【Haichuan Hydrogen Energy】How can China’s hydrogen industry make breakthroughs?

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How can China’s hydrogen energy industry make breakthroughs? ①Promote the development of the entire hydrogen industry chain and establish demonstration zones for this sector. At present, China is somewhat ahead in terms of hydrogen fuel cells and their development speed; however, when it comes to the utilization of hydrogen, we must not prioritize vehicles over hydrogen use – at the very least, vehicles and hydrogen technology should advance simultaneously. We believe that the hydrogen system should take priority first – as the saying goes, \"Provide provisions before sending in the troops.\" This will effectively drive the development of fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles; otherwise, haste will lead to failure. Given that the hydrogen energy industry chain is long and spans various fields such as energy and chemicals, and that the hydrogen ecosystem itself is quite complex, advancing the development of this entire industry chain requires enterprises to play a key role, with capital serving as a link. It is necessary to bring together domestic organizations with strengths in order to strengthen their collective capabilities, and then develop a plan for the entire hydrogen industry chain. In the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the hydrogen supply system must be established first to ensure orderly progress. Of course, we hope that the development direction and plans for hydrogen energy in each region can be determined based on its unique characteristics, energy resources, environmental conditions, and technical capabilities. For the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, we believe it would be advisable to establish it as a base for a hydrogen supply network ； The Yangtze River Delta can initiate the construction of hydrogen fuel cells and pipeline networks simultaneously, driven by technology and environmental considerations, to create a comprehensive hydrogen corridor that spans the Yangtze River basin ； Hainan’s geography is quite interesting; it can be isolated, and it has a highway that circles the island. Plans have been made for this area, with the rule that fuel-powered vehicles will not be allowed on the island after 2030, in order to maintain its advantage of clear skies and a clean environment. Therefore, it is possible to plan for the installation of hydrogen refueling stations along this circular highway, allowing for the adoption of such strategies. Shanxi is a major province for energy export; it exports 600 million tons of coal each year. It hopes that in the future, what is exported will not be coal but clean energy. Therefore, it would be excellent if hydrogen produced from coal in Shanxi could be exported to surrounding areas. However, there is one important technical challenge that needs to be overcome, namely the capture, collection, and utilization of carbon dioxide generated during the production of hydrogen from fossil fuels. If this problem can be solved and this technology can be developed, it will serve as an excellent example for the whole world. Humanity will eventually manage to overcome this technology. In places like Yunnan, where there is an abundance of water resources and many abandoned mines containing valuable minerals, Germans have recently arrived and said that this area is ideal – there are thousands of mines containing copper, tin, and other minerals. After hydrogen production, it can be stored there. You have abundant water and electricity; 30 billion kWh of electricity is wasted each year. If this electricity were used to produce hydrogen for storage, where would that hydrogen be stored? Storing it in abandoned mines is very cheap. ②Establish major special projects for hydrogen energy to usher in an era of hydrogen-powered trucks. We recommend setting up such special projects to address the key technical challenges and engineering issues within the industry chain, including technologies related to liquid storage tanks, hydrogen pipelines using 70-megapascal tanks, and large-scale hydrogen production – such as hydrogen production on a regional scale. These involve various important technical problems as well as concerns related to materials and equipment. There are many ports in China with a high concentration of heavy-duty diesel vehicles; places such as Zhangjiagang Port, Huanghua Port, Lianyungang Port, and Qingdao Port are all areas where heavy chemical industries are concentrated. Tangshan Port handles over 100 million tons of steel, while Huanghua Port and the Handan area handle 50 to 60 million tons of steel. Linyi in Shandong is the largest logistics hub there, with a high concentration of diesel vehicles. We have proposed a technical roadmap for China in the development of hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. We believe it is necessary to usher in an era of hydrogen-powered heavy trucks, and we have adopted this slogan to drive the advancement of hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, giving priority to the development of commercial logistics vehicles powered by hydrogen. Internationally, Toyota, Nikola, and Hyundai have already made breakthroughs in heavy-duty trucks. In China, Weichai in Shandong has also focused its efforts on heavy trucks and high-power hydrogen fuel cells. It plans to develop 200-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells, and in Hainan we witnessed it sign a strategic framework agreement with Shenhua Group regarding hydrogen fuel cells for 350-ton heavy mining vehicles. Let’s take a look at our major ports, such as Tangshan Port, Tianjin Port, Dalian Port, Qingdao Port, and Shanghai Port. In January 2019 alone, the volume of goods transported through these ports was enormous, ranging from 50 million tons to over 90 million tons. Based on a 60% proportion of road transport, the total weight is estimated to be 236 million tons, with 8 million standard containers. If it is a heavy truck that can transport 30 tons per trip, with a distance of 1000 kilometers to cover, and it consumes 250 kilograms of diesel per trip, then to complete 16 million trips and transport all the goods, 4 million tons of diesel would be required. 4 million tons of emissions is an enormous amount; converted to hydrogen, this equals 2.4 million tons per month. Assuming that heavy trucks consume 15 kilograms of hydrogen per 100 kilometers, the total amount of hydrogen required would be 30 million tons, which is truly staggering. With 30 million tons of hydrogen in use, we will be able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 400 million tons. Therefore, in port areas with high logistics activity, we must first initiate the establishment of hydrogen systems and the trial operation of hydrogen-fueled heavy trucks. ③Make full use of waste electricity to reduce hydrogen production costs. We have indeed made significant efforts in renewable energy; wind power, photovoltaic cells, hydroelectric power, biomass energy – and even nuclear power – are all areas in which we have seen rapid development. Especially wind power and photovoltaic cells – just these two – account for nearly half of the world’s total installed capacity to date. In China, two thousand solar panels are being installed each hour, and two wind turbines are being built each hour – the pace is very fast. However, the phenomenon of discarding wind, water, and solar energy is quite severe. Why is that? Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are unstable, which is why in many places the wind and solar installations that have been built are not fully utilized. Additionally, it is difficult to connect to the power grid; we waste around 100 billion kWh of electricity each year. This electricity would be very useful as a source for hydrogen production, as it has low costs. It’s excess electricity that we can utilize. It can also produce a large amount of hydrogen, with approximately 22.4 billion cubic meters available each year. In formulating the overall strategy for hydrogen energy development, it is necessary to make good use of the 100 billion kWh of electricity that is currently wasted due to issues with solar, wind, and hydro power generation. This includes giving priority to using hydrogen produced as a by-product of industrial processes – how much such hydrogen is available? 10 million tons. We need to make good use of these two “1000s”. For example, in Baicheng, Jilin, plans are to build wind and solar power facilities with a capacity of 30 million kilowatts. We can then develop technical approaches for the development of new energy sources using hydrogen as the carrier; the hydrogen production process involves alkaline water electrolysis. The cost of hydrogen, including taxes, is approximately 18–20 yuan per kilogram. Supplying this hydrogen to hydrogen refueling stations could generate profits, allowing for a commercial operation model to be established, and there is also room to further reduce costs. Therefore, starting with logistics or heavy trucks in dense port areas and building a hydrogen energy system as a foundation to address current issues such as smog and environmental challenges is, in my opinion, a good development path at present. Of course, we also support the development of hydrogen fuel cells, but one must have considerable competitiveness as well as a continuous capacity for research and development. It is necessary to catch up with the level of hydrogen fuel cells abroad, increase their power output, improve their operational quality, and reduce costs. China is undergoing industrialization at a very rapid pace; therefore, it is particularly important for us to establish an efficient and rational hydrogen energy system, promote the use of renewable energy sources, and improve people’s living conditions as well as their quality of life. By utilizing hydrogen systems, our power grid will become smarter, more efficient, more rational, and more energy-saving. Represented by the advancement of the era of hydrogen-powered trucks, pushing forward our efforts in hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel cells as well as related industries is a good approach. To support the development of a strong manufacturing nation, humanity must surely enter a hydrogen society and hydrogen era in the 21st century.