According to Recharge, countries around the world, including Mauritania, Namibia, Saudi Arabia and Australia are all planning hydrogen projects in desert areas, which would use the solar power available in those places to provide cheap electricity for locals.

In the process, electrolysers would split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

The necessary water supply for these projects could drain the local freshwater supply, which is why desalinization projects that would purify sea water could be needed, and these projects can even provide water for other needs, as well, according to the IRENA study.

The study says that "a challenge for Africa is water scarcity, but green hydrogen could provide an opportunity to tackle this challenge instead of aggravating it."

The report mentions that another affordable option is to pipeline the desalinized water inland.

“Even in regions far from the coastline, water transport could be considered, which will increase the cost of water supply, but it will still represent a relatively small share of the total hydrogen production cost, reaching levels of $0.05/kgH2 and representing 1-2% of the energy consumption of the electrolyser,” the report mentions.

The idea of bringing freshwater for needing communities from hydrogen plants located in arid areas is exciting, as many communities in those areas struggle with access to clean water.

This process could help in case other areas around the world will eventually run out of fresh water supplies.