'Oman a potential research hub for energy storage technology'

Muscat: Oman has the potential to become a hub for research and development in energy storage technologies, an official from Siemens said.
Oman has a huge potential for generation of electricity through renewable resources, such as the sun and wind. Due to a lack of inexpensive storage options, however, the Sultanate is unable to use the excess power generated during peak hours. While several countries around the globe have taken strides in developing renewable energy technology, storage has not yet been perfected.
Markus Strohmeier, CEO of Siemens Oman, said Omani researchers needed to concentrate on studying storage options using hydrogen to store excess energy to steer the Sultanate higher, towards the global research level.
“Hydrogen is a fuel that brings unlimited opportunities. You can get hydrogen from water, the most readily available resource in the world. In Oman, we have the resource, we have the infrastructure, using which this hydrogen can be produced and used. So, why not concentrate on research for this? Oman can become a hub for R&D in hydrogen storage,” he explained.
“We have been speaking with several stakeholders regarding hydrogen storage as an option that can totally reshape the Omani economy. It can be used for nearly everything, from generation of electricity to powering vehicles. With high energy density and unlimited storage life, hydrogen is the perfect fuel for this. Imagine having all of the fuel required in Muscat for a month stored.
“Only with hydrogen can such a thing be done. We will be very happy to support any research in Oman on this,” Strohmeier further said.
Siemens is a global leader in providing industrial equipment, besides equipment for electrolysis, a process wherein hydrogen is produced from water.
Strohmeier said the Siemens team in Oman was working hard to create awareness about how such a model could create value in the future.
Meanwhile, Siemens signed an MoU with DEWA in the UAE this week to start work on the region’s first solar-powered hydrogen electrolysis facility. The gas produced can be stored and then redeployed for re-electrification, transportation, or other industrial uses.
Hydrogen-based fuel cells is a technology vying with battery electric vehicles for the future of mobility. While the latter has undergone major developments in the last decade, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are ripe for being developed both by industry and by academia.
“This can certainly be the future of energy. Producing hydrogen from renewable sources is a step to having infinite energy with zero carbon emissions in the years to come,” Strohmeier added.