Green hydrogen: the least expensive input for production in Morocco

A recent technical-economic and environmental study revealed that the city of Dakhla has the lowest cost of producing green hydrogen among the Moroccan cities studied, compared to Tangier, Benguerir and New, depending on independent hybrid systems that combine solar, wind, batteries and an electrical analyzer. alkaline According to the study, the cost of producing one kilogram of green hydrogen in Dakhla is $10.62, compared to $15.63 in Tangier, a difference of about 50 percent, while Banjir and Al-Jadida rank middle between the two cities. Researchers attribute Dakhla's superiority mainly to the abundance of its solar and wind resources and the stability of solar radiation throughout the year, rather than to the technological choices adopted. The study relied on three improved parallel algorithms (PSO, ACO, and GWO) to analyze the performance of 20 kW alkaline electrolyzer systems operating in full autonomy, provided that the probability of power supply disruption does not exceed 1 percent, and that the rate of production reduction remains below 50 percent. Significant environmental impact At the environmental level, the hybrid system in Dakhla produces the equivalent of 2.27 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of hydrogen, compared to 41.12 kilograms if the current national electrical grid is relied upon, i.e. an emission reduction of 94.4 per cent. The study identified financing costs and battery specifications (capacity, cost and shelf life) as the most prominent economic factors affecting these results. National and global context This trend comes at a time when Morocco imported 90 percent of its energy needs in 2022, and committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45.5 percent by 2030 within the framework of the Paris Climate Agreement, along with the "Morocco Offer" program that keeps pace with investments in green hydrogen. Globally, demand for hydrogen has increased from 62.4 million tons in 2010 to about 100 million tons in 2024, although more than 99 percent of it is still produced in carbon-intensive ways. Announcements of green hydrogen projects globally increased eightfold between 2020 and 2024, while global investments in the sector jumped from $90 billion to $680 billion over the same period.