- Four companies have announced a landmark collaboration to build the world’s first solar hydrogen park based on Solhyd technology, marking a major step forward in green hydrogen innovation.
- The project, set to break ground in Wallonia, Belgium, in 2026, will demonstrate a full value chain from sunlight to industrial hydrogen applications.
- Developed over more than a decade at KU Leuven University, Solhyd’s award-winning technology produces hydrogen directly from sunlight and air — without liquid water, a heavy grid connection, or rare metals.
Under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding, the partners are uniting expertise across the energy value chain. Ether Energy will own and operate the project, SunBuild will design and construct the solar installation with integrated battery storage, Solhyd will supply and maintain the hydrogen modules, and Nippon Gases will handle post-processing, storage, and distribution of the hydrogen to industrial end users.
The demonstration site will integrate 50 kilowatts of Solhyd modules into a conventional 2-megawatt-peak solar park equipped with batteries, enabling simultaneous production of electricity and hydrogen from solar energy. Over time, the share of Solhyd modules is expected to increase, creating a scalable model that could allow solar parks across Europe to diversify production and generate both power and renewable hydrogen.
Solhyd founder Jan Rongé described the project as “the first demonstration at commercially relevant scale,” adding that it will serve as a reference for broader deployment. “We are proving that green hydrogen can be approached in a pragmatic and scalable way. By harnessing the sun directly, we lower costs and drastically simplify the system. Together with our partners, we are delivering proof that it can be done,” he said.
For Nippon Gases, which supplies hydrogen to sectors such as food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, the project represents an important evolution toward decarbonized industrial supply chains. “This project is an important step forward and demonstrates that we can now also offer green hydrogen – exactly what our industrial customers need,” said Johan Desmet of Nippon Gases.
Ether Energy and SunBuild see the initiative as a crucial step in addressing challenges faced by the solar sector, such as negative electricity prices and grid congestion, by creating new ways to monetize sunlight. “This project demonstrates that sunlight can be valorized differently, through green hydrogen. It opens new perspectives for investors and is crucial for the energy transition,” said Pierre de Liedekerke of Ether Energy.
SunBuild’s Gilles Charlier emphasized the technological significance of combining solar power and hydrogen on a single site. “By linking innovation with industrial know-how, we demonstrate that it is now possible. We are building a new generation of hybrid energy parks that produce both renewable electricity and green hydrogen. It is an essential step towards sustainable energy autonomy for Europe,” he said.
The demonstration site will operate for at least five years after its launch in 2026. The partners plan to follow with a 2-megawatt installation in 2028 and then expand deployment across Europe and sun-rich regions worldwide. The solar hydrogen park model aims to redefine the economics of solar energy, enabling solar farms not only to produce electricity but also green hydrogen, reducing grid congestion and unlocking new revenue streams for the renewable energy sector.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
