LONGi’s ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen’ Solution Makes its Debut in Egypt – Harnessing Technological Innovation to Support Africa’s Energy Transition

On November 15th, LONGi hosted the ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen’ Innovation Forum in Cairo, Egypt. The conference welcomed participants from various sectors, including the New and Renewable Energy Authority, the Suez Canal Economic Zone, the China-Africa Development Fund, China Energy Engineering Group, China National Electric Engineering Co., AUC School of Science and Engineering, and the Egyptian Hydrogen Association. Collision of views In this event, leveraging the market space and resource endowments in Egypt, LONGi collaborated with leaders and practitioners from across the renewable energy value chain and industry innovation ecosystem. Together, they delved into discussions on:  How ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen’ can become the preferred direction for Egypt’s energy transition.  How government can support for the development and advancement of green electricity and green hydrogen projects.  How to drive local energy transformation through technological innovation. With a population of 110 million and a vast land area exceeding one million square kilometers, Egypt is densely populated. With robust policy support, Egypt aims to achieve a renewable energy share of 42% in its power structure by 2030, with photovoltaic (PV) contributing 22%, and an anticipated PV installation capacity of around 32GW. During COP27 in 2022, the Egyptian government signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with numerous international renewable energy investors, projecting a renewable energy market space of 60-80GW for Egypt. This includes approximately 35GW for hydrogen development projects and around 44GW for green ammonia projects. By 2030, Egypt plans to establish 4GW of local green hydrogen capacity. Looking ahead to 2035, the total installed capacity of green hydrogen projects commissioned in Egypt is expected to exceed 11.6GW, positioning Egypt at the forefront globally. Mr. Ahmed Saadi from the Suez Canal Economic Zone mentioned that the government has introduced a series of incentive policies to encourage and expedite the implementation of green hydrogen and green ammonia projects. These policies include tax incentives, foreign investment preferences, and more attractive policies that are soon to be announced. The goal is to encourage investment in factories in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, ensuring the transportation of green hydrogen and green ammonia products to Europe and other countries. A representative from Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) stated that the company plans to invest in and construct a green ammonia project with an annual output of 1.2 million tons in Egypt, contributing tangible efforts to Egypt’s green energy development. The representative from the China-Africa Development Fund expressed that the fund actively plans and invests in projects in Egypt, with a predominant focus on green technology and green energy. A professor from AUC University illustrated the growing enthusiasm among contemporary youth in learning new energy technologies. Universities have already started introducing courses related to renewable energy technologies, fostering and developing innovative thinking. LONGi’s technical expert highlighted that over the past 20 years, each major technological advancement from LONGi has set the direction for the photovoltaic industry’s development. This includes the consistent pursuit of the monocrystalline technology route since 2006, pioneering the development and industrial application of the RCZ technology in 2014, introducing the diamond wire slicing technology in 2013-14, and advancements like the PERC technology in 2015 and PERC bifacial technology in 2017. Through steadfast commitment to technological innovation, LONGi has become a leading company in solar technology and developed the capabilities to provide ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen’ products and solutions that support global zero-carbon development. In the end, everyone unanimously agreed that Egypt’s current resource endowment and economic status are most conducive to the development of ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen.’ To foster the development of ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen,’ concerted efforts are essential. In a healthy ecosystem created by the government, collaborative development and shared prosperity are paramount. Throughout this process, continuous innovation is crucial to obtaining optimal solutions and the most competitive energy products, such as electricity, hydrogen, synthetic ammonia, through the development and application of new technologies. This ensures that the people of Egypt can truly benefit from the advantages of clean energy development, contributing to global energy fairness and sustainable development. Solutions The showcased Hi-MO 7 module in Cairo is LONGi’s latest stride in adhering to technological innovation. Positioned as a new generation high-efficiency module for centralized markets, Hi-MO 7 employs LONGi’s HPDC cell technology based on N-type silicon wafers, achieving a module efficiency of up to 22.5%. Particularly suitable for application in Egypt’s desert with high surface reflectance and high environmental temperatures, Hi-MO 7 offers a 3% increase in electricity generation compared to mainstream bifacial modules. Additionally, by increasing the overall lifecycle electricity generation, Hi-MO 7 significantly reduces the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for large ground-mounted photovoltaic projects, delivering higher customer value in the end-market and exceeding expectations in robust value and efficient returns. During the conference, LONGi’s technical experts provided insights into how the product-to-system solutions ensure low-cost investments throughout the entire lifecycle, covering both CAPEX and OPEX stages, ultimately achieving optimal LCOE and LCOH (Levelized Cost of Hydrogen). LONGi’s ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen’ solution integrates multiple disciplines, including new energy, power electronics, energy storage, chemical engineering, and automation control. It provides a comprehensive suite of services across the entire lifecycle, offering secure, reliable, and low LCOH green electricity and green hydrogen project design, economic evaluations throughout the lifecycle, system steady-state/transient simulation verification, and an efficient and reliable full-chain product supply. In addition, LONGi’s ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen’ system solution not only relies on intelligent algorithms to generate over 10,000 configuration plans in a short time but can also iterate hundreds of times. It utilizes transient simulation platforms, steady-state simulation platforms, and empirical testing platforms to simulate equipment operating conditions under extreme conditions. This process enables a deep optimization of the LCOH for the project until the best solution that meets project boundary requirements is achieved. LONGi’s independently developed Intelligent Energy Management Platform can seamlessly transition from green electricity to green hydrogen, fully adapting to the fluctuating power characteristics of renewable energy. It intelligently addresses power scheduling issues at both the system and product levels, employing a secure and reliable core equipment and intelligent control system. Through autonomous networking, it achieves off-grid operation capability, producing authentic ‘Green Hydrogen.’ Implementation Action During the conference, attendees and experts witnessed the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between LONGi and Elsewedy Electric for Transmission and Distribution (EETD). The agreement aims to fully apply LONGi’s latest products and solutions by providing solutions for the renewable energy projects of their partners. Elsewedy, as a prominent local EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) company, constructed the Benban Solar Park 390MW project in 2018, utilizing LONGi’s bifacial modules. This project marked LONGi’s early entry into the Egyptian market for large ground-mounted solar projects, establishing LONGi as Elsewedy’s top module supplier. The signing of this strategic cooperation agreement is poised to bring diversified collaboration to future projects. In conclusion, Jin Jian, the President of LONGi’s Utility MEA&CA, expressed to the attendees that LONGi has engaged in multiple communications and interactions with the government. The Egyptian government places significant importance on the development of renewable energy within the country. LONGi, with its mission of ‘Harnessing Solar Energy for a Greener World,’ focuses on technological innovation and introduces the ‘Green Electricity + Green Hydrogen’ solution. “Our presence has been warmly welcomed by the Egyptian government. We are committed to supporting Egypt in achieving its renewable energy transformation with cutting-edge products and reliable solutions.”