EXI diversity: German green tech know-how for more environmental protection worldwide

With a total volume of EUR 5.3 million, 13 new projects started this year in the EXI priority areas of water and waste water management, circular economy and cross-sectional technologies, as well as green hydrogen and fuel cell technology for off-grid applications.

With its Export Initiative Environmental Protection (EXI), the German Federal Environment Ministry is helping mid-sized German green tech companies to prepare and pilot investment – not least because green technologies will make a decisive contribution to the sustainable transformation of our economies, both in a domestic and global context. With its domestic green tech sector, characterised by a strong midsize enterprise presence, Germany is well positioned in the global market. EXI has established itself as a successful programme and is therefore helping Made-in-Germany environmental protection take on a key role within the German government’s overseas economic development.

EUR 5.3 million for 13 projects that will run until no longer than 2025

A total of 37 EXI projects with various funding focuses are currently running in a wide range of countries, of which 13 projects alone stem from the sixth funding round. Other projects from the seventh funding round in 2023 will start in the first quarter of 2024. The next funding call from EXI for 2024 is already in preparation. This is therefore a good opportunity to look at the impressive diversity exhibited by projects approved for funding during this year. The projects started during the current year concentrate on the following priority areas.

Water and waste water management

Five projects in Africa, Asia and Europe have received a grant within this key subject area: AHK Aserbaidschan, InReUse, pharmIn2, RecyH2o and WSSP2.

As one example, the pharmIn2 project has set itself the goal of piloting the use of a certain kind of technology to treat the highly polluted waste water produced by the pharmaceutical industry. RecyH2o will be looking to complete an implementability study to assess and evaluate the potential for an innovative anaerobic water treatment technology for deployment in Ivory Coast. The deployment of this technology aims to enable energy- and cost-efficient waste water treatment in the country.

Circular economy and cross-sectional technologies

Both the AHK project ‘AHK Saudi Arabia 3’ and S-IRCLE are implementing circular economy projects in Saudi Arabia. S-IRCLE aims to use a smart and reusable small scale absorber to meet the need for efficient, effective and durable biogas filters in the country. The ‘AHK Kuba2’ project addresses two subject areas at the same time, namely the circular economy plus water and waste water management. In Cuba and the countries of Central America and the Caribbean, the aim is to train and certify Cuban specialists on a pilot facility using German technology.

Green hydrogen and fuel cell technology for off-grid applications (e.g. replacing diesel generators)

Alongside the topics of water/waste water management, the circular economy and cross-sectional technologies, five projects received a grant in the priority area of green hydrogen and fuel cell technology: the AHK projects ‘APC Brazil H2’, ‘APC Philippines H2 2.0’ and ‘APC New Zealand H2’, as well as the projects ‘HygO’ in Namibia and ‘GH2GH’ in Ghana.

As one example, the GH2GH project aims to develop green hydrogen for decentralised energy systems in sub-Saharan Africa and specifically at a pilot facility in Ghana. In the course of the project, a system for the production, storage and usage of green hydrogen will be developed and trialled using solar-powered mini-grid systems. The main focus here is on an integrated approach to the system across its entire lifecycle. General conditions for the evaluation and development of use cases for decentralised energy supply are to be created.

Focus on capital components

One new aspect since the last funding round is pro rata funding for hardware procurement, setup and commissioning. This can be understood to mean parts and components, machinery, pilot facilities, the expansion or adaptation of existing facilities or other infrastructure, with whose help the application of German environmental technology or environmental expertise can be trialled, tested or further developed.Of the 13 projects funded, a total of 6 projects are receiving this type of funding.