Key technological breakthroughs have accelerated the development of China's hydrogen energy industry and expanded the application scenarios of the clean energy, contributing to the country's green transition drive.
China has made important headway in the production of hydrogen energy from renewable sources, as well as its storage and transportation, driving the development of the industry.
According to the country's Medium and Long-Term Plan for the Development of the Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035), hydrogen production from renewable energy sources will reach 100,000 tons to 200,000 tons a year by 2025, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million tons to 2 million tons annually.
To ensure the safety of hydrogen transportation and use, the Jiangsu GUOFU Hydrogen Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. (GUOFUHEE) has used carbon fibers to produce high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks.
"This is called 'carbon fiber weaving', a key technique of our company. You can see the machine is weaving carbon fibers around storage tanks like a loom. Carbon fibers can greatly enhance the pressure resistance of storage tanks, making them impenetrable even by a bullet," said Ding Leizhe, deputy general manager of GUOFUHEE.
"The storage density of this liquefied hydrogen tank we developed is three times that of a conventional Type III tank, which will remarkably improve the range of a hydrogen-powered vehicle," said Wang Kai, the company's general manager.
East China's Shandong Province has pioneered the opening of expressways to hydrogen-powered vehicles free of charge, and organized 30-plus leading enterprises, universities and research institutes to conduct research in this area, leading to the formation of complete hydrogen industrial and supply chains in the province.
"Now we have nearly 200 enterprises on the core industrial chains of hydrogen energy, involving the manufacturing of key materials, components and finished vehicles and equipment, giving rise to over 1,000 supporting enterprises," said Han Shaohua, an official at the Shandong Provincial Department of Science and Technology.
The Shanghai-based REFIRE Group, a hydrogen fuel-cell manufacturer for heavy trucks, is the first Chinese enterprise to massively use domestic proton-exchange membrane (PEM) on its products. The PEM is a core component of hydrogen fuel-cells and China heavily relied on imports before.
"As a key material and technology of hydrogen fuel-cells, an extensive use of domestic PEMs allows more people to enjoy the application of hydrogen technologies. We can also avoid reliance on foreign supplies and achieve independent development," said Liu Yisu, director of strategic marketing at REFIRE.
A hydrogen-powered heavy truck using domestic PEM fuel-cells can travel over 1 million kilometers in its entire life cycle.
The Medium and Long-Term Plan for the Development of the Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035) predicates that China will basically master all the core technologies and manufacturing process of hydrogen energy by 2025, and the number of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on the country's roads is expected to reach about 50,000.
Besides, official data showed that by the end of 2023, a total of 428 hydrogen refilling stations had been constructed and put into operation in the country and 58 projects for hydrogen production from renewable sources had been completed, covering 21 provincial-level regions.
It is estimated that the total hydrogen energy consumption in China will reach nearly 86 million tons by 2060, with an industrial value of 4.6 trillion yuan (about 649 billion U.S. dollars).
Key tech breakthroughs boost China's hydrogen energy industry
