Global technology major Siemens Energy, in collaboration with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Expo 2020 Dubai, has announced the opening of the first industrial-scale, solar-driven green hydrogen facility in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Located at Dewa’s outdoor testing facility of the Research and Development (R&D) Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, this trailblazing green hydrogen project serves as a major milestone in the advancement of the sustainable energy industry in the region, said Siemens. 

It was inaugurated by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, in the presence of senior officials.

Siemens Energy said the integrated facility was developed with electrolysis, storage, and re-electrification capabilities, to maximise the benefits of the pilot project. Daylight solar power from the solar park will enable the pilot project to produce around 20.5 kg/hr of hydrogen at 1.25 MWe 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.

Utilising 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.

In his keynote speech, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, said: “This pioneering project which we have implemented with our strategic partner Siemens Energy is a role model for strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors.”

“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,” he noted.

“The plant has been built to accommodate future applications and test platforms for the different uses of hydrogen, including potential mobility and industrial uses. 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,” observed Al Tayer.

Dewa is building know-how, experience and capabilities to contribute in shaping the clean hydrogen future of the UAE, he added.