SFC Energy is participating in a pilot project (GH2GH) with a fuel cell energy solution as part of the Export Initiative Environmental Protection in Tema, Ghana

SFC Energy is participating in a pilot project (GH2GH) with a fuel cell energy solution as part of the Export Initiative Environmental Protection in Tema, Ghana

• Energy supply for Sub-Saharan Africa with EFOY Hydrogen 2.5 fuel cells
• SFC technology integrated into an intelligent, decentralised, self-sufficient energy network
• Off-grid solution to achieve climate targets in Africa

Brunnthal/Munich, Germany, 27 November 2024 – SFC Energy AG (“SFC”, F3C:DE, ISIN: DE0007568578), a leading provider of hydrogen and methanol fuel cells for stationary, portable and mobile hybrid power solutions, participates in an international research project to test an off-grid solution with green hydrogen in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As part of the GH2GH project – green hydrogen for decentralised energy systems in Sub-Saharan Africa – a pilot installation for the production, storage and on-demand reconversion of green hydrogen for the completely off-grid energy supply of the Don Bosco Solar & Renewable Energy Centre in Tema, Ghana, was implemented together with the project partners Bochum University of Applied Sciences and Green Power Brains.

The Don Bosco Campus is particularly important as a cross-regional pilot and training centre. Teaching includes theoretical and practical knowledge about mini-grids with photovoltaics and, in the future, also with green hydrogen. This will open up new opportunities for young people across Sub-Saharan Africa and create the local conditions for this large market. According to a study of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), around 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live without a reliable electricity supply, especially in rural areas, and the electrification rate ranges from only 14% (Burkina Faso, rural areas only 1%) to 82% (Ghana).¹ Therefore, the need and demand for off-grid power supply is extremely high and, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the most economical and reasonable solutions for increasing the electrification rate in this region are autonomous systems and mini-grids, such as those already implemented at the Don Bosco Campus.

The project partners are relying on intelligent control to operate an intelligent and fully self-sufficient mini-grid based on forecasts, with comparatively low installed power, long runtimes, a large hydrogen storage unit and in symbiosis with existing battery storage units. Excess electricity generated by photovoltaic during the day is used to produce green hydrogen and is stored in batteries. At night, the mini-grid is supplied from the batteries and the hydrogen is also converted back into electricity when rainy days are forecasted. A 20 kW electrolysis system and an energy solution from SFC with four EFOY Hydrogen 2.5 fuel cells and a total output of 10 kW were installed for the green hydrogen cycle. With an electrical storage capacity of around 600 kWh in the form of hydrogen, the previous storage capacity of the battery has been more than doubled. At the same time, storing hydrogen in steel cylinders is economically and environmentally advantageous and easy to scale up and to expand. This will increase the economic efficiency and potential to supply more people in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa with renewable energy in a resource-efficient, reliable and self-sufficient manner.

Dr Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy AG: “Power generation from locally produced green hydrogen for decentralised green energy supply is an important building block in the global energy transition. This project shows how sustainable and powerful our technology is in these applications. And most importantly, it shows that our fuel cells can reliably deliver clean power even in the environmental conditions of Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Nilgün Parker, Head of Division for Sustainable Finance Policy, the Environment and Foreign Trade Promotion, BMUV: “With the EXI project GH2GH, we are building up local knowledge in two ways. The sustainable electricity from the mini-grid enables the educational campus to operate on a daily basis. In addition, local specialists and the project partners can learn from the installed system and expand their expertise. This is how we create real future prospects – with technologies ‘Made in Germany’.”

With its commitment, SFC Energy AG, as an important representative of the GreenTech industry, supports the strategy of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). The project “GH2GH – Green Hydrogen for decentralised energy systems in Sub-Saharan Africa” (funding code: 67EXI6503A-C) funded by the BMUV within the framework of the programme “Export Initiative Environmental Protection” (EXI). As a project management agency Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH supports the federal ministry in the implementation of the programme. As part of the thematic focus “green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for the decentralised energy supply” within the Export Initiative Environmental Protection, NOW GmbH supports the GH2GH project in its role as programme partner organisation.

Further information on SFC Energy's Clean Energy and Clean Power Management solutions can be found at sfc.com.

¹ https://www.giz.de/de/downloads/Studie_Renewable%20Energy%20Transition%20Africa_DE.pdf

About SFC Energy AG
SFC Energy AG (www.sfc.com) is a leading provider of hydrogen and methanol fuel cells for stationary, portable and mobile hybrid power solutions. With the Clean Energy and Clean Power Management business segments, SFC Energy is a sustainably profitable fuel cell producer. The Company distributes its award-winning products worldwide and has sold more than 75,000 fuel cells to date. The Company is headquartered in Brunnthal/Munich and has operating subsidiaries in Canada, India, the Netherlands, Romania, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. SFC Energy AG is listed on the Deutsche Boerse Prime Standard and has been part of the selection index SDAX since 2022 (GSIN: 756857, ISIN: DE0007568578).

About Export Initiative Environmental Protection (EXI)
Since 2016, the BMUV has supported German GreenTech SMEs with its EXI funding programme to disseminate innovative environmental technologies that are ‘Made in Germany’. Optimal environmental conditions are to be created in the target countries for sustainable development and better environmental and life conditions in those countries. By supporting suitable infrastructures, the EXI projects help to implement green public services and environmental services worldwide. NOW GmbH has been responsible for EXI’s focus on green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in decentralized energy supply since 2021. As an EXI project management agency,  Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH (Future – Environment – Society) has been supporting the Federal Environment Ministry in fulfilling its tasks since 2022. 

SFC Investor Relations and Press:
CROSS ALLIANCE communication GmbH
Susan Hoffmeister
Phone +49 89 125 09 03-33
Email: susan.hoffmeister@sfc.com
Web: sfc.com

Don Bosco Solar & Renewable Energy Centre
Head of the Solar School
Christof Baum
Email: donboscosolar2018@gmail.com
Web: https://donboscosolar.org/

Green Power Brains
Founder & CEO
Herr Michele Velenderic
Email: info@greenpowerbrains.com
Web: https://greenpowerbrains.com/

Hochschule Bochum
Labor für Nachhaltigkeit in der Technik
Herr Prof. Dr.-Ing. Semih Severengiz
Email: info@greenpowerbrains.com
Web: https://www.hochschule-bochum.de/en/sustainable-technologies-lab/overview/

NOW GmbH
Manager Presse und Publikationen
Herr Michael Graß
Email: michael.grass@now-gmbh.de
Web: https://www.now-gmbh.de/en/news/pressreleases/bmuv-advances-global-cooperation-for-sustainable-development/