SOE sets goal to develop cleaner fuel via hydrogen energy

State Power Investment Corp, one of China's largest State-owned electricity producers, plans to deploy more capital and human resources to develop hydrogen energy as the country currently is undergoing an energy upgrading boom.

Unlike traditional fuels, such as petrol and diesel, hydrogen produces no pollution when burned. With hydrogen fuel cell vehicles becoming increasingly significant in global energy transformation and reducing global warming, such energy already is developed and used by both domestic and global auto manufacturers to power vehicles and generate electricity.

Eager to ensure its energy security and upgrade, China has been making a push to develop the hydrogen industry to make the automobile sector cleaner and more efficient, said Chen Qingquan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The government included the development of hydrogen stations for new energy vehicles, for the first time, in the government work report this year.

As a major player in China's hydrogen energy industry, SPIC Hydrogen Energy Co, a subsidiary of Beijing-based SPIC, is currently focusing on boosting its innovation ability in several areas, including the production, storage, logistics and application of hydrogen energy, as well as research on and manufacturing of hydrogen energy equipment, hydrogen cells and solutions for automakers.

"We are willing to work with other partners to build an industrial chain and eventually build a hydrogen energy economy across China," said Li Lianrong, chairman of SPIC Hydrogen Energy Co.

He said importing fossil fuel not only increases uncertainties in energy supply, as many parts of the world are confronting trade unilateralism and protectionism, but greenhouse gas emissions and urban air quality issues also raise concerns about the nation's reliance on fossil fuel for transportation.

"Hydrogen as an energy storage system is flexible in terms of scale, location and timing," said Li, adding its complements intermittent, as well as seasonal, renewable energy sources, such as hydro, solar, wind and biomass.

Beijing issued a document at the end of 2017 noting that it would promote the application of hydrogen production and hydrogenation core technology in the relevant areas of the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Not only in China, other major energy-consuming countries, such as Germany, Japan and South Korea, now seem to have a common vision about hydrogen. They recently renewed their initiatives on hydrogen, while quickly moving to demonstrate early stage commercial application.