(Dubai/UAE) – In Dubai, top politicians and officials inaugurated the “Green Hydrogen” project, the first solar-powered green hydrogen production facility in the MENA region. It is part of the “Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum” solar park named after the Emir of Dubai. The electrolyser was installed in collaboration with state-owned energy provider Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens Energy. 
With this pilot plant, DEWA wants to demonstrate the production of green hydrogen from solar energy, storage and re-electrification. The system enables the buffering of solar power. Different hydrogen applications are to be tested, for example in the areas of mobility and industry.
The “Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park” is currently the world’s largest connected solar project. Construction began in 2012 and is expected to be completed in 2030. When completed, both photovoltaic and solar thermal power plants (CSP) with an output of 5.000 megawatts will be installed. The total investment is estimated at 50 billion UAE dirhams (11,2 billion euros).
The green electricity can be used to produce around 20,5 kilograms of hydrogen per hour with a peak output of 1,25 megawatts, according to Siemens Energy. Electrolysis operational data will be shown at Expo 2020, said to be “one of the most sustainable world exhibitions in history and the largest event ever held in the Arab world.” The Expo was postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will now take place from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution”
The “Green Hydrogen” project covers an area of 10.000 square meters in the Outdoor Testing Facility (OTF) of the DEWA Research and Development Center. In his speech at the inauguration, Dewa managing director Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer emphasized that there was “a clear direction for the energy sector” in Dubai. This includes expanding the use of clean energy, the use of digital transformation and smart grids as “tools of the fourth industrial revolution”, and disruptive technologies to exploit their impact on the energy and water sectors.
The R&D center collaborates with several academic institutions such as Stanford University, UAE University, Khalifa University of Science and Technology and the University of Sharjah to conduct joint research in the field of renewable energy. The scientists focus on four main areas: electricity generation from solar energy, integration of smart grids, energy efficiency and water. The program also includes tests of photovoltaic modules for performance and reliability under desert climatic conditions, according to a white paper from Siemens Energy.
Dubai aims to meet around 2050 percent of its electricity needs from clean energy sources by 75 as part of its “Clean Energy Strategy” and plans to become “a global center for clean energy and green economy”. The planned investments of 600 billion UAE dirhams (134 billion euros) are intended to ensure sustainable economic growth, increase the efficiency of energy consumption by individuals and organizations by 40 percent and achieve savings of 700 billion UAE dirhams.
deep link
https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-us/media-publications/latest-news/2021/05/green-hydrogen-project
https://press.siemens-energy.com/global/en/pressrelease/siemens-energy-and-partners-inaugurate-first-industrial-scale-green-hydrogen-project
White Paper, Siemens Energy, PDF (23 pages)
https://www.siemens-energy.com/mea/en/company/megaprojects/dewa-green-hydrogen-project.html
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The “Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park” will be completed in five stages by 2050. In addition to photovoltaics, it will include a parabolic trough complex and a solar tower, 70.000 heliostats and a thermal storage capacity of 15 hours. The area of the site is 127 square kilometers. Reverse osmosis will desalinate 50 cubic meters (50.000 liters) of seawater every day and make it usable as drinking water, according to the “White Paper” from Siemens Energy. © DEWA
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Inauguration ceremony of the “Green Hydrogen” project / © DEWA
