Namibia project achieves gigawatt milestone in hydrogen technology for the subsidiary company SMA Altenso
SMA Altenso (Altenso), a subsidiary of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA), is driving the flexible use of renewable energies forward with innovative projects worldwide. Following the successful delivery and installation of SMA inverter technology for Cleanergy Solutions Namibia’s hydrogen project, Altenso has now surpassed the milestone of 1 gigawatt (GW) in total power delivered for hydrogen applications. The current project integrates photovoltaics, battery storage, and hydrogen production, underscoring Altenso’s strategic focus as a global pioneer in sustainable energy supply.
Dr. Jens Eiko Birkholz, Head of Sales & Business Development from Altenso, said:
We are proud of this gigawatt milestone and of more than 80 successfully implemented hydrogen projects, which mostly produce green hydrogen using PV and wind energy,
“Our team has extensive technological expertise and years of experience in international project management. These skills are essential for successfully implementing increasingly complex projects, including offshore implementations. Overall, the projects we support enable the production of up to 130,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, actively contributing to the decarbonization of industrial processes.”
SMA CEO Jürgen Reinert, said:
In the rapidly evolving global market for hydrogen and renewable energy, stable grid integration and efficient load control are crucial,
“With SMA’s innovative technologies providing these functions and Altenso’s well established project business, we are making a significant contribution to integrating renewable energies into the utility grid and shaping the future of energy.”
For the current project on Namibia’s Atlantic coast, Altenso is not only carrying out the system integration of the battery storage system (BESS) but also serving as a power-to-gas (P2G) solution provider for integrated hydrogen production. The installation and commissioning of the PV farm and battery inverter technology were successfully completed at the end of 2024. Hydrogen production is scheduled to start in the middle 2025. The rectifier solution, which was specially developed by SMA for hydrogen applications, is based on grid-friendly and efficient IGBT technology. This solution is highly flexible and compatible with various electrolyzer types, such as PEM, SOEC, or alkaline. Integrated grid services, such as fault ride-through (FRT) and dynamic reactive power support, significantly contribute to the success of the system.
Altenso has developed a cutting-edge energy management system (EMS) specifically for projects like this. This system optimizes sustainable hydrogen production based on PV forecasts and dynamic demand profiles.
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Namibia project achieves gigawatt milestone in hydrogen technology for the subsidiary company SMA Altenso, source
