Integrative research into the future technology of green hydrogen
As part of an ongoing collaboration, the Namibia University of Science and Technology and the University of Stuttgart secured six months of funding for a collaborative research and learning project through Engagement Global's ASA Academia program.
During the project, researchers from Namibia and Germany will contextualize the Green Hydrogen Economy in the Namibia-German relationship. The primary focus is to make green hydrogen technology a better solution for people (social dimension), the environment (ecological dimension), the economy (economic dimension), and education and learning.
Besides production, conversion, and transport, there are also challenges with a distinctive social dimension. These include local communities' perspectives, hopes, fears, reservations, and potential benefits and participation in the emerging industry. Questions that are directly connected to empowerment, education, and vocational training. The issue's complexity is further increased by the ongoing negotiation of Namibia's and Germany's shared history, including the question of reparations for genocide and suspicion of neo-colonial and extractivist patterns.
Thus, the green hydrogen case in Namibia and Germany is a prime example of the complexity of many sustainability challenges worldwide. How can we improve in the face of such intricate entanglements?
We are excited to have the opportunity to work on such issues with our fabulous fellows, Linda Nauyoma, Pia Wacker, Jakob Hainyemba, and Martin Friedrich. They are dedicated to focusing not only on the technological side of things and the often repeated promises but also on the manifold critical dimensions.
The project is supervised by NUST's Academic Development and Support Division (Dr Colen Tuaundu, ADS), Prof Samuel John from the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Electrical Engineering (DMIEE), Dr. Ludger Eltrop from Stuttgart's Institute of Energy Economics and Rational Energy Use (IER) and Dr. Thorsten Braun from the Centre for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning (zlw).
The collaboration also contributes a Challenge to the SDG-Campus network!