According to Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD, and CEO of Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, the UAE will be the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to take significant steps to produce hydrogen using clean energy as part of its efforts to build an economy based on renewable energy sources, that helps increase foreign investments and ramp up high-end collaborations (Dewa).

This follows the increased demand for renewable energy in local markets, which supports the UAE's worldwide leadership role in pushing decarbonization across numerous important industries, according to Al Tayer in an op-ed published on Friday.

“In a new milestone underlining Dubai's leadership in clean and renewable energy, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, launched the Green Hydrogen project at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai on May 19th, 2021,” he stated. It is the first initiative of its sort in the Middle East and North Africa to create eco-friendly hydrogen using renewable energy.”

“Green hydrogen is an exciting and ecologically beneficial energy source. It is typically created by the electrolysis of water. Green hydrogen is one of the cornerstones of a sustainable future that relies on hastening the transformation to carbon neutrality to promote a green economy. Its goals are to grow the green mobility sector and reduce carbon emissions from large-scale sectors that emit a lot of carbon, like trucks, trains, ships, and aircraft, and to produce electricity. This implies it has the potential to help cut global CO2 emissions.

“If green hydrogen is effective in lowering the expenses of creating clean energy compared to its present price range of $3 6.5 per kilogram, it would undoubtedly be able to compete with hydrogen generated using fossil fuels and linked with carbon emissions, which costs less than a dollar.

“Just because, Green Hydrogen has big prospects, thanks to the work of our R&D Center, green hydrogen manufacturing will follow in the footsteps of solar power, wind power, and batteries. We experienced the same experience when we introduced the first phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, which featured 13 MW solar photovoltaic panels. The prototype project generates power from thin-film solar cells with 11.8% effectiveness and the cost of creating a kilowatt-hour of electrical energy is $0.11. We have currently achieved a 22% efficiency level.

“With the adoption of bifacial solar cell technology, self-cleaning remedies, and an advanced automatic sun tracking system, we would be able to boost energy production efficiency to 24% while still lowering the cost of generating a kilowatt-hour of electric power to $1.69, and these costs are still falling.

“Today, the world has witnessed a spike in popularity in investing in clean and renewable energy sources which will modify the global energy landscape over the next ten years, particularly for countries seeking to quickly recover from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic by shifting away from fossil fuels and toward environmentally friendly and comparatively low-cost energy sources. In line with this worldwide trend, the possibilities to use green hydrogen in power production and driving growth in a variety of critical industries have recently strengthened which justifies the successful launch of 320 pilot projects to manufacture green hydrogen in several countries. According to the most recent Frost & Sullivan estimate, yearly green hydrogen production would rise by 57% between 2019 and 2030, from 40,000 tonnes to 5.7 million tonnes.

“The UAE would be the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to take significant efforts toward producing hydrogen with sustainable energy. This contributes to its objective of developing an economy centered on renewable energy sources which aid in increasing foreign investment and expanding high-end collaborations. This marked the beginning of the rising demand for renewable energy in local markets, bolstering the UAE's worldwide leadership role in pushing decarbonization across a range of critical industries.

“The generation of green hydrogen is part of the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority's (DEWA) attempts to promote the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to deliver 75% of Dubai's overall power capacity from renewable energy sources by 2050. By supporting innovation, research, and development in energy storage, this initiative contributes to our efforts to enhance energy sources and boost investment. This will pave a way for the development of a clean energy-based economic system. This comprises green hydrogen, which is crucial in the global energy balance and in combating global warming.

“These approaches are focused on achieving the appropriate goals, and the Dubai Green Mobility Strategy 2030, to encourage the use of sustainable transport.  It also backs the UAE's Hydrogen Vehicles System, which has been authorized by the cabinet led by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai. This plan intends to grow the hydrogen economy, expand local markets for hydrogen cars, and increase the number of environmentally friendly cars on the road.

This is the foundation for supporting the use and licensing of hydrogen fuel-based cars, facilities, and equipment, which supports long-term growth that is balanced with the environment, economy, and society.