About HygO

Creating microgrids that are robust and effective and can be used flexibly for different application scenarios is a solution for the energy transition. At the same time, their scalability must allow the system to “grow along”with increasing demand. The most important aspect, however, is to ensure economic production that guarantees cost parity with the current fossil alternatives. In this way, the basis can be created that will ultimately lead to a market ramp-up of hydrogen-based microgrids and ultimately to acceptance by the population. Furthermore, the branding “Made in Germany”, which continues to be regarded worldwide as a seal of quality and innovation both for classic export goodsof mechanical and plant engineering and increasingly for GreenTech products, is to be used to establish a Hydrogen & Oxygen Biotope Namibia for microgrids in Namibia. The central component is a microgrid in which an electrolyser for hydrogen production and a fuel cell stack for reverse power generation are compactly combined.

The microgrid was designed from the outset with a closed water cycle for reasons of resource efficiency. This means that if the microgrid is filled once with clean deionised water, this becomes hydrogen in the electrolysis process, which is later turned back into water in the fuel cell stack with the addition of atmospheric oxygen. This is then fed back into the electrolysis process, thus closing the energy generation-water cycle.Clean drinking water is generally scarce in Namibia and Africa and is therefore a very valuable resource. It is reluctantly used in technical processes, as this is often socially unacceptable. In contrast, polluted water, so-called “dirty water”, is much more common and also available in sufficiently high quantities. For this reason, the oxygen released during electrolysis, combined with other filter technologies, is to be used to treat drinking water from dirty water. The addition of oxygen, the “waste product”of electrolysis, causes bacteria in dirty water to multiply in general. They thus become active and promote water purification, e.g. by destroying carbon and other pollutant particles.