Most of the hydrogen has been used to produce over 1.15 Gwh of clean electricity via a hydrogen gas engine, helping to abate 515 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The project is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to use solar power to produce hydrogen. It was implemented by DEWA, in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens Energy, at the outdoor testing facilities of the R&D Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

The pilot plant has been designed to accommodate future applications and test platforms for the different uses of hydrogen, in sectors including industry and transport.

It uses hydrogen through a combined heat and power unit of about 300 kilowatts of electrical energy.

The project supports DEWA’s efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of Dubai’s energy capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

The UAE’s National Hydrogen Strategy aims to establish the nation as a leader in low-emission hydrogen production by 2031, targeting 1.4 million tonnes a year.