Belgium to host world's first solar hydrogen park in 2026

Tuesday 03 - 13:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Belgium to host world's first solar hydrogen park in 2026

A consortium of four specialized companies has unveiled plans for the world's inaugural solar hydrogen park in Wallonia, Belgium, a pivotal step toward commercializing large-scale green hydrogen production. Slated to launch operations in 2026, the facility will leverage Solhyd's innovative solar hydrogen modules, originally developed over a decade ago at KU Leuven. A recently signed Memorandum of Understanding outlines their collaboration to forge a seamless value chain, transforming sunlight directly into industrial-grade green hydrogen.

Ether Energy will spearhead development and operations of the solar project, while SunBuild handles design and construction, incorporating battery storage. Solhyd provides the hydrogen modules along with maintenance, and Nippon Gases manages post-processing, storage, and customer delivery. At the demonstration site, Solhyd's 50 kW hydrogen modules integrate into a 2 MWp solar array linked to on-site storage, yielding both electricity and green hydrogen. Scaling up, future installations will boost the share of these modules, enabling European solar parks to diversify output beyond power alone.

"This marks the first commercially viable demonstration and sets a blueprint for broader deployment," stated Jan Rongé of Solhyd. "We're showing green hydrogen can be pragmatic and scalable, cutting costs by directly harnessing sunlight and streamlining the system." The project prioritizes industrial validation, with Nippon Gases feeding the hydrogen into supply chains for sectors like food processing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, combustion, and semiconductors. "Hydrogen has long been central to our offerings," noted Johan Desmet of Nippon Gases. "Now we can supply green variants tailored to industrial demands."

For Ether Energy and SunBuild, the venture signals fresh opportunities amid solar market hurdles such as negative electricity prices and grid bottlenecks. "It proves sunlight's value extends to green hydrogen, unlocking investor interest and fueling the energy transition," said Pierre de Liedekerke of Ether Energy. "Merging solar and hydrogen on one site posed major challenges with traditional tech," added Gilles Charlier of SunBuild. "Pairing innovation with industrial expertise makes it feasible." This model promises replication across Europe and sunny locales, easing grid pressures, boosting solar economics, and accelerating clean energy adoption.