Toward Carbon Neutrality: PV and Green Hydrogen Integration at Al Akhawayn University
Khawla DADA, Abdelghani El ASLI, Lhoussaine TENGHIRI
Abstract. Sustainability has become the most talked-about and discussed topic everywhere in the world. Each country, including Morocco, is now pushing for a greener and more sustainable future with the aim of reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and using renewable energies and green hydrogen as a viable option. The authors in this paper explore the potential for reducing the carbon footprint of Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) by implementing an integrated sustainable system that comprises a photovoltaic (PV) plant and a rainwater harvesting system for generating green hydrogen. AUI emits approximately a total amount of 8,006 tCO2e per year, according to the analysis of the university’s energy profile. Much of the energy that the university uses is for water, space heating, and other services, which come directly from the national utility grid as well as other fossil fuels. The findings of the study show that by implementing the PV plant (with an installed capacity of 2,539 kWp, corresponding to a yearly energy production of 3.97 GWh) and a rainwater harvesting system (with a collected capacity of 1,580 m3 per year, corresponding to 132 m3 per month), an approximate amount of 79,391 kgH2 will be produced. This amount of hydrogen is then converted into electricity with a resulting amount of 1.15 GWh annually, to be further used in heating applications during peak periods. This is expected to reduce AUI’s carbon footprint to 5,108 tCO2e, reflecting a total reduction of roughly 36%. The economic feasibility analysis shows that this project will yield an estimated payback period of 7 years, reflecting long-term benefits for the university.
Keywords
Green Hydrogen, Photovoltaic System, Energy Storage, Sustainability, Rainwater Harvesting
Published online 4/25/2026, 7 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Khawla DADA, Abdelghani El ASLI, Lhoussaine TENGHIRI, Toward Carbon Neutrality: PV and Green Hydrogen Integration at Al Akhawayn University, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 64, pp 1239-1245, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904091-151
The article was published as article 151 of the book Energy Futures
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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