Reliable electricity remains one of the biggest barriers to economic and social development across many rural regions of Africa. While solar energy is increasingly available, its intermittent nature continues to limit its ability to provide continuous and dependable power.

GH-SAFE addresses this challenge by exploring how green hydrogen can become a practical energy storage solution for off-grid and remote communities. The project brings together European and African research institutions, universities and technology providers to develop and validate an innovative power-to-hydrogen-to-power system capable of storing surplus renewable energy and delivering electricity when it is needed most in rural communities.

By combining renewable energy, hydrogen technologies and local stakeholder engagement, GH-SAFE aims to demonstrate a pathway towards more resilient and sustainable energy systems for underserved communities.

Why it matters

Access to electricity is not simply an energy challenge. It is a prerequisite for economic development, healthcare, education, food security and local entrepreneurship.

Across many rural African territories, solar photovoltaic systems have significantly improved energy access. However, the lack of affordable and reliable long-duration storage solutions often limits their impact. When the sun is not shining, communities frequently rely on diesel generators, resulting in higher costs, fuel dependency and environmental impacts.

GH-SAFE investigates an alternative approach. By converting excess solar electricity into green hydrogen and storing it safely for later use, the project seeks to bridge the gap between renewable energy production and reliable long-term energy availability.

The ambition is not only technological. Engreen and its local partner the University of Ziguinchor will be carrying out social acceptance activities to identify barriers to adoption iof green hydrogen among local communities while collecting local inputs for better contextualisation of the solution Sub-Saharan African contexts. The project explores, therefore,  how hydrogen solutions can be adapted to local contexts, operated safely, accepted by communities and integrated into future energy strategies across the African continent.

What the project does

GH-SAFE develops and validates a complete power-to-hydrogen-to-power (P2H2P) system designed for stand-alone applications.

The project focuses on converting surplus solar electricity into green hydrogen through advanced electrolysis technologies. The hydrogen is then stored using Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC), an approach that offers a safer and more practical alternative to conventional hydrogen storage methods. When electricity demand exceeds renewable generation, the stored hydrogen is converted back into electricity through a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine.

Alongside technology development, the project evaluates the economic feasibility, environmental performance and social acceptance of the solution. This includes stakeholder engagement activities, feasibility studies and replication assessments to understand how similar systems could be deployed across different African contexts.

The result is a holistic approach that combines engineering innovation with real-world implementation considerations.

Expected impact

GH-SAFE aims to demonstrate how green hydrogen can strengthen the reliability and resilience of renewable energy systems in remote and off-grid environments.

The project is expected to contribute to:

• Improved access to stable and continuous electricity in rural communities
• Reduced dependence on fossil fuels and diesel-based generation
• Increased opportunities for local businesses and productive uses of energy
• Lower greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts
• Enhanced participation of local stakeholders in energy planning processes
• Greater opportunities for women-led economic activities through improved energy availability
• Stronger cooperation between Europe and Africa in renewable energy research and innovation

By addressing technical, economic and social dimensions simultaneously, GH-SAFE seeks to create a replicable model for future renewable energy deployment across the continent.

Engreen’s role

Within GH-SAFE, Engreen contributes its experience in sustainable energy deployment, stakeholder engagement and innovation uptake across African and European contexts.

Engreen supports project management activities while leading the assessment of social acceptance and stakeholder perspectives around green hydrogen solutions. Through engagement with local communities, institutions and end users, Engreen helps ensure that technological innovation remains aligned with real needs, local expectations and long-term adoption potential.

The company also contributes to replication and impact assessment activities, supporting the identification of pathways for future deployment of green hydrogen solutions beyond the project’s initial scope.

This role reflects Engreen’s broader mission of transforming sustainability into action by connecting technology, people and implementation.

Consortium

GH-SAFE brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of research organisations, universities, technology providers and innovation actors from Europe and Africa. The partnership combines expertise in hydrogen technologies, renewable energy systems, engineering, socio-economic assessment, stakeholder engagement and real-world deployment.

Project Coordinator

• CNRS (France)

Project Partners

• CRMT (France)
• Instituto Superior Técnico – IST (Portugal)
• IRESEN (Morocco)
• BluEnergy Revolution (Italy)
• North-West University – NWU (South Africa)
• University of Limpopo – UL (South Africa)
• Energy-Lab, University of La Réunion (France)
• Leibniz University Hannover – LUH (Germany)
• Engreen (Italy / Senegal)
• Assane Seck University – UASZ (Senegal)
• Apodissi Ltd (Nigeria)
• École Nationale des Sciences Appliquées d’El Jadida – ENSA-J (Morocco)

Together, the consortium combines scientific excellence, technological innovation and on-the-ground knowledge to develop practical green hydrogen solutions tailored to the realities of rural and off-grid communities across Africa.

Official website: https://gh-safe.eu/

This project has been funded by ANR, FCT, MESRI, MUR, DSTI-NRF, ARI, Projekträger Jülich PTJ,  LGI under the LEAP-SE project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Program Cofund Action under Grant Agreement 101172838