A preliminary solar-hydrogen system for Jordan: Impacts assessment and scenarios analysis

Energy sector in Jordan faces serious challenges today. Jordan as a non-oil country depends by 96% on imported fuel to cover its demands. The present work seeks to improve an alternative fuel that can support the goals of National Energy Strategy in Jordan. Therefore; a mathematical model was developed to investigate the possibility of producing solar-hydrogen fuel in Jordan. Ma'an city was chosen to be the location of solar-hydrogen plant. The high solar insulation and the availability to supply the plant with water from Aqaba Gulf directly and/or from Red-Sea Dead-Sea Cannel make Ma'an the suitable location for the plant. A system with photovoltaic (PV) cell array and proton electron membrane (PEM) electrolyzer was suggested to be the connection system for the plant. Accordingly, two different scenarios were proposed for hydrogen production with different hydrogen production doubling time, the first scenario is θh1=2+0.15(n−1) year, while the second scenario is θh2=4+0.15(n−1) year. Eight different economic, social, and environmental parameters, which directly affect solar-hydrogen production, were evaluated and investigated for Jordan up to year 2060. Accordingly, the research study concluded that solar-hydrogen fuel can potentially offer a good option as an alternative fuel for Jordan. Starting the production at year of 2020 can provide a good sharing in energy demand sector by the end of the year 2060.