Doha: Qatar has the potential to become a major producer of hydrogen due to an abundance of solar energy in the country that can power the process of generating hydrogen. Contact online >>
Doha: Qatar has the potential to become a major producer of hydrogen due to an abundance of solar energy in the country that can power the process of generating hydrogen.
Hydrogen is an essential fuel for clean energy. It can power vehicles, ships and aircraft, heat homes and offices, and produce electricity.
As an energy carrier, it diversifies energy sources, reducing dependence on hydrocarbon-based fuels.
In an interview, Dr. Samer Fikry, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Qatar University College of Engineering, told The Peninsula that despite hydrogen''s unavailability naturally, which makes it an expensive fuel, rapid developments in its processing make its potential high.
"With the rapid development in generating electricity from renewable sources such as solar energy, the cost of generating hydrogen from water through the electrolysis process is decreasing," Dr. Fikry said.
"Qatar has a high potential to be a major producer of hydrogen fuel due to the great availability of solar energy within the country. Qatar has taken major steps towards using solar energy as a part of its energy strategy to depend more on clean energy sources and reduce greenhouse emissions," he added.
The solar power project is expected to generate almost 2,000,000 MWh, the equivalent energy consumption of approximately 55,000 Qatari households during its first year of operation.
Last year, Qatar announced plans to build a $1bn plant to make blue ammonia, a fuel that can be converted into hydrogen by countries looking to reduce carbon emissions. The facility will capture and sequester 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually through manufacturing. This follows the country''s commitment via the Qatar National Environment and Climate Change Strategy to reduce greenhouse (GHG) emissions by 25 percent by 2030, enhance ambient air quality standards and update limit values by 2024.
However, Dr. Fikry said fossil fuels remain very important as the primary energy supply worldwide and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future, but advanced innovations and technologies should be implemented to reduce harmful emissions significantly.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), based on average natural gas prices over the past five years, over 40% of methane emissions from oil and gas operations could be avoided using well-known existing technologies. Fossil fuel operations account for more than one-third of human-caused methane emissions.
"That does not mean that the current pollution level from burning these fuels should remain the same in the future," Dr. Fikry stressed.
"Advanced innovations and technologies should be implemented to reduce these harmful emissions significantly. This approach can allow the world to continue using fossil fuels in a clean and environmentally friendly way," he added.
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With 100,000 attendees, COP28 was the largest UNFCCC meeting to date. Held at the sprawling World Expo site in Dubai, it ended with significant achievements but also saw unexpected failures regarding important topics.
It formally launched the operationalisation of the historic Loss and Damage (L&D) Fund with funding pledges of about USD 0.7 billion and adopted the Global Stocktake (GST) decision that includes a groundbreaking language regarding the weaning off fossil fuels.
However, COP28 also suffered setbacks, notably the deferral of crucial international carbon market agenda items under Article 6 and several adaptation-related topics, such as inability to take decisions on National Adaptation Plans and the Adaptation Committee report.
Alongside the formal negotiations, the conference saw the launch of several side deals and initiatives such as the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge that seeks to triple the worldu2019s green energy capacity to 11,000 GW in the next six years, thereby, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels in generating energy.
According to the pledge, countries will u201cdouble the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements from around 2% to over 4% every year until 2030u201d.
By checking the rise in emissions, governments hope to curtail global average temperature below the 2-degree Celsius temperature limit since pre-industrial times, if not the ambitious 1.5 degree Celsius of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The MENA regionu2019s abundant renewable resources position it as a potential major supplier of green energy and carbon credits.
Technologies such as solar power, hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), and direct air capture (DAC) are being actively implemented and explored by countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Egypt, and Morocco.
Qatar has made a promising start to its efforts to become a major player in the emerging hydrogen economy. In 2022, QatarEnergy unveiled plans for the worldu2019s largest blue ammonia plant. Ammonia is a hydrogen carrier that can be stored as a liquid at relatively milder conditions than hydrogen, reducing the complexity and costs associated with handling and storage, making transportation feasible over long distances. In the same year, Doha demonstrated its commitment to solar energy by bringing its Al Kharsaah Solar PV project online, the countryu2019s first large-scale solar venture. Qatar also plans to add two more solar plants with a combined capacity of 880 MW in the next two years, which potentially open doors for green hydrogen and ammonia production.
Elsewhere, Saudi Arabiau2019s Dumat Al Jandal Wind Power Plant boasts 99 turbines that generate 400 MW and provides carbon-free electricity for 70,000 homes. The plant supports Saudi Arabiau2019s climate goals, reducing nearly 1 million tons of CO2 annually. Construction began in September 2019 and has been connected to the grid since 2021.
Despite such strong renewable energy commitments from the Middle East and the wider region, the viability of the pledge is dependent on substantial and immediate funding for such projects from industry and government across the world.
According to analysts at the BloombergNEF, meeting the target would require a doubling of the rate of investment in renewable energy to an average of $1,175 billion per year between 2023 and 2030, from $564 billion in 2022.
The importance of renewable energy in the race to net-zero was highlighted by industry leaders and global experts during impactful dialogue sessions and presentations at the Al-Attiyah Foundation pavilion at COP28.
Alongside the formal negotiations, the conference saw the launch of several side deals and initiatives such as the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge that seeks to triple the world''s green energy capacity to 11,000 GW in the next six years, thereby, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels in generating energy.
According to the pledge, countries will "double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements from around 2% to over 4% every year until 2030".
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