FROM SOLAR POWER TO HYDROGEN

An advanced solar to hydrogen project

UH2 and Universal Kraft are jointly developing a solar to hydrogen project in Portugal.

Location: Vale de Cortiços, Torres Vedras – Portugal
Status: In permitting

The site under development in Torres Vedras, Portugal, will have a hydrogen production with a capacity of 5MW. The project has two viable commercial options, transported by trucks to end users or injected in the natural gas distribution grid.

The development, with an area of 15.7 ha, is estimated to start operation in 2024 with a goal to produce 787 tones of hydrogen, annually. The facility will have the capacity to produce 2157 Kg of hydrogen per day.

To complement the power supply to produce the hydrogen, a solar park is in development with an installed capacity of 5.1 MW resulting in a yearly production of 8,563 MWh.

By combining the long experience of Universal Kraft’s power development with the hydrogen competence of UH2, solar to hydrogen can model a viable and commercial green value chain. Green hydrogen is currently considered one of the most important forms of renewable energy for a decarbonized future, and can serve as fuel for transportation, industry or domestic use.

The hydrogen production potential in Portugal

Iberian countries, Portugal and Spain, are expected to become a major hub in the future EU’s strategy for hydrogen decarbonization. According to the National Energy and Climate Plans, the Portuguese government is promoting an industrial policy focusing on hydrogen and renewable gases. Policies and measures are planned to coordinate and mobilize public and private investments in renewable hydrogen production, storage, transport and end-use projects.

This focus on hydrogen is based on the favorable conditions to deploy a green hydrogen market, given the possibility to significantly increase the production of renewable electricity, at low cost, while bringing the required flexibility to the electricity system. Hydrogen is a viable alternative to fossil fuels as that it can be produced through electrolysis with no carbon emissions. Using only clean energy and water, an electric current is used to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen.