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Green hydrogen is crucial for society's access to peaceful, secure, and stable energy sources to flourish sustainably and get universal government support. To protect the environment and provide energy security, it is essential to use hydrogen as a sustainable fuel and energy source to cover the energy baseload. This paper investigates the developments of renewable energy (RE) and the potential for green hydrogen in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. There is a considerable chance to use RE because of the MENA region's excellent solar radiation. On the other hand, many countries in the MENA region are classified as one of the poorest in water resources and are known to have water-energy challenges. This paper focuses on the water needed to produce hydrogen in countries with water scarcity. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was performed for green hydrogen generation in the MENA, where recommendations for countries with a water-energy nexus can be made. Additionally, this paper offers suggestions for creating a sustainable hydrogen economy, such as cutting back on the domestic use of fossil fuels, subsidizing the renewable production industry, and supporting hydrogen manufacturing. • Green hydrogen production is highly affected by water scarcity. • SWOT analysis was performed on green hydrogen generation in the MENA. • Recommendations were provided on a country-by-country basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive review on the status of renewable energy developments and hydrogen economy in the Middle East and North Africa region. This region is heavily reliant on fossil fuels for its domestic energy supply and is also considered a global energy exporter. In this regard, an overview of the current state of energy sector in the region is provided. Moreover, the region possesses great potential for renewable energy exploitation due to its climatic advantages. Therefore, the current status of renewable energy utilization within the region's various countries is reviewed by presenting several operational renewable energy-based plants and future projects for deployment of renewable power in the region. Green hydrogen is an important sustainable clean fuel, and its utilization is essential for both environmental preservation and energy security. Thus, the status of hydrogen production and utilization in the region is discussed considering the various operational systems and future hydrogen generation projects. The concept of source, system and service is also incorporated which considers the utilization of clean energy sources for sustainable hydrogen production through environmentally benign pathways. The potential deployment opportunities for the renewable hydrogen production are also discussed based on available renewable sources in the region. Moreover, this paper discusses the challenges of increasing renewable energy utilization in the region. Furthermore, this paper provides a road map for achieving renewable hydrogen economy including a reduction in domestic utilization of oil and gas sources, subsidization of renewable production sector, and financial support to hydrogen production and transportation infrastructure. • Providing an overview of the status of energy sector in the region. • Providing an overview of the status of renewable energy utilization in the region. • Discussing the challenges and opportunities of renewable and hydrogen energy development in the region. • Providing a road map for renewable hydrogen development in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]