The Export Initiative Environmental Protection (EXI) launches successful new projects in the field of green hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

For the past two years, NOW GmbH has been working with international partners for the development of sustainable technology on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV – Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz) within the framework of the Export Initiative Environmental Protection (EXI – Exportinitiative Umweltschutz). With cooperative ventures in Namibia, Ghana, Brazil, New Zealand and the Philippines, further EXI projects are now being implemented in the field of green hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

HygO (Nambia)

HygO refers to a hydrogen (Hyg) and drinking water (Oxygen) biotope. The aim of HygO is to establish hydrogen technology and promote its use in the form of decentralized island grids as the basis for securing a reliable, CO2-neutral power supply in Namibia. Moreover, the project aims to prevent resource and water distribution conflicts through integrated water treatment. The project partners are: Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU – Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen und Umformtechnik), Texulting GmbH, Haver & Boecker oHG and Krenkel Abwassertechnik GmbH, as well as several associated German and African partner organizations.

GH2GH (Ghana)

The GH2GH project is concerned with the development of sustainable structures for the implementation of green hydrogen technology for decentralized energy systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In doing so, the focus is on taking a holistic view of energy infrastructures over their life cycle. During a pilot project, hydrogen generation and fuel cell technology will be tested and adapted from both a technical and economic perspective, taking into account local requirements. Project partners: Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Green Power Brains, SFC Energy AG.

Projects in cooperation with DIHK Service GmbH

In cooperation with the “Chambers of GreenTech” project team of DIHK Service GmbH and the Chambers of Commerce and Industry Abroad, NOW GmbH is supporting three further projects with the aim of internationalising German environmental technology.

An analysis of the potential use of green hydrogen for decentralized applications was completed with the Chambers of Commerce in the Philippines and New Zealand, and specific locations were investigated.

An analysis on green hydrogen in connection with wastewater management is being developed in cooperation with the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry Brazil (Rio). The subject of the study is the technical and economic potential of green hydrogen production in wastewater treatment plants.

About the ‘Export Initiative Environmental Protection’ (EXI) of the BMUV

Since 2016, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV – Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz) has been supporting German green tech SMEs to spread innovative “Made in Germany” environmental technologies with its Export Initiative Environmental Protection (EXI – Exportinitiative Umweltschutz) funding programme. The aim is to create optimal overall conditions for sustainable development and better environmental and living conditions (SDG implementation) in the target countries. By supporting suitable infrastructures, the EXI projects help to implement green public services and environmentally responsible services worldwide.

Since 2022, Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH has been supporting the Federal Ministry for the Environment in carrying out its tasks as the project management agency for the Export Initiative Environmental Protection.