The New Oil: Green Hydrogen from the Arabian Gulf

The smarter E Podcast Episode 24 | October 29, 2020

Using 20% of it’s land surface for solar plants the United Arab Emirates could produce enough green green hydrogen for export to match its current oil & gas revenue. Whether and when the UAE will reach that percentage is unclear. But what is certain, is that the UAE like many other countries in the MENA region regard hydrogen as the new green oil.

Thus they are heavily investing in solar and wind energy and working on becoming a leader in green hydrogen export. Hence in this episode we want to shed a light on the role of Dubai, and the MENA region for the new energy world.

On board as the expert of the episode is Cornelius Matthes, most notably he is the Senior Vice President of Dii desert energy, one of the most well-known large scale undertakings in the MENA regions.

The smarter E podcast is all about the current trends and developments in a renewable, decentralized and digital energy industry. Our moderators Tobias Bücklein and Zackes Brustik welcome and interview personalities who shape our industry and drive developments forward. A new episode is published every Thursday.

Click on the logo to listen to the podcast on the platform of your choice.

Dii was launched in 2009 as a "not-for-profit" entity in Germany to explore the potential and improve market conditions for renewables in the desert areas of the Northern Africa and the Middle East. As Senior Vice President of Dii, Cornelius is a well-respected leader and investor in the renewable energy industry and built several successful clean energy businesses and start-ups within Middle East and Africa.

He has extensive board level experience from 10 years in Deutsche Bank (among others, youngest board member in Deutsche Bank Italy Group) and several renewable energy associations. By building the international shareholder and partner network of Dii (Desertec Industrial Initiative), he was at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution in North Africa and the Middle East.

Europe’s Largest & Most International Exhibition for Batteries & Energy Storage Systems
Learn more
Further Content
The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025
Factors That Influence the Success of a Minigrid Project

Wednesday, May 07, 2025, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025 | Conference Program

premium account

Off-grid solar systems are often the least expensive option for rural electrification. Solar home systems can power individual households, while mini-grids can supply entire villages. Each comes with its own advantages, disadvantages, and challenges. The aim of this session is to explore challenges as well as success stories. It takes well-functioning components such as battery systems, charge management and inverters to make projects successful. Proper system sizing, maintenance and repair management, as well as a robust financial concept are also necessary. If one of these elements is missing, the electrification will not be sustainable. This session will focus on the aspects mentioned above. The speakers will present successful and unsuccessful approaches and discuss what can be learned from them.

The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025
Q&A Session of of the Session Off-Grid: Rural Electrification Based on Solar Systems - Lessons Learned

Wednesday, May 07, 2025, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025 | Conference Program

premium account

Off-grid solar systems are often the least expensive option for rural electrification. Solar home systems can power individual households, while mini-grids can supply entire villages. Each comes with its own advantages, disadvantages, and challenges. The aim of this session is to explore challenges as well as success stories. It takes well-functioning components such as battery systems, charge management and inverters to make projects successful. Proper system sizing, maintenance and repair management, as well as a robust financial concept are also necessary. If one of these elements is missing, the electrification will not be sustainable. This session will focus on the aspects mentioned above. The speakers will present successful and unsuccessful approaches and discuss what can be learned from them.

The smarter E Europe Exhibition Program 2025
DC Microgrids as the Next Frontier in Grid Modernization and DER Integration

Wednesday, May 07, 2025, 11:00 am - 12:25 pm

The smarter E Europe Exhibition Program 2025 | Exhibition Program

premium account

Discover how next-gen distribution grid technologies are addressing the challenges of renewable integration and dynamic energy demands. This session offers insights into the latest developments in AI-driven data analytics and the transformative role of IoT in grid management.

The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025
Welcome of of the Session Off-Grid: When Will Off-Grid PV Follow the Affordability Trend?(BSW)

Wednesday, May 07, 2025, 04:00 pm - 05:30 pm

The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025 | Conference Program

premium account

Photovoltaic prices have fallen continuously in recent years - a trend that should translate into a growing market for off-grid solutions. Declining costs are crucial for rural electrification in particular, making sustainable energy supply economically viable in remote regions. However, so far many of these price advantages have not yet reached the people that need them most. Do existing framework conditions to foster rural electrification still work in this new market reality? Which measures are needed to ensure that cost reductions reach our target group? This session discusses strategies for improving the availability of low-cost off-grid solutions, financing and innovative business models. A look at successful practical examples shows which political, economic and technological levers need to be pulled to make off-grid PV accessible on a large scale.

The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025
Panel Discussion of of the Session Off-Grid: When Will Off-Grid PV Follow the Affordability Trend?(BSW)

Wednesday, May 07, 2025, 04:00 pm - 05:30 pm

The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025 | Conference Program

premium account

Photovoltaic prices have fallen continuously in recent years - a trend that should translate into a growing market for off-grid solutions. Declining costs are crucial for rural electrification in particular, making sustainable energy supply economically viable in remote regions. However, so far many of these price advantages have not yet reached the people that need them most. Do existing framework conditions to foster rural electrification still work in this new market reality? Which measures are needed to ensure that cost reductions reach our target group? This session discusses strategies for improving the availability of low-cost off-grid solutions, financing and innovative business models. A look at successful practical examples shows which political, economic and technological levers need to be pulled to make off-grid PV accessible on a large scale.

You are using an outdated browser

The website cannot be viewed in this browser. Please open the website in an up-to-date browser such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.