Hydrogen energy, the new code of modern energy system

China's hydrogen energy industry is still facing challenges

Low cost and low emission green hydrogen production is one of the important challenges facing the hydrogen energy industry. On the premise of no new carbon emissions, solving the source of hydrogen is the premise of the development of hydrogen industry. Fossil energy hydrogen production and industrial by-product hydrogen production processes are mature, low cost, and will remain the main hydrogen source in the short term. However, the reserves of fossil energy are limited, and there are still carbon emission problems in the process of hydrogen production. Hydrogen production from industrial by-product is limited and the supply radiation distance is short.

In the long run, hydrogen production from electrolytic water is easy to combine with renewable energy, has greater scale potential, is more clean and sustainable, and is the most potential green hydrogen supply method. At present, China's alkaline electrolysis technology has been close to the international level, is the mainstream technology in the field of commercial electrolysis, but the future cost reduction space is limited. At present, the cost of hydrogen production by proton exchange membrane electrolysis is high, and the degree of localization of key devices is increasing year by year. Solid oxide electrolysis is close to commercialization in the world, but it is still in the catch-up stage in China.

China's hydrogen energy industry chain supply system is not complete, and there is still a gap from large-scale commercial application. More than 200 hydrogen refueling stations have been built in China, mainly 35MPa gas refueling stations, and the proportion of 70MPa high pressure gas refueling stations with larger hydrogen storage capacity is small. The construction and operation experience of liquid hydrogen hydrogenation station and hydrogen production and hydrogenation integrated station is insufficient. At present, the transportation of hydrogen is mainly driven by high-pressure gas long tube trailer, and pipeline transportation is still a weak point. At present, there are about 400 kilometers of hydrogen pipelines, and only about 100 kilometers of pipelines are in use. Pipeline transportation is also faced with the hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon of pipes, resulting in hydrogen escape, and it is still necessary to further improve the chemical and mechanical properties of pipeline materials in the future. Liquid hydrogen storage technology and metal hydride hydrogen storage technology have made great progress, but the balance between hydrogen storage density, safety and cost has not been solved, and there is still a certain gap from large-scale commercial application.

The specialized policy system and the multi-sectoral and multi-field coordination and cooperation mechanism are not yet perfect. The Medium and Long-Term Plan for the Development of Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035) is the first national hydrogen energy development plan, but the special planning and policy system still need to be improved, and the future needs to further clarify the direction, goals and priorities of industrial development. The hydrogen energy industry chain involves a variety of technologies and industry fields, and there are still problems such as insufficient cross-field cooperation and imperfect cross-departmental coordination mechanism. For example, the construction of hydrogen refueling stations requires multi-departmental cooperation such as capital, technology, infrastructure and hazardous chemicals control, and there are currently problems such as unclear competent authorities, difficult approval, and hydrogen properties are still only hazardous chemicals, which has formed a greater constraint on industrial development.

We believe that technology, platforms and talents are the growth points to support the development of China's hydrogen energy industry.

First of all, we must continue to improve the level of key core technologies. Technological innovation is the core of hydrogen energy industry development. In the future, China will continue to promote the research and development of key core technologies in all aspects of green and low carbon energy production, storage, transportation and application. Accelerate the technological innovation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, develop key materials, improve the main performance indicators and mass production capacity, and continue to improve the reliability, stability, and durability of fuel cells. Efforts will be made to promote the research and development and manufacturing of core components and key equipment. Accelerate the improvement of renewable energy hydrogen conversion efficiency and the scale of hydrogen production by a single unit, and break through the key core technologies of hydrogen energy infrastructure. Continue to carry out research on the basic laws of hydrogen energy safety. We will continue to promote the demonstration application and industrialization of advanced hydrogen energy technologies, key equipment and major products, and build a high-quality development technology system for the hydrogen energy industry.