Towards Green New Hydrogen Deployment

创建于04.29

In the waters east of Yantai, Shandong, a hydrogen production platform stands tall at over 50 meters high and weighing more than 20,000 tons. On March 27, the construction of China's first integrated marine hydrogen and ammonia methanol project was completed, capable of offshore renewable energy off-grid hydrogen production, which can be converted into easily stored ammonia and methanol. These two products can serve as clean fuel for ships and can also be used as chemical raw materials.

“Project has built floating photovoltaic and energy storage devices, utilizing new energy to electrolyze seawater for hydrogen production, achieving the first empirical verification of the entire process of offshore hydrogen production, and is expected to become a fuel replenishment station for ocean-going vessels in the future.” Liu Congmin, General Manager of State Power Hydrogen Innovation Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. introduced.

The development of marine hydrogen energy is a microcosm of the diversified development of hydrogen energy. Logistics vehicles can be refueled in just 3 minutes with fast hydrogen refueling machines, hydrogen-powered shunting locomotives with a range of up to 800 kilometers, and low-temperature resistant hydrogen-powered drones... At the recent 2025 International Hydrogen Conference, multiple new products and technologies were showcased.

Hydrogen energy is similar to electric energy and is a common secondary energy source that needs to be obtained through the conversion of primary energy sources. The difference is that hydrogen energy has a high energy density and is relatively easy to store, providing advantages for large-scale and long-term energy storage. Currently, some major developed countries and regions have regarded hydrogen energy as an important strategic choice for energy transition. The relevant department head of the National Energy Administration introduced that China's hydrogen energy industry is showing a positive development trend in all aspects of "production, storage, transportation, and utilization." By 2024, the cumulative production capacity of global renewable energy hydrogen production projects will exceed 250,000 tons/year, with China accounting for over 50%.

Overall, the development path and business model of the hydrogen energy industry are still in the exploration and demonstration stage. The costs of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and refueling applications are relatively high, and there is still significant room for development in key basic materials and technologies. "The development of the hydrogen energy industry has rich resource potential and broad market demand, requiring continuous strengthening of support for hydrogen energy technology innovation, accelerating the promotion of pilot demonstrations for advanced hydrogen energy technology applications, enhancing the talent reserve in the hydrogen energy industry, and strengthening international cooperation in hydrogen energy," said Peng Suping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Hydrogen cylinders are key devices in fuel cell systems, and the working pressure and hydrogen storage capacity of the cylinders determine the vehicle's driving range. Research and development face multiple challenges such as high pressure, large volume, lightweight design, and low cost. In 2024, the 70MPa-IV type 210-liter large-volume cylinder independently developed by China National Materials Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. successfully mounted on heavy trucks for road testing, with 10 cylinders configured to upgrade the vehicle's range to 800 kilometers. "In the past, key materials like carbon fiber relied on imports. We have broken through the bottlenecks in material application and winding technology, maximizing hydrogen storage density while ensuring high safety performance," said Ji Zengxiang, director of the company's R&D center. Compared to traditional hydrogen cylinders, this cylinder's weight is reduced by about 28%, and its hydrogen storage density is increased by about 40%.

Promoting the high-quality development of the hydrogen energy industry requires scientific optimization of the industrial layout and coordinated advancement of infrastructure construction. Experts indicate that currently, hydrogen transportation in our country mainly relies on high-pressure gaseous long-tube trailer transport, which is costly and inefficient. Pipeline transportation still has shortcomings, and pilot projects for hydrogen-blended natural gas pipelines and pure hydrogen pipelines can be initiated. At the same time, it is essential to reasonably layout the hydrogen energy industry based on local resource endowments, choose technological routes suited to local conditions, and avoid a rush to develop and redundant construction. In regions with a large scale of hydrogen energy applications, exploring the establishment of hydrogen production bases can be considered.

According to the "2025 Energy Work Guidance Opinion," this year our country will steadily develop the renewable energy hydrogen production and sustainable fuel industry, steadily promote the pilot application of fuel cell vehicles, orderly advance the construction of a national hydrogen energy information platform, cautiously and orderly explore the pilot application of hydrogen pipeline transportation projects, and promote the establishment and improvement of hydrogen energy management mechanisms in various regions. The head of the relevant department of the National Energy Administration stated that they will collaborate with relevant departments to research and formulate policy documents to support the development of the hydrogen energy industry, promoting the full chain development of hydrogen energy "production, storage, transportation, and utilization."