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Press Release19 May 2021Siemens EnergyDubai
Siemens Energy and partners inaugurate first industrial scale Green Hydrogen Project in the Middle East and North Africa
The plant was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee. His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian & Scientific Foundation; Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai; His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA); Dr. Christian Bruch, President and CEO of Siemens Energy, and officials from the public and private sectors were present.
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.
Her
Excellency Reem Al Hashimy said: “The Green Hydrogen project is leading by
example, showing how technology and collaboration can help build a cleaner,
safer and healthier future for everyone. It epitomises the shared desire of
Expo 2020 Dubai, DEWA, our Official Sustainable Energy Partner, and Siemens
Energy to develop a global culture of innovation and deploy life-changing ideas
and technologies around sustainability.”
“Expo 2020
congratulates all those involved, and believes this innovative project will
inspire many more creative solutions that tackle some of the greatest
challenges facing our planet. In less than five months, we will celebrate these
ground-breaking collaborations, showcasing the UAE’s commitment to the
Sustainable Development Goals and creating a meaningful legacy that will have a
positive impact beyond the site and the six months of Expo.”
“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. 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. DEWA
is building know-how, experience and capabilities to contribute in shaping the
clean hydrogen future of the UAE.” said His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer,
MD & CEO of DEWA.
“This landmark Green Hydrogen Project
highlights the importance of partnership in driving forward innovative new
clean energy solutions and tackling the existential threat from global climate
change. As the first industrial scale facility to produce green hydrogen in the
Middle East and North Africa, it is an important milestone of the energy
transformation. We look forward to working together to decarbonize industries
that are hard to abate with renewable energy alone,” said Christian Bruch, CEO
of Siemens Energy.
”We are delighted about this excellent
example of cooperation between German and UAE partners and hope that this is
the first of many industrial scale green hydrogen projects in the region. The
German government will continue to drive cooperation on hydrogen between the
UAE and Germany in the context of our bilateral Energy Partnership and expect
further bilateral projects to be launched soon”, said Parliamentary State
Secretary Thomas Bareiss MdB from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy.
Power for the Green Hydrogen Project will
be provided by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will
generate 5,000 megawatts of clean energy by 2030 as the largest single-site
solar park in the world.
Hydrogen can be used for
re-electrification through gas motors, gas turbines and fuel cells. It can also
be used as a feedstock for the chemical industry (e.g. ammonia, syn-fuels,
green-chemicals, etc.), as fuel for transportation, a reducing agent for the
steel industry, as heat for industrial processes, gas for residential heating
and cooking purposes, or energy for export.
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. Upon combustion, the only byproduct of this
zero-emissions fuel is water, making it an ideal medium for electrification and
the substitution of fossil fuels in industrial processes and other applications
by way of sector coupling. It can be transported using existing pipeline
infrastructure and/or via trailers and tankers, either as hydrogen or derivatives
like ammonia, methanol, etc.
Moreover, hydrogen is very suitable for
large-scale, as well as long-term, and high-capacity storage and can provide
fast and sustained energy levels, suitable to offset intermittent output from
some renewable energy sources. It can be used to fuel gas turbines, which offer
the flexibility and fast ramp-up needed to balance volatile power generation
from some renewable sources.
The operational experience gained from the
Green Hydrogen Project will be invaluable in developing sustainable and
carbon-free solutions for numerous industries, which will drive green economic
growth for the benefit of future generations.
Against the background of low costs of
electricity for solar PV and wind power in the region, hydrogen has the
potential to be a key fuel in the energy mix of the future and could open up
energy export opportunities for those areas with access to abundant renewable
energies.
Siemens Energy is one of the world’s leading energy technology companies. The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, thus supporting the transition to a more sustainable world. With its portfolio of products, solutions and services, Siemens Energy covers almost the entire energy value chain – from power generation and transmission to storage. The portfolio includes conventional and renewable energy technology, such as gas and steam turbines, hybrid power plants operated with hydrogen, and power generators and transformers. More than 50 percent of the portfolio has already been decarbonized. A majority stake in the listed company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) makes Siemens Energy a global market leader for renewable energies. An estimated one-sixth of the electricity generated worldwide is based on technologies from Siemens Energy. Siemens Energy employs more than 90,000 people worldwide in more than 90 countries and generated revenue of around €27.5 billion in fiscal year 2020.
www.siemens-energy.com.