Abstract
Hydrogen production from renewable energy is the most important source of green hydrogen, and the active development of hydrogen production from renewable energy is of great significance to enhance the diversity, flexibility and stability of energy system. In the current carbon neutral action sweeping the world, many countries and regions, including China, have incorporated the development of hydrogen energy into their national energy transition strategies. This paper introduces the hydrogen energy strategies of major countries in the world, the current industrial development status of hydrogen production from renewable energy, the technical development trend and its economics, and analyzes the main challenges facing the development of renewable energy-to-hydrogen technology in China at the present stage (pilot demonstration stage). Finally, it is suggested that each region should promote the pilot projects of hydrogen production from renewable energy according to local conditions, and scientifically lay out the hydrogen transmission pipeline network, in order to actively expand the diversified applications of hydrogen energy. The development of the renewable energy hydrogen industry can be supported through various measures such as price, subsidies and green finance, thus helping the country to achieve the goals of peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality.
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Notes
- 1.
Grey hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas or industrial by-products. Blue hydrogen is produced from gray hydrogen combined with the CCUS technology (CO2 capturing, utilization and storage). Green hydrogen is produced from non-fossil energy sources, usually including renewable energy sources such as hydroelectricity, wind power and solar power. In addition, green hydrogen can also be obtained from nuclear power and bio-hydrogen (hydrogen production from biomass through gasification and microbial catalytic dehydrogenation).
- 2.
The nine clean energy bases planned for the 14th Five-Year Plan include: Songliao Clean Energy Base, Jibei Clean Energy Base, Yellow River Jiziwan Clean Energy Base, Hexi Corridor Clean Energy Base, Upper Yellow River Clean Energy Base, Xinjiang Clean Energy Base, Upper Jinsha River Clean Energy Base, Yalong River Basin Clean Energy Base, and Lower Jinsha River Clean Energy Base. The five offshore wind power bases include: Guangdong Offshore Wind Power Base, Fujian Offshore Wind Power Base, Zhejiang Offshore Wind Power Base, Jiangsu Offshore Wind Power Base, and Shandong Offshore Wind Power Base.
- 3.
In December 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in the Central Economic Work Conference that the gradual withdrawal of traditional energy sources should be based on the safe and reliable substitution of new energy sources.
- 4.
As early as the middle of the sixteenth century, the Swiss scientist Paracelsus noticed a phenomenon that when acid corrodes metal, it produces a gas that can be burned. In 1776, the English scientist Henry Cavendish produced and collected a kind of flammable gas by reacting zinc metal with hydrochloric acid. In 1788, the French chemist Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier proved that this flammable gas was a single substance and named it "hydrogen." The British scientist William Nicholson discovered in 1800 that hydrogen was precipitated from one pole of the battery and oxygen from the other by electrolysis of water. The Swiss chemist Christian Friedrich Schoenbein discovered the fuel cell effect in 1838. William Grove, a British scientist and judge, invented the gas cell in 1845. In 1889, Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer built the first fuel cell device using air and industrial gas.
- 5.
Only projects with clearly documented hydrogen production methods in the database are counted here. There are also many projects that use fossil energy-to-hydrogen, grid electricity-to-hydrogen, and unknown hydrogen production methods.
- 6.
This is based on the data from 2019 published in the White Paper on China's Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry (2020), “the largest output is coal-to-hydrogen, which reaches 21.24 million tons, accounting for 63.54%; followed by industrial by-product hydrogen and natural gas-to-hydrogen, with outputs of 7.08 million tons and 4.6 million tons respectively; the output of electrolytic water-to-hydrogen is about 500,000 tons,” and the information provided in the Report on the Development of China's Hydrogen Energy Industry in 2022, “China is still in the early stage of development of hydrogen production from electrolytic water, accounting for about 1.5% of the national hydrogen production, and there is great room for future growth.”
- 7.
According to the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2035 of the People's Republic of China, China will organize and implement the plan for incubating and accelerating the hydrogen energy industry, and plan and create a layout for the industry. In areas where it has prominent advantages in science and education resources and strong industrial foundation, it will establish a number of national research institutes on industrial technology of hydrogen energy to strengthen multi-path exploration and multidisciplinary integration of cutting-edge technology and supply of disruptive technology.
- 8.
Hydrogen storage technologies are divided into two categories according to the storage principle: physical and chemical hydrogen storage. Physical hydrogen storage mainly includes: liquefaction storage, high-pressure storage, low-temperature compression storage, etc. Chemical hydrogen storage mainly includes: metal hydride storage, hydrogen adsorption on activated carbons, storage by carbon fiber and carbon nanotube, organic liquid hydride storage, inorganic storage, etc. There are still some technologies to be explored and developed, including Glass Microspheres for Hydrogen Storage, inorganic hydrogen storage, composite technology of high pressure storage and liquid hydrogen storage, composite technology of alloy hydrogen storage and high pressure storage, and hydrogen storage in underground rock cave.
- 9.
High-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage, liquid hydrogen storage and pipeline hydrogen transmission all require pressurized hydrogen, so PEM electrolysis technology with higher pressure has the natural advantage to match the demand of hydrogen storage.
- 10.
Figure 14.2 depicts the “optimal level” and “average level” for “Current.” “Average level” indicates an investment of $770/kW, an efficiency of 65% (LHV), an electricity price of $53/MWh, 3200 full-load hours (onshore wind power), and a weighted average cost of capital (WACC) of 10% (relatively high risk). “Optimal level” indicates an investment of $130/kW, efficiency of 76% (LHV), an electricity price of $20/MWh, 4200 full-load hours (onshore wind power), and WACC of 6% (roughly comparable to current renewable energy power generation costs).
- 11.
The electricity price here is the industrial electricity price, which corresponds to the power cost of producing hydrogen at a hydrogen refueling station (hydrogen application side). If the hydrogen is produced in wind power/PV farms (the electricity is used directly for hydrogen production without grid connection), the price of electricity can reach 0.2 yuan/kW-h in some areas through agreed pricing.
- 12.
Assuming 86% utilization of the alkaline water electrolyzer, the terminal is filled with 70 MPa hydrogen. The economical analysis of Scenario (2) is also based on this assumption.
- 13.
Action Plan for Optimizing the Energy Structure of Chengdu Municipality to Promote Green and Low-carbon Development of the City; Notice on Policies and Measures for Optimizing the Energy Structure of Chengdu Municipality to Promote Green and Low-carbon Development of the City; Several Opinions of the General Office of Chengdu Municipal People's Government on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Hydrogen Energy Industry.
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Wang, Q. (2024). Hydrogen Production from Renewable Energy: Current Status, Prospects and Challenges. In: China International United Petroleum & Chemicals Co., Ltd., Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University (eds) Annual Report on China’s Petroleum, Gas and New Energy Industry (2022–2023). Current Chinese Economic Report Series. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7289-0_14
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