghana's installed capacity, has been running low on water for years, further threatening the country's electricity supply. The lack of electricity production is often replaced by fossil fuels, which leads to an increase in CO₂-emissions from electricity production. 

The cost of solar technology has been steadily decreasing in recent years and has enormous potential to provide energy. This potential can be used in combination with storage solutions for self-sufficient power supply. Battery storage solutions are well suited for storing energy in the short term. When it comes to bridging longer periods of low solar radiation, e.g., during rainy seasons in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, batteries are not suitable as seasonal energy storage due to their technical characteristics and high costs. 

In addition, energy production in off-grid solar plants often must be scaled back when electricity demand is low and battery storage is full, which causes an increase in specific electricity costs. Converting this seasonal and temporary excess energy into hydrogen for flexible storage represents a great opportunity for more efficient use of solar energy.  

The GH2GH project aims to enable the sustainable development of structures for the implementation of green hydrogen technology for decentralised energy systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The focus is on the holistic development and testing of a product system for the production, storage and use of green hydrogen in solar-powered mini-grid systems as well as the creation of the necessary framework conditions for the use of the system in the target country Ghana and in the target region Sub-Saharan Africa. In a pilot project, hydrogen production and fuel cell technology are tested and adapted technically and economically, while taking local requirements into account. For this purpose, an electrolyser to produce green hydrogen and a storage system with specific components will be integrated into an existing solar mini grid at the pilot site in Tema, Ghana. A fuel cell converts the stored hydrogen into electrical energy as needed so that the pilot site can become completely self-sufficient from the electricity grid. This is to avoid environmentally harmful practices in off-grid energy systems, such as those caused using diesel generators, as well as to achieve energy self-sufficiency in times of low sunshine. 

The aim is to evaluate the entire life cycle of the system from a holistic perspective using life cycle and economic analyses. Furthermore, topics such as social acceptance, sustainability assessment, the development of future scenarios and the identification of further use cases for green hydrogen in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa will be investigated. The focus is also on comparing battery and fuel cell systems with the aim of finding the right balance between the two technologies. In addition, the end-of-life phase is considered by examining recycling structures in Ghana as well as qualification measures in the field of recycling hydrogen technology components. There is considerable potential for German companies to export the systems and components used in the project in Africa and replicate them for further use cases. However, a prerequisite for this is to create the legal, political and administrative framework conditions and lay the foundation for consistent environmental standards. The project therefore aims to create the necessary conditions with the help of a comprehensive network. In addition, qualification measures such as Training of Teachers will be carried out to ensure a sustainable and demand-oriented use of the system and to transfer the knowledge of the introduced technology locally. 

The core of the project is the development of a product system adapted to local requirements for the production, storage and use of green hydrogen for decentralised energy systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The innovative core of the project is the holistic consideration of the system over its life cycle, the creation of framework conditions for the evaluation and development of use cases, and the integration of the new product system into an existing software platform based on blockchain technology to ensure efficient use of the individual components and the establishment of peer-to-peer energy trading. 

The aim is to evaluate the entire life cycle of the system from a holistic perspective using life cycle and economic analyses. Furthermore, topics such as social acceptance, sustainability assessment, the development of future scenarios and the identification of further use cases for green hydrogen in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa will be investigated. The focus is also on comparing battery and fuel cell systems with the aim of finding the right balance between the two technologies. In addition, the end-of-life phase is considered by examining recycling structures in Ghana as well as qualification measures in the field of recycling hydrogen technology components. There is considerable potential for German companies to export the systems and components used in the project in Africa and replicate them for further use cases. However, a prerequisite for this is to create the legal, political and administrative framework conditions and lay the foundation for uniform environmental standards. The project therefore aims to create the necessary conditions with the help of a comprehensive network. Qualification measures such as Trainings of Teachers are also being carried out to ensure sustainable and demand-oriented use of the system and to ensure the knowledge transfer of the introduced technology on site.

The core of the project is the development of a product system adapted to local requirements for the production, storage and use of green hydrogen for decentralised energy systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The innovative core of the project is the holistic consideration of the system over its life cycle, the creation of framework conditions for the evaluation and development of use cases, and the integration of the new product system into an existing software platform based on blockchain technology to ensure efficient use of the individual components and the establishment of peer-to-peer energy trading.

The Sustainable Technologies Laboratory at Bochum University of Applied Sciences coordinates the research project, which is carried out together with the corporate partners Green Power Brains and SFC Energy as well as the associated partner Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Centre. Green Power Brains covers the area of further development of the software platform based on blockchain technology with the integration of the hydrogen system components into the solar mini-grid system. SFC Energy is developing the fuel cell solutions. The Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Centre acts as the operator of the hardware on site. The consortium is jointly designing the teaching units for on-site knowledge transfer and training. 

With the "Export Initiative Environmental Protection", the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) has been funding projects that support the transfer of know-how and the application of German environmental protection and resource efficiency technologies since 2016, with a focus on emerging and developing countries. Global environmental and climate protection can only succeed if the necessary infrastructures, legal, political and administrative frameworks are in place. 

At the pilot site in Tema, Ghana, the project consortium consisting of the Sustainable Technologies Laboratory at Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Green Power Brains and SFC Energy gathered at the campus of the associated partner Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Centre for the official and joint kick-off of the GH2GH funding project. On the 2nd of March 2023, Ghanaian and German experts from the fields of hydrogen technology, energy supply and mobility industry met for the first time. The GH2GH project consortium presented its plans for the implementation of green hydrogen on site, and a subsequent panel discussion with experts from science, business and politics provided space to discuss key challenges for using hydrogen for an environmentally friendly and reliable energy supply.

• Duration: 01.01.2023 to 31.12.2025 
• Research Focus: Green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies
• Funding program: Export Initative Environmental Protection (EXI)
• Funding priority: Pilot- und Modellvorhaben im Ausland 
• Funding reference: 67EXI6503A 
• Funding provider: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) 
• Project sponsor: Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) GmbH 
• Program association: NOW GmbH (Nationale Organisation Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellentechnologie)
• Destination country: Ghana
• Funding amount: 907.022,01 € 

Press release:Kick-off for green hydrogen in Ghana from 24.03.2023