Siemens Energy, in collaboration with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Expo 2020 Dubai, has inaugurated the first industrial scale, solar-driven green hydrogen facility in the Middle East and North Africa. Located at DEWA’s outdoor testing facility of the R&D Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, this green hydrogen project serves as a major milestone in the advancement of the sustainable energy industry in the region.  

The integrated facility was developed with electrolysis, storage, and re-electrification capabilities, to maximize the benefits of the pilot project. Daylight solar power from the solar park will enable the pilot project to produce around 20.5kg/hr of hydrogen at 1.25MWe of peak power. Operational data from the green hydrogen electrolysis will be displayed at Expo 2020, one of the most sustainable World Expos in history and the largest event ever held in the Arab world.

Utilizing this pilot project, DEWA aims to demonstrate the production of green hydrogen from solar power, as well as the storage, and re-electrification of hydrogen. This is a system that allows for buffering renewable energy production, both for fast response applications, as well as for long-term storage. The plant has been built to accommodate future applications and test platforms for the different uses of hydrogen, including potential mobility and industrial uses. 

"Through this pilot project DEWA aims to demonstrate the production of green hydrogen from solar power, its storage and re-electrification. This is a system that allows for buffering renewable energy production, both for fast response applications, as well as for long-term storage," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. "The plant has been built to accommodate future applications and test platforms for the different uses of hydrogen, including potential mobility and industrial uses.

Al Tayer also said that DEWA has already explored and developed a pilot project for green mobility using hydrogen that can be executed in the near future, in addition to a number of studies, business strategies and a potential roadmap for hydrogen usage.

Power for the green hydrogen project will be provided by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will generate 5,000 MW of clean energy by 2030 as the largest single-site solar park in the world. 

Hydrogen technologies will accelerate renewable energy integration and deployment in the region and pave the way for the transition to a sustainable and green economy in the UAE. Hydrogen is a highly efficient energy carrier.