More Chinese hydrogen technology on its way to Africa

From the newsletter

China’s LONGi Hydrogen, a leading solar technology solutions provider, has signed an agreement with a Namibian hydrogen developer to supply a fully integrated electrolyser unit. The system comprises an ALK Hi1 electrolyser and Balance of Plant (BoP) that will be deployed in a large-scale project scheduled to begin operations in 2027.

• The technology is expected to cut energy use and lower operational costs, while ensuring reliable long-term performance and stronger economic returns for the project.

• LONGi will provide end-to-end support spanning project design, equipment supply, and on-site implementation, working closely with the developer to ensure smooth execution and stable operation.

More details

• LONGi Hydrogen’s ALK Hi1 electrolyser is an advanced alkaline water electrolysis system designed to produce green hydrogen efficiently at large scale. It uses an integrated Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) power supply for high energy efficiency, fast response to renewable power fluctuations and low energy losses, while meeting international standards including Conformité Européenne (CE) certification.

• With many green hydrogen projects in Africa aiming to supply both domestic and international markets, particularly Europe, CE-compliant systems are a valuable asset. They demonstrate compliance with strict EU safety, quality and environmental requirements while facilitating international investment and market access. CE certification also ensures long-term operational safety and reliability, reducing the risk of accidents, downtime or costly retrofits.

• The accompanying Balance of Plant (BoP) systems include all supporting infrastructure such as water treatment, cooling, gas handling, power controls and safety systems, ensuring the electrolyser operates efficiently. Together, the electrolyser and BoP form a fully integrated solution, which reduces technical, operational and safety risks compared with standalone electrolysers that require separate installation and coordination of ancillary systems.

• By providing a fully tested and coordinated package, LONGi minimises mismatches in power, cooling and gas handling, enhances system reliability, incorporates comprehensive safety monitoring and optimises lifecycle performance. These benefits also simplify project delivery, reduce potential downtime and lower overall operational costs, making integrated systems especially attractive to investors and developers.

• “The signing of the Namibia project marks another breakthrough in Africa, following our earlier 10MW project in North Africa, and brings the number of countries with signed projects to ten, an important milestone in the company’s international journey,” said LONGi’s President, Jun Ma.

• Upon completion, the project is expected to promote decarbonisation objectives through the deployment of hydrogen-based solutions across sectors including road transport (truck, bus), rail (locomotive), off-road applications (tractor), off-grid power generation (genset) and maritime applications (port vessel).

• Founded in 2000, LONGi is a leading global player in solar and green hydrogen technologies, specialising in commercial and industrial distributed solar solutions, building-integrated photovoltaics and hydrogen equipment.

Our take

• The agreement signals Namibia’s commitment to turning its green hydrogen ambitions into reality by backing bold plans with advanced technology and international partnerships. 

• Namibia’s adoption of integrated and CE-marked electrolyser systems signals a deliberate move to de-risk its green hydrogen rollout and position it as a credible player in the green hydrogen value chain. 

• The Namibian approach to hydrogen technologies could set a benchmark for other African nations seeking to scale hydrogen projects while minimising technical and operational risks.