LOCEL-H2 (low-cost, circular, plug-and-play off-grid energy for remote locations including hydrogen)

Many communities in developing regions suffer disproportionately from energy poverty and the effects of climate change. Females in these communities face additional threats, including exposure to harmful cooking emissions. LoCEL-H2 will address underlying causes of these issues by providing renewable, cost-effective, plug-n-play, and sustainable provision of electrical energy and accessto clean fuels. Our integrated prosumer renewable energy solution will be developed in harmony with local communities’ needs; our SSH team will evaluate critical socioeconomic factors for use in system development and future rollout. It is our ambition to provide operational training for deployment communities and future local partners. LoCEL-H2 features three impressive technical innovations: 1) a unique, low cost, hydrogen-based energy solution, the Battolyser, 2) a novel battery technology, with high performance and excellent circularity, 3) a decentralized, peer-to-peer, prosumer microgrid designed holistically to facilitate sustainable rollout. Following system-level integration & validation (via a virtual pilot and a pre-pilot in Asia at TRL-7), the LoCEL-H2 team will deploy two full-scale TRL-8 pilots in Africa(Côte d'Ivoire and Zambia), including physical, digital, and social tools, achieving TRL-8 by the end of the current project. Our team’s existing commercial networks—Asian and African—will enable the further post-project commercial rollout of LoCEL-H2, boosting European export potential in sustainable energy solutions