Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince traveled to the Greek capital of Athens this week, representing his first official trip to Europe since the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. His visit was marked by the signing of several agreements between the two countries and some big statements issued by the Saudi leader regarding green energies and hydrogen.

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have built an inverted perovskite-silicon tandem device with a 1 nm thick interlayer based on magnesium fluoride (MgFx). They claim it can stop voltage losses and increase power conversion efficiency, while retaining 95.4% of its initial efficiency after 1,000 hours.

ACWA Power and Emirates Water and Electricity Co. (EWEC) have commissioned the first phase of the Al Taweelah Independent Water Plant in the United Arab Emirates. The facility, which can produce more than 6.4 million cubic meters of water per day, sources some of its power from a nearby solar park.

The futuristic Neom City will be powered exclusively by renewable energy, but a co-optimization approach with the water sector will be crucial for desalination and sustainable water supplies. Saudi scientists have assessed different system configurations and determined that solar-plus-storage would deliver the lowest levelized cost of energy.

Researchers from Australia’s University of Wollongong presented a study for alkaline electrolysis where the liquid electrolyte is continuously drawn up a separator, leading to bubble-free operation at the electrodes. Meanwhile, Korean researchers developed a novel heterostructured catalyst, Argentina’s province of Tierra del Fuego presented its hydrogen strategy, Lhyfe and shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique are working on the world’s first offshore renewable hydrogen production demonstrator, and Saudi Aramco outlined its hydrogen targets in its first sustainability report.

In other news, Plug Power revealed plans to build a 35-ton-per-day green hydrogen generation plant at Belgium’s Port of Antwerp-Bruges and UK researchers developed an artificial leaf device made from bismuth oxyiodide that is able to harvest sunlight to produce hydrogen fuels.

Scientists in Saudi Arabia looked at the potential of different solar technologies to meet energy demand for cooling systems. They found that PV is the best cost-effective option, especially for compression refrigeration cycles in hot climates.

A team led by CoorsTek Membrane Sciences has demonstrated a system to convert methane via proton ceramic reactors, while Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser has received an order from an undisclosed Indian refinery for an alkaline electrolyzer, in a deal that underscores how oil and gas companies are becoming increasingly interested in the hydrogen sector.

ATA Insights held a webinar on April 25 that focused on green hydrogen opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa.

Developed by researchers in Saudi Arabia, the novel approach considers both the temperature-dependent power yield and the solar module time to failure (TTF), among other factors. According to its creators, the model can be applied to all kinds of module and cell technologies.