(Tema / Ghana) – Experts from the areas of hydrogen technology, energy supply and the mobility industry met in the port city of Tema in Ghana for an international kick-off workshop to discuss plans for building a hydrogen economy in the West African country. The project, called “Green Hydrogen for Decentralized Energy Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa” (GH2GH), is being carried out as part of the “Export Initiative for Environmental Protection” (EXI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). GH2GH has been running since January, and the meeting in Tema was the first meeting of all those involved.
Island network for the use of hydrogen
The research task is to develop and test a system for the production, storage and use of green hydrogen in small island networks (mini-grids) incorporating solar energy, according to a statement from the Bochum University involved. For this purpose, the local conditions would be examined and an existing decentralized mini-grid would be integrated.
Mini grid on campus. © Bochum University
Ultimately, the potential should be determined beyond the project activities in order to develop a “scalable blueprint for further solutions in the sub-Saharan region” with the “needs-based use” of green hydrogen. To this end, a pilot concept will be implemented together with the local Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Center by the end of 2025.
Power supply in the region is inadequate
According to the Bochum University of Applied Sciences, the power supply via the national power grids is inadequate in large parts of sub-Saharan Africa. According to KfW Development Bank, 49 of the 54 African countries belong to this region south of the Sahara. Power outages are the order of the day.
Although Ghana is considered one of the developed countries in the sub-Saharan region, 24 percent of the population does not have access to the electricity grid. Currently, only 28,5 percent of rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa have access to electricity. The national electricity grids are unreliable.
Application example from SFC Energy: fuel cell and hydrogen storage. © Bochum University
Off-grid solutions using photovoltaics are often the cheapest and most reliable type of electrification. However, pure solar power networks often reach their limits due to local conditions. If longer periods of low solar radiation – such as rainy seasons – had to be bridged, batteries “are not suitable as seasonal energy storage due to their technical properties and high costs”. In addition, energy production in off-grid solar systems often has to be reduced when electricity demand is low and battery storage is full, which causes specific electricity costs to rise.
Hydrogen as an efficient use of solar energy
Converting this seasonal and temporary excess energy into hydrogen and thus storing it flexibly represents “a great opportunity for a more efficient use of solar energy,” it is said. Therefore, an electrolyzer for producing green hydrogen and a storage system will be integrated into an existing solar mini-grid at the pilot site in Tema. A fuel cell converts the stored hydrogen into electrical energy as needed so that the site can become completely self-sufficient from the power grid.
GH2GH includes regional cooperation partners such as the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) and society for International Cooperation (GIZ). Support is provided by the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Ghanaian Ministry of Energy.
The project team, led by the “Laboratory for Sustainability in Technology” at Bochum University, also includes the Munich-based company Green Power Brains, which specializes in intelligent solar systems and has an office in Tema. The fuel cell manufacturer SFC Energy AG is also involved.
Germany is funding the project with around 900.000 euros for a period of three years.
Photos
Representation of the planned structure of the hydrogen production plant with storage solution and fuel cell on the Don Bosco campus. © Bochum University
Editor's note: Following publication and feedback from readers, we have more clearly differentiated the data on Ghana and the sub-Saharan region in the paragraph on population access to electricity.
