The EXI funding programme of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Safety (BMUV – Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz) is launching four further environmental protection projects with green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in Chile, Jordan, New Zealand and Thailand.
Two new projects in the BMUV’s EXI funding programme in Chile and New Zealand were launched on 1 March 2025. Another project in Thailand had already commenced in October 2024, followed by a project in Jordan in January 2025. All four new projects fall under the EXI thematic area of decentralised energy supply with green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, for which NOW GmbH is responsible and ZUG gGmbH is the project management organisation. Covering the full spectrum of possible EXI project types, from feasibility studies to pilot projects, the four new projects join nine completed and four ongoing initiatives in this EXI funding area.
Nilgün Parker, Head of the Sustainable Financial Policy, Environment and Foreign Trade Promotion Unit, BMUV: “Our four new EXI projects impressively demonstrate the strengths of our funding programme: Our focus is on fostering local partnerships and interdisciplinary cooperation, and we support projects in every phase – from feasibility studies to pilot projects. In this way, we are promoting environmental protection ‘Made in Germany’ worldwide through green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.”
Dagmar Fehler, CEO and Spokesperson for NOW GmbH: “Through their work on the EXI funding programme, our experts at NOW are supporting the BMUV in sharing knowledge about decentralised energy supply with green hydrogen around the world. In this way, they are making an important contribution to bringing sustainable energy solutions from Germany to where they are needed. This benefits not only German companies, but also the environment and the local population.”
GreenTech hub in Chile
The aim of the project launched by the German Chamber of Commerce Abroad (AHK – Außenhandelskammer) in Santiago de Chile in March is to establish a local GreenTech hub for Chile. The focus is on creating a single point of contact for the topics of water, circular economy, decentralised energy supply with green hydrogen, sustainability management and sustainable financing models. The hub is intended to provide expertise for German and Chilean companies and establish a local network. The AHK project is supported by NOW GmbH as a content partner and in cooperation with the Chambers for GreenTech of DIHK Service GmbH.
Feasibility study for the Cook Islands
Together with German and local partners based on the Cook Islands, the AHK in New Zealand is launching another EXI project in the form of a feasibility study. The aim of the study is to collect and analyse data on local conditions and to use this information as a basis to create a model project plan for the implementation of green hydrogen and fuel cell systems for local energy supply. The project is based on a previous EXI project and is also supported in cooperation with the Chambers for GreenTech of DIHK Service GmbH.
Demonstration facility on the Thai island of Koh Jik
The Green-H2Islands pilot project addresses the issue of inadequate electricity supply on the islands of Southeast Asia. Its aim is to demonstrate how a fully renewable and reliable electricity supply can be achieved using solar energy and hydrogen as a means for long-term storage. For this purpose, hydrogen components are being integrated into the existing energy supply system on the Thai island of Koh Jik. In addition, an open-source dimensioning tool is being developed. Together with the project results, the tool will make it possible to transfer the knowledge gained to other locations in the region. The project partners are the Reiner Lemoine Institute and H2 Powercell GmbH from Germany, the local partner Koh Jik ReCharge and the island community on Koh Jik.
Framework conditions for decentralised hydrogen technologies in Jordan
The WRAP_GH2 project is identifying framework conditions for decentralised hydrogen technologies in Jordan with the use of a feasibility study. The study focuses on the decentralised production of green hydrogen in combination with the agri-photovoltaic (PV) concept. This involves using agricultural land for additional electricity generation with PV. This not only generates electricity, but also reduces evaporation on the plots of land. WRAP_GH2 builds on the EXI-funded predecessor project GJWHD. The project consortium consists of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, the IWW Institute for Water Research and local stakeholders from Jordan.
About EXI
Since 2016, the BMUV has supported German GreenTech SMEs in disseminating innovative environmental technologies ‘Made in Germany’ through its funding programme, EXI. The goal is to create optimised environmental conditions for sustainable development and better environmental and living conditions in the target countries. By supporting appropriate infrastructure, the EXI projects contribute to implementing green public services and environmentally-friendly services globally. NOW GmbH is responsible for EXI’s focus on green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in decentralised energy supply since 2021. As the EXI project management organisation, Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH (Future – Environment – Society) has supported the Federal Environment Ministry in carrying out its tasks since 2022. More information on EXI can be found here.
About NOW GmbH
Since 2008, NOW GmbH has been supporting the federal government’s targets in its climate and industrial policy. The tasks of the federally-owned company include developing, monitoring and evaluating funding programmes about climate-neutral mobility and energy supply. NOW GmbH experts supervise projects in the areas of hydrogen, fuel cells, battery and renewable fuels. They reimagine mobility and fuels for cars, buses, trains, commercial vehicles, ships and airplanes, and support the establishment and further development of charging infrastructure and hydrogen refuelling stations for cars and trucks. More information on NOW can be found here.
Further information on the projects
- More on GreenH2Islands in the NOW Project Finder, on the website of the Reiner-Lemoine-Institute or on the EXI website
- More on WRAP GH2 in the NOW Project Finder