Fraunhofer IWES joins Hyphen project in Namibia

Feb 15, 2024

Other articles

The Cost Curve Doesn’t Lie: Why Green Molecules Still Win

Three years ago, Namibia was being talked about as the next great green energy frontier. A sparsely populated country with world-class sun and wind poised to become a green hydrogen superpower. Since then, the mood has cooled. Financial close on large-scale projects is taking longer, due to slower market demand ramp-up and geopolitical headwinds.  Has the opportunity come and gone for Namibia? 

It hasn’t. The scale-up has been slower than the early hype promised, but the underlying fundamentals that position Namibia as a major emerging supplier remain unchanged. If anything, it has strengthened. To understand why, it helps to look for the signal amongst the market noise, to the direction that the global energy system is actually heading.

Namibia-Germany Enterprise and Supplier Development Mission

Hyphen Hydrogen Energy has concluded the Namibia-Germany Enterprise and Supplier Development Mission, a seven-day programme designed to connect Namibian businesses and training institutions with German technical, industrial and training partners.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) will work on planning the wind farm as part of Hyphen’s green hydrogen project.

The scale of the project poses significant challenges for current site assessment methods, meaning that Fraunhofer IWES will use innovative and precise approaches for wind field calculations to optimise yield.

The area where the wind farm will be located is on the coast south of Lüderitz, which has distinctive climatic conditions. By leveraging data from global reanalysis data sources, Fraunhofer IWES will be able to make precise wind field calculations down to a few kilometres. The team will focus on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of wind in complex terrains as well as seasonal and daily influences on wind patterns to ensure the best possible use of Namibia’s wind resource.

ENERTRAG will provide measurement data that will be integrated into simulations, enabling correlation and calibration with the work of Fraunhofer IWES.

Marco Raffinetti, CEO of Hyphen, said: “The team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Hyphen, and will help drive our project forward using innovative techniques and first-class analysis. It is vital that we harness the power of Namibia’s wind and sun to create huge benefits for the country and its citizens, and we are pleased to welcome the institute on board.”

Dr Bernhard Stoevesandt, Head of Department Aerodynamics, CFD, and Stochastic Dynamics, Fraunhofer IWES, explained: “The proper assessment of a site is key to the economic success of a wind farm. The computational simulation methods allow local and time-dependent analysis of the yields for all wind turbine locations in a project of this scale. This makes it possible to minimize the risks of the project in accordance with the latest R&D findings. We are looking forward to working together closely with ENERTRAG on the Hyphen project.”

Ulrich Heindl, Head of Department, Energy Systems, ENERTRAG, said: “We are looking forward to collaborating closely with Fraunhofer IWES, drawing upon their experience and expertise in wind field analysis. Leveraging their vast knowledge gained from years of pioneering research, we are confident about achieving the optimal yield for our ambitious project. This collaboration marks a significant step towards mitigating planning risks and ensuring the best business case for the Hyphen project.”

Other articles

The Cost Curve Doesn’t Lie: Why Green Molecules Still Win

Three years ago, Namibia was being talked about as the next great green energy frontier. A sparsely populated country with world-class sun and wind poised to become a green hydrogen superpower. Since then, the mood has cooled. Financial close on large-scale projects is taking longer, due to slower market demand ramp-up and geopolitical headwinds.  Has the opportunity come and gone for Namibia? 

It hasn’t. The scale-up has been slower than the early hype promised, but the underlying fundamentals that position Namibia as a major emerging supplier remain unchanged. If anything, it has strengthened. To understand why, it helps to look for the signal amongst the market noise, to the direction that the global energy system is actually heading.

Namibia-Germany Enterprise and Supplier Development Mission

Hyphen Hydrogen Energy has concluded the Namibia-Germany Enterprise and Supplier Development Mission, a seven-day programme designed to connect Namibian businesses and training institutions with German technical, industrial and training partners.

Let's connect

We love hearing from people who are interested in our project. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for on this page, then get in touch by filling in our online form. We’ll do our best to get back to you as soon as we can.

Contact us