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The UAE’s abundant solar energy resources will enable the country to maintain a leadership role in hydrogen production, a senior Masdar executive told Investment Monitor. 

“Abu Dhabi and the UAE [more generally] have been leading players in renewable clean energy and will now be in alternative fuel and hydrogen,” Mohammad Abdelqader El Ramahi, Director, Asset Management and Technical Services, Masdar, told the publication in an interview. “Because of the solar abundance and the high radiation of solar here in the Middle East, green hydrogen will be produced at the lowest cost possible internationally. That is why the chance for us to play a primary role in hydrogen generally, and green hydrogen particularly, is very high.”

In January, Masdar signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Group, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Siemens Energy, and Marubeni Corporation to support the development of Abu Dhabi’s green hydrogen economy. The initiative aims to establish a demonstrator plant at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable urban development community, to explore the development of green hydrogen, sustainable fuels and e-kerosene production for transport, shipping, and aviation.

“Because of the solar abundance and the high radiation of solar here in the Middle East, green hydrogen will be produced at the lowest cost possible internationally. That is why the chance for us to play a primary role in hydrogen generally, and green hydrogen particularly, is very high,” El Ramahi told Investment Monitor. 

The UAE has formed a ‘hydrogen alliance’ between national oil company ADNOC, Mubadala Investment Company, owner of Masdar, and ADQ. Badr Al-Olama, executive director of UAE clusters at Mubadala, said at an online event in March that green hydrogen production could reach 530 million tonnes by 2050, displacing 10.5 billion barrels of oil. 

Masdar’s investments abroad are informing domestic clean energy development in the UAE, El Ramahi also said during the interview with Investment Monitor. He cited Masdar’s co-investment in the Batwind project in Scotland, the world’s first offshore wind farm with battery storage, which is helping Masdar to develop utility-scale storage solutions. 

Masdar also plans to develop domestic wind farms using the latest class three turbines that are able to harness electricity, even from low wind speeds, Investment Monitor said. 

Masdar is a key partner for Siemens Energy’s MEA Energy Week virtual conference, designed to drive forward the sustainability and decarbonization agenda at a defining moment in the energy industry.  

With the long-term impacts of COVID-19-19 and a fundamental shift in energy markets still being realized, the event, entitled ‘Shaping the Energy of Tomorrow,’ will help the energy industry to collaborate to realize a future that is sustainable, efficient, affordable and accessible, in line with the ideals laid out by UN Sustainable Goal 7. 

Other partners in the event, taking place from October 19-21, include the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK); the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ghorfa); and the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS). 

The world-class speaker line-up currently features numerous regional ministers, CEOs, energy and finance industry leaders and Siemens Energy experts for the eight panel sessions. Ministers from Benin, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria and the UAE are scheduled to participate in the conference. Senior executives from Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company, ADNOC, Crescent Petroleum, DEWA, Euler Hermes, Masdar, Mubadala and Saudi Aramco have also confirmed their participation. 

The panelists will address the numerous challenges and opportunities that the energy industry faces amid the twin goals of improving access to energy and meeting growing demand on the one hand, while also doing so in an environmentally and financially sustainable manner. Topics such as financing sustainable energy projects, integrating renewables into grids, incorporating digitalization and automaton, decarbonizing hydrocarbon intensive industries, and utilizing green hydrogen, will be at the forefront of panel discussions.  

“Around 850 million people on our planet still lack access to reliable electricity, this must be improved. As an independent company, Siemens Energy has the entrepreneurial flexibility to help shape the global transformation of the energy markets in a sustainable and economically successful manner,” said Dietmar Siersdorfer, Siemens Energy Middle East Managing Director. “But this change can only be achieved with global awareness, willingness to adapt and strong partnerships. That is what makes this event so important. The impressive list of participants highlights the desire to collaborate on finding solutions to the challenges.”   

This important and timely event comes shortly after the listing of Siemens Energy on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on September 28, following a spin-off from Siemens AG. An estimated one-sixth of the world's power generation is already based on technologies from Siemens Energy. 

“If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we need to prepare today to deliver a sustainable future tomorrow – we need to work together to make the transition to a clean energy world. ‘Shaping the Energy of Tomorrow’ aligns with Masdar’s mission to advance the development of viable sustainability solutions, and we look forward to engaging with Siemens Energy and other partners at this pivotal time for the energy sector,” said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar. 

“The ‘Shaping the Energy of Tomorrow’ virtual conference is a remarkable initiative that aims to create an excellent platform to discuss the essential economic challenges of today and tomorrow. The event brings together energy industry leaders and policymakers at a time of potentially drastic change for the energy industry,” said Dr. Volker Treier, Chief Executive of Foreign Trade and Member of the Executive Board, DIHK.   

"Together with Siemens Energy, Arab decision-makers and energy experts joining this conference, we are aiming to generate more collaborations to advance a sustainable energy future through the implementations of ambitious agendas and the adoption of new technologies and innovations,” said Abdulaziz Al-Mikhlafi, Secretary General Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Shaping the path of the energy transition, could be realized only via dialogue and addressing challenges, to ensure sustainable transformation and support the economic recovery following COVID-19”. 

“We must continue to focus our effort to change the way we live our lives in order to get ahead of global issues such as climate change that are facing humanity today. This means turning discussions into actions, as seen with our recently launched global initiative - The Green Chain, which aims to decarbonise industry, deploy Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies for global good, accelerate the use of clean energy, and promote social responsibility across borders.” said Badr Al-Olama, Head of the Organising Committee for GMIS. 

Realised through the collaborative efforts and synergy of Masdar’s Energy Services unit, Mubadala and Khazna, the Khazna Solar Car Park project has been energized. 

Led by Masdar’s Energy Services unit, our team installed a solar PV system on the car park roof of the Khazna Data Centre located inside Masdar City. The collaboration paves the way for future sustainability initiatives at other Khazna facilities across the UAE. The solar park will displace nearly 300 tons of CO2 per year, the same amount generated by around 65 passenger vehicles a year. 

Designed to be more than 40 percent more energy efficient than a typical data centre, the Khazna Data Centre has a Pearl 3 rating under the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s green building code, Estidama. 

“In recent years, data has been exponentially growing in the Middle East. Through our work on Khazna’s Masdar City branch with the Solar Car Park project, we continue to promote and develop the use of small scale solutions that support the wider clean energy agenda, setting a precedent in the industry,” said Yousef Al Ali, Acting Executive Director, Clean Energy 

“Khazna is the only dedicated commercial wholesale data centre provider in the UAE, protecting mission-critical data using the highest levels of security and operational reliability,” said Hassan Alnaqbi, CEO, Khazna Data Centers. “Through our collaboration with Masdar and Mubadala, we were able to create a successful project that will serve as a pilot for additional sustainable initiatives at other Khazna facilities in the future.”

The pilot project aims to assess how efficiently the rapid charger technology will function in the region’s harsh climatic conditions. The CHAdeMO-certified Rapid Charger (EFACEC, EV QC) is a high efficiency DC charger provided by Efacec, a leading manufacturer of AC and DC chargers. The charger will serve as a charging station for the 12 Mitsubishi Motors Electric Vehicles “i-MiEV” (EVs) currently in operation at Masdar City.

Previously, the EVs had to be charged for six hours continuously using standard electrical outlets. With the arrival of the new rapid charger, the EV’s batteries can now be charged up to 80 per cent in approximately 30 minutes.

Naser Al Marzouqi, Head of Facilities Management, Masdar City, said: “With a reduced charging time, a greater number of EVs will be in operation throughout the day. This project embodies Masdar City’s commitment to promoting electric vehicles. As an open technology platform, Masdar City will continue to work with various clean technology providers to provide sustainable transportation systems.”

Pedro Silva, Electric Mobility Director, Efacec, said: “We are pleased to be part of such an innovative project as Masdar City. We are committed to securing mass acceptance for electric mobility as it will be the next step towards sustainable mobility on a large scale. Our chargers were designed for best efficiency and high quality standards as part of that effort.”

The rapid chargers are networked to MHI’s EV control center within Masdar City.

The EV pilot project launched in mid-January 2011 with a fleet of 12 electric vehicles served as an indispensable mode of transport inside Masdar City; addressing users’ concerns on battery life and defying skepticism about the EVs’ inability to withstand desert heat.

A five-door hatchback that seats four people, the EVs have a cruising range of about 150km and are the first mass-produced, 100 per cent electric vehicles used in the UAE.

To date, the vehicles have transported over 35,000 passengers and saved approximately 33,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.