Dubai’s Green Hydrogen Project:
Dubai’s Green Hydrogen Project: Creating Clean Fuel by Using Solar Power
Dubai is working to become the world’s lowest carbon-emitting city. The United Arab Emirates has unveiled its strategic initiative of achieving Net Zero by 2050. This initiative uses renewable energy as one of the cornerstones of combating climate change and lowering greenhouse gases. Dubai will establish its green hydrogen plant powered by solar energy in collaboration with DEWA, Expo 2020 Dubai, and Siemens Energy. The plant will be constructed at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.
Green hydrogen is crucial to decarbonizing the global economy and accelerating the energy transition. Hydrogen technology will lay the groundwork for Dubai to adopt a sustainable economy. The following sections will discuss the future of sustainable energy, private-public collaboration, the operation of the pilot project, and the implications of green hydrogen.
The Future of Sustainable Energy Depends On Green Hydrogen
Maintaining economic development alongside lowering and managing the consequences of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and other GHG is a dilemma for the world. By 2050, Dubai will have achieved its goal of net-zero emissions to avert a catastrophic event and speed up the clean energy transition. Hydrogen is increasingly being viewed by experts and policymakers as an exciting and new technology that could change the world. The green hydrogen project in Dubai has established an AED50 million ($14 million) green hydrogen plant at MBR park, which will generate approximately 20.5 kg/hr of hydrogen at 1.25MWe of peak power using daylight solar energy.
Creating a Groundbreaking Public-Private Collaboration
In a public-private partnership (PPP) project, Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), and Siemens Energy have joined forces. A strategic partnership between the government and private sectors has been formed among these three players to promote sustainability and innovation. The facility’s capacity to produce green hydrogen on an industrial scale will be tested during Expo 2020 Dubai. Further, the facility will demonstrate the process of storing and deploying green hydrogen in a variety of applications.
Leveraging The Solar Park to Operate the Pilot Project
MBR Solar Park, modeled on the Independent Power Producer concept, will be developed in five phases to create the biggest single-site solar park in the world. An array of parabolic basins, 70,000 heliostats, and thermal storage for 15 hours will be part of the facility. In the entire UAE region, it is the first solar park of its kind. Dubai will rely more on renewable energy sources for generating electricity through this project, which is the first of many other projects.
Implications of Green Hydrogen for Future
It is expected that the green hydrogen project will expedite the acceptance of clean energy across the Middle East region. The mobility sector can be further electrified with hydrogen. Despite this, it allows heavy industry to consume chemicals produced through electrolysis with renewable energy. With the use of gas turbines or gas motors and fuel cells, hydrogen can be used for re-electrification. Green hydrogen serves multiple purposes like feedstock for chemicals such as ammonia, energy for export, and gas for household cooking and heating purposes. Further, the transportation sector can consume it for the purpose of fueling vehicles, and the steel industry can use hydrogen as a reducing agent.
