Namibia

Solarcentury Africa and SolNam have secured a generation licence from Namibia’s Electricity Control Board (ECB) to build a 60 MWp solar project in the southern part of the country.

The Namibian government is looking for consultants to provide development, environmental and advisory services for a range of renewable energy projects, including solar, wind and battery energy storage systems (BESS).

ITM Power says it has restructured its business to shift its focus from hydrogen refueling to PEM electrolysis tech, while Stahlwerk Thüringen and gas network operator Ferngas have agreed to connect the Unterwellenborn steel mill in Germany to a hydrogen network by 2027.

Namibian utility NamPower is seeking an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor to build a solar farm in Rosh Pinah, a southern mining town. The project was originally designed for wind power generation.

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have agreed to collaborate with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on hydrogen, while Masdar, Mitsubishi and Inpex have said that they will use green hydrogen to produce e-methane and polypropylene.

German investors have agreed to back a hydrogen project in Namibia, while Plug Power and Thyssenkrupp Nucera have announced separate hydrogen-related deals in Sweden.

Researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland said that chemical energy storages were needed for short and long-term balancing in every climate region, especially in the northern climates. Meanwhile, companies are moving forward with their plans to produce hydrogen in Namibia and Morocco.

Chigozie Nweke-Eze is an economist, geographer and founder of Integrated Africa Power. He sat down with pv magazine to discuss green hydrogen development in Africa, from the project pipeline to the necessity of “additionality” when it comes to ensuring hydrogen doesn’t become yet another exploited African resource.

The European Union has set ambitious targets for solar PV expansion but is Brussels designing the right policies to support growth? Andreas Walstad investigates.

Three import deals signed by the EU at Sharm El Sheikh during this month’s COP27 summit show the European Union is serious about harnessing green hydrogen for its heavy industry, and about distributing the fruits of the energy transition on an equitable basis.