A consortium of four companies has announced plans to build the world’s first solar hydrogen park in Wallonia, Belgium, marking a milestone in advancing commercial-scale hydrogen technology. The facility, set to begin operations in 2026, will be powered by Solhyd’s solar hydrogen modules, a system developed more than ten years ago at KU Leuven. Under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the partners aim to create a fully integrated value chain that converts sunlight directly into industrial-grade green hydrogen.
The partnership brings together companies with different specializations to make the project work on the ground. Ether Energy will take charge as the solar project’s developer and operator, while SunBuild will design and build the installation, which also includes battery storage. Solhyd will supply and maintain the hydrogen modules, and Nippon Gases will handle the post-processing, storage, and delivery of hydrogen to customers.
At the demo site, Solhyd’s hydrogen modules, with a total output of 50 kW, will be integrated into a 2 MWp solar array and connected to on-site storage. This setup will generate both solar power and green hydrogen. Future projects are expected to expand the proportion of Solhyd modules, allowing solar parks across Europe to diversify production and deliver hydrogen in addition to electricity.
“This project is the first demonstration at commercially relevant scale and serves as a reference for further rollout. It’s another concrete step in our growth,” said Jan Rongé of Solhyd. “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.”
A key objective of the initiative is industrial validation. Nippon Gases will channel the produced hydrogen into existing supply chains supporting industries such as food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, combustion processes, and semiconductors. “Hydrogen has always been a key part of our product portfolio,” said Johan Desmet of Nippon Gases. “This project demonstrates that we can now also offer green hydrogen, exactly what our industrial customers need.”
For Ether Energy and SunBuild, the initiative highlights a new commercial direction for solar park developers, particularly in the context of market challenges like negative electricity prices and grid congestion. “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.
“Combining solar power and hydrogen on the same site is a major technical challenge using conventional technology,” added Gilles Charlier of SunBuild. “By linking innovation with industrial know-how, we demonstrate that it is now possible.” The model is expected to pave the way for similar deployments across Europe and other sun-rich regions, creating new revenue opportunities, reducing grid strain, and enhancing the overall value of solar power generation.