Zero-carbon revolution

Solar hydrogen production technology enters the 10,000-ton era, and the cost of green hydrogen is approaching that of fossil fuels

Dubai/Yinchuan Electric Power -- In the vast desert of the United Arab Emirates, a "blue ocean" composed of 400,000 photovoltaic panels is producing hydrogen at a rate of 60 tons per day. The commissioning of the world's largest solar hydrogen production base (Noor-H2) marks the official leap of the green hydrogen industry from a demonstration project to a large-scale commercial stage. The latest report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that in 2024, the global solar hydrogen production capacity will exceed 1.5 million tons, and the cost will drop to US$2.3/kg, approaching gray hydrogen (US$1.8/kg) for the first time. A "hydrogen blitzkrieg" that subverts fossil energy has already begun.

Technological breakthrough: the "match made in heaven" of photovoltaics and electrolysis

Solar hydrogen production uses photovoltaic power generation to drive water electrolysis, converting sunlight into storable hydrogen energy. Its large-scale implementation benefits from three major technological leaps:

Photovoltaic efficiency leap: The mass production efficiency of perovskite-silicon stacked modules has exceeded 28%, and the power generation per square meter has increased by 40% compared with traditional modules, injecting "super strong current" into the electrolyzer.

Electrolyzer revolution: High-temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) technology achieves 90% energy conversion rate, and the hydrogen production capacity of a single device has jumped from 50kg/day to 2 tons/day, and it can withstand extreme desert climate.

Intelligent scheduling system: AI dynamically adjusts the power of the electrolyzer, and maintains a load rate of more than 85% under photovoltaic fluctuations, solving the problem of "relying on the weather for food".

"This is equivalent to 'distilling' liquid energy from sunlight." Vikram Singh, chief technology officer of Saudi Arabia's NEOM Future City, said, "Our desert is both a power plant and a 'liquid sunlight' factory."

"When green hydrogen is cheaper than Coke, who will still use fossil energy?" Francesco La Camera, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), predicted, "This day will come before 2028.