In the process of global response to climate change, the realization of decarbonization of the energy system is the key. Hydrogen energy has become a bridge between fossil energy and renewable energy due to its wide range of sources, cleanliness and controllable safety. Today, hydrogen energy is gradually becoming one of the important energy carriers for global low-carbon development. Major countries in the world are formulating hydrogen energy industry development plans, investing huge amounts of money, and actively promoting the research and development and industrialization of advanced hydrogen energy technologies to seize the international hydrogen energy industry. The commanding heights of the competitive field.
United States: Hydrogen energy has risen to the national strategic level
In 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy released the Hydrogen Energy Project Plan, proposing an overall strategic framework for hydrogen energy research, development and demonstration in the next 10 years and beyond. The plan clarifies the core technical fields, needs and challenges of hydrogen energy development, as well as research and development priorities, and establishes the main technical and economic goals of the hydrogen energy plan. The Hydrogen Energy Project Plan sets technical and economic indicators for the development of hydrogen energy by 2030.
The United States is one of the world's largest hydrogen producers and consumers. Annual hydrogen consumption exceeds 11 million tonnes, or 13% of global demand, two-thirds of which is used in oil refining and most of the rest in ammonia production. In terms of raw materials, currently about 80% of the hydrogen in the United States comes from natural gas reforming, and most of the rest is by-product hydrogen from the petroleum refining and chemical industry.
The U.S. hydrogen energy technology industry chain is perfect, and hydrogen energy has risen to the national strategic level. In order to ensure its leading position in the field of emerging technologies, the United States attaches great importance to the cultivation of related technologies in the upstream and downstream of the hydrogen energy industry chain, involving hydrogen production, storage and transportation, fuel cell manufacturing, fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen refueling station infrastructure. The United States leads the world in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market and the utilization rate of hydrogen refueling stations. At present, the number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the United States ranks first in the world. The California government pays attention to the cultivation of the fuel cell consumption market, and continues to provide a number of policy supports. It has become the most mature region for the promotion of fuel cell vehicles in the world.
As of June 2021, there are 17 MW of electrolytic hydrogen production projects in operation in the United States, with a hydrogen pipeline capacity of 1.4 GW (300 MW under construction or committed funding), and an additional 120 MW in early development Phase, will be online in 2030. The U.S. Department of Energy forecasts potential deployments to be as high as 13.5 gigawatts.
EU: Actively use its own advantages to accelerate the commercialization of hydrogen energy
The EU has been committed to the development of clean energy, and in recent years has gradually clarified the development route of hydrogen energy. In 2007, the European Commission put forward the "European Strategic Energy Technology Plan", which regards fuel cells and hydrogen energy as the key technology areas for key support. In 2008, the Council of the European Union passed a resolution to establish the "European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Joint Organization" to create an industrial cooperation mechanism composed of the European Commission, industry associations, enterprises, etc., to promote the development, application and deployment of hydrogen energy and fuel cell industries. R&D. In 2014, the EU proposed the establishment of the "Important European Common Interest Project" to provide public support at the EU level for key technology and infrastructure projects related to the EU's future economic and technological competitiveness. Relevant industries have called for the EU to inject 5 billion to 60 billion euros into "important projects of common European interests" related to hydrogen energy in the next 5-10 years.
In 2019, the European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Joint Organization led the release of the report "European Hydrogen Energy Roadmap: A Sustainable Development Path for European Energy Transition", proposing that large-scale development of hydrogen energy is the only way for the EU to achieve its decarbonization goals. The report describes an ambitious plan: deploying hydrogen energy in the European Union to meet the goal of controlling a 2°C temperature rise, Europe could generate about 2,250 terawatt-hours of hydrogen by 2050, equivalent to a quarter of the EU's total energy needs.
In 2020, the European Commission officially released the "Climate Neutral European Hydrogen Strategy" policy document, announcing the establishment of the EU Clean Hydrogen Alliance. The strategy sets out a roadmap for the development of hydrogen energy in the EU, promoting hydrogen energy development in three stages. The first stage (2020-2024), the installation of at least 6 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers, with a production capacity of 1 million tons per year; the second stage (2025-2030), the installation of at least 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolysis In the third stage (2030-2050), renewable hydrogen technology should reach maturity and be deployed on a large scale to cover all hard-to-decarbonize industries.
The EU calls on member states to include hydrogen energy in their national energy and climate development goals in the medium and long term. Countries such as the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have released national hydrogen strategies, Italy and Poland are conducting public consultations, and Austria is expected to release soon. Although these countries have different advantages, the hydrogen energy strategy is very consistent with the EU hydrogen energy strategy. Almost all countries have established the goal of electrolysis of hydrogen, and the cumulative amount will reach more than 20 GW by 2030 (there are still 7 GW in the strategies of Italy and Poland. watt). The hydrogen energy strategies of some EU countries are shown in Table 1.
The EU regards hydrogen energy as an important guarantee for energy security and energy transformation, and actively uses its own advantages to accelerate the process of hydrogen energy commercialization. The EU has its own advantages in the development of hydrogen energy. On the one hand, the rapid development of wind power and photovoltaic power generation can provide convenience for the production of green hydrogen in the long term; on the other hand, the EU has a relatively complete natural gas infrastructure, which can be used for hydrogen energy through expansion. support for transportation. Based on its own advantages, the EU has achieved fruitful results in the fields of hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and transportation, hydrogen utilization and fuel cells, and has formed a complete industrial chain. Currently, it is actively exploring commercialization.
The European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Consortium plays an important role in the development of hydrogen energy in the EU, promoting hydrogen energy research and development, innovation and demonstration. Breakthroughs have been made in the R&D and application of hydrogen energy in Europe. In June 2018, the world's first hydrogen-powered train was put into trial operation in northern Germany. In 2020, the EU produced and used around 7 million tonnes of hydrogen. Hydrogen is mainly derived from natural gas and by-products from refineries and petrochemical industries. The main consumers of hydrogen are oil refining (3.7 million tons) and the chemical industry (3 million tons).
On the supply side, renewable electrolytic hydrogen production is considered to be the main route for hydrogen production. The EU has installed more than 140 MW of dedicated hydrogen production equipment for electrolysis, accounting for more than 40% of global capacity. Strong signals from EU member state government strategies have created momentum for further deployment, with more than 20 GW of hydrogen pipeline capacity under development in the EU by 2030, of which more than 1 GW is already under construction or has committed funding.
Japan: Promote the coordinated development of hydrogen energy and other energy sources
From hydrogen energy research to the concept of "hydrogen energy society", to the formation of a national strategy, Japan has roughly gone through three stages. The first stage was triggered by the oil crisis. Japan launched the "Sunshine Project" in 1974, brewing and implementing a series of energy research projects including hydrogen energy. The second stage is the release of the "First Energy Basic Plan" in 2003, and the concept of "hydrogen energy society" was first proposed. The third stage is the introduction of the "Basic Strategy for Hydrogen Energy" in 2017, which will elevate the concept to the height of the national strategy. At present, it has gradually entered a new stage, that is, the overflow stage of the hydrogen energy strategy.
Japan released the "Hydrogen Energy/Fuel Cell Strategic Development Roadmap" in 2014 and updated it in 2016 and 2019. From the "Hydrogen Energy/Fuel Cell Strategic Development Roadmap", it can be seen that Japan is building a "hydrogen energy society" Relying on the three-stage strategic route planning. The first stage is to promote fuel cell application scenarios and promote the application of hydrogen energy. In this stage, by-product hydrogen is mainly used, or fossil energy such as oil and natural gas is used to produce hydrogen. The second stage is hydrogen production, transportation, storage and power generation using unused energy. The third stage aims to rely on renewable energy, combined with carbon recovery and capture technology for unused energy, to achieve a zero-emission hydrogen supply system for the entire life cycle. It is planned to build 320 hydrogen refueling stations by 2025.
The "Basic Strategy for Hydrogen Energy" issued in 2017 clarified the roadmap and goals for reducing the cost of hydrogen production, aiming to reduce it to 30 yen/cubic meter in 2030 and 20 yen/cubic meter in the future. In 2021, the "Green Growth Plan" was announced, and the goal of hydrogen energy production to achieve 3 million tons in 2030 was proposed. To support this goal, the Japanese government announced a 700 billion yen public investment plan to support the development of Japan's hydrogen supply chain.
In Japan's strategic path, hydrogen energy is not used as an alternative energy to fossil energy, but is committed to promoting the coupled and coordinated development of hydrogen energy, lignite and other fossil energy and renewable energy. On the other hand, Japan tends to build an international hydrogen energy supply chain. Since 2018, Japan has hosted the Ministerial Conference on Hydrogen Energy for three consecutive years, aiming to lead and promote the development of the global "hydrogen energy society".
In 2020, Japan's hydrogen demand is close to 2 million tons, of which oil refining accounts for nearly 90% of the demand, and the rest is ammonia production demand. In terms of hydrogen sources, hydrogen from natural gas accounts for more than 50%, another 45% is by-product hydrogen from the refining and petrochemical industries, and the rest comes from small-scale coal production processes.
Japan has been a pioneer in the use of hydrogen in transportation, with Honda launching its first commercial fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) in 2008. In April 2021, Japan has about 5,600 FCEVs, the fourth largest market in the world, and Japan has established FCEV development goals of 200,000 by 2025 and 800,000 by 2030.
South Korea: Committed to building the world's largest transportation and power hydrogen fuel cell market
In 2018, South Korea released the "Innovative Development Strategic Investment Plan", which listed the hydrogen energy industry as one of the three strategic investment directions. In 2019, the "Hydrogen Energy Economic Development Roadmap" was released, which clarified the goals of hydrogen production, hydrogenation and fuel cell development. The Roadmap for the Development of the Hydrogen Economy highlights two priorities, one is to build a hydrogen market and the other is to create the world's largest market for hydrogen fuel cells for transportation and electricity. According to the roadmap, the South Korean government plans to expand the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market from 1,800 in 2018 to 80,000 in 2022 and 6.2 million in 2040. Hydrogen fuel cell capacity for power generation will reach 15 gigawatts by 2040. The demand for hydrogen will reach 1.94 million tons in 2030 and 5.26 million tons in 2030.
In February 2020, South Korea promulgated the "Act on Promoting Hydrogen Economy and Hydrogen Safety Management", which is the world's first management act to promote hydrogen economy and hydrogen safety. The development of industry provides support for hydrogen energy supply and safe management of hydrogen facilities, and promotes the development of the national economy.
In 2021, South Korea released the first "Basic Plan for the Development of Hydrogen Economy", proposing that by 2050, South Korea's hydrogen energy will account for 33% of final energy consumption and 23.8% of power generation, becoming the largest energy source exceeding oil, and more than 2,000 hydrogen energy will be established nationwide. hydrogen refueling station.
South Korea is one of the most active countries in adopting hydrogen technology. In 2020, South Korea produced and used more than 1.8 million tons of hydrogen, with almost all of the demand coming from refining and petrochemical processes. In terms of hydrogen sources, about 60% of the hydrogen is a by-product from various sources, and the remaining 40% is from natural gas.
In terms of transportation, in 2020, South Korea launched more than 10,000 commercial fuel cell electric vehicles, taking the lead in the world. In terms of stationary fuel cells, South Korea currently has an installed capacity of 620 MW, almost double what it was at the end of 2018. South Korea attaches great importance to the production of low-carbon hydrogen, and the first projects to develop low-carbon hydrogen production are already underway. The production capacity is 350,000 tons/year. In terms of infrastructure, Linde and South Korea's Hyosung have teamed up to build Asia's largest liquefied hydrogen plant in 2021 to supply hydrogen for the transportation industry.
Australia: Creating a hydrogen hub
Australia is rich in coal, natural gas and other fossil energy resources, which can be used to produce sufficient hydrogen; Australia has a complete coal industry chain and complete natural gas production, liquefaction, storage and transportation and other infrastructure and professional technical support, which can be used in the hydrogen energy industry. Each link of the chain functions. The Australian government attaches great importance to the development of hydrogen energy. The overall hydrogen energy strategy is to vigorously develop a clean, innovative, safe and competitive hydrogen energy industry. With new energy hydrogen production, hydrogen power generation and hydrogen export as important strategies, it has the potential to become the world's largest hydrogen energy industry. One of the hydrogen producing countries.
Australia's National Hydrogen Strategy, released in November 2019, sets out development goals and specific actions, explores the potential for clean hydrogen production, outlines plans for rapid scale-up, and details what government, industry and communities need Coordinate actions to remove obstacles to the development of the hydrogen energy industry. As part of the plan, the government has invested more than $1.3 billion to accelerate the growth of the domestic hydrogen industry. The strategy also highlights the significant opportunities presented by hydrogen exports, which the government is promoting by developing international partnerships with Singapore, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
A key element of Australia's strategy will be the creation of hydrogen hubs - clusters of large-scale hydrogen demand. These facilities may be in ports, cities or remote locations and will provide the industry with a springboard to scale. Hydrogen hubs will enable more cost-effective infrastructure development, improve efficiency from economies of scale, accelerate innovation, and achieve synergies from sectoral coupling. Use hydrogen in transportation, industry, and natural gas distribution networks, and integrate hydrogen technology into power systems in ways that improve reliability. While boosting domestic demand, it will also support Australia's export capabilities, making Australia a leading global player in hydrogen.
Currently, Australia's hydrogen demand is still very small, almost all of which is used for refining and ammonia production, and domestic demand growth is also limited. However, the country has huge potential for cheap production of low-carbon hydrogen. Recognizing this opportunity, the government has invested in seven hydrogen hubs to centralize users, thereby minimizing infrastructure costs.
Australia has huge potential to produce hydrogen from renewable energy. Currently, 9 projects with a capacity greater than 1 GW are under development, including some of the largest projects in the world: Western Green Energy Center (equivalent to 20 GW of electrolysis capacity), Asian Renewable Energy Center (14 GW) , HyEnergy zero-carbon hydrogen (8 GW) and Murchison project (5 GW). If all projects under development are successfully deployed, Australia will have nearly 20 GW of electrolytic hydrogen capacity by 2030, most of which will be exported in the form of hydrogen and ammonia.
New Zealand: Roadmap outlines vision for 'becoming a leader in hydrogen production'
In response to climate change and the transition to a green economy, the New Zealand government has set national goals: one is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from 2005 levels by 2030; two, by 2035, 100% of electricity supply comes from renewable electricity The third is to achieve zero emissions by 2050. New Zealand's Hydrogen Vision is to harness the opportunities of hydrogen to create a sustainable, resilient energy future for New Zealand.
New Zealand announced the Taranaki Hydrogen Roadmap in March 2019 (see Table 2). The roadmap was developed by development agency Invest Taranaki, New Plymouth Local Council, New Zealand hydrogen company Hiringa Energy and the Provincial Growth Fund. The roadmap sets out how the region can leverage existing technology and infrastructure to become a leader in hydrogen production. The Provincial Growth Fund has also been supported to help develop Taranaki's hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The government is establishing a national new energy development centre in Taranaki to help New Zealand transition to a low carbon future, and a new scientific research fund to promote early research into new green energy technologies.
The New Zealand Hydrogen Development Roadmap outlines indicative pathways for New Zealand to harness the potential of hydrogen to build a sustainable and resilient energy system, and shows how the different pathways can be integrated with other parts of the government's strategy.
Currently, the hydrogen market in New Zealand is small. But New Zealand is considered one of the best places in the world to innovate, experiment and demonstrate, with the fewest regulatory hurdles. Its existing natural gas, process and industrial infrastructure could be retrofitted for the hydrogen industry.
New Zealand has a large amount of renewable energy, and taking advantage of renewable energy to further electrify while conserving energy and switching fuels from hydrocarbons is the main way to decarbonize New Zealand's energy sector. In winter, New Zealand's hydropower production declines, while demand for heating and lighting increases, necessitating energy storage systems to balance electricity demand at different times. Hydrogen is well-suited to this role, storing excess electricity produced in summer to produce hydrogen for use in winter when hydropower production declines.
New Zealand has abundant renewable energy sources that can be used to produce green hydrogen, partly for export. The IEA believes New Zealand's hydrogen production will reach 700,000 tonnes/year by 2030. The Taranaki Hydrogen Roadmap proposes to export about 300,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year, or about 40% of production. New Zealand has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan to collaborate on the development of hydrogen technology and the export of green hydrogen to Japan
