160 kilometers per hour! Hydrogen energy is on the "fast lane"
0、10、20...... 160, the number on the display in the train cab smoothly climbed to 160 km / h. In the carriage, Wang Jian, deputy director of the new technology research department of the National Rail Passenger Car Engineering Research Center of CRRC Changchun Passenger Car Co., Ltd., could not hide his excitement: "This is the last test. The success of this test marks a new breakthrough in the application of hydrogen energy in the field of rail transit. ”
China's first hydrogen energy city train independently developed by CRRC Changchun Co., Ltd. was tested on March 21 at the CRRC Changchun Pilot Line in Changchun City, Jilin Province, and the train successfully ran at a full load of 160 kilometers per hour, realizing the whole system, all scenarios, and multi-level performance verification.
One step closer to the widespread application of hydrogen energy.
With the development of technology, what is the current status of the development of hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel, what is the future trend, and what are the bottlenecks faced by the application of hydrogen energy?
Hydrogen mobility is advancing by leaps and bounds
The hydrogen energy city train tested this time was independently developed by CRRC Changxin Co., Ltd. and rolled off the assembly line in Chengdu in December 2022, with a four-car train with a maximum operating speed of 160 kilometers and a built-in hydrogen energy power system to provide a power source for vehicle operation.
Wang Jian said: "The test items include the stability of the vehicle, the working state of the power system, the energy consumption of the vehicle, and the acceleration performance. ”
During the test, the average energy consumption per kilometer of the train was only 5 kWh, reaching the international leading level, and the maximum cruising range could reach more than 1,000 kilometers. "This kind of train is a means of transportation between the subway and high-speed rail, and the best distance between 30 kilometers and 500 kilometers is the best running distance. Wang Jian said.
Different from traditional trains that rely on fossil energy or obtain electric energy from the catenary, the first hydrogen energy city train that successfully reached the speed of operation this time applied the hybrid energy supply scheme of multi-energy storage and multi-hydrogen energy system, and adopted the hydrogen-electric hybrid energy management strategy and control system independently developed by CRRC Changqing, realizing the deep integration of vehicle control and greatly improving the energy utilization efficiency.
Wang Jian said: "This test verified for the first time the actual performance of hydrogen trains at an ambient temperature of minus 25 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius, and all indicators in the test results met the vehicle design requirements. ”
Industry insiders said that this test is an important milestone in the research and development and application of hydrogen energy technology in China's rail transit industry, which will further promote the realization of independent and controllable key technologies of high-end transportation equipment, and provide scientific and technological support for China's transportation equipment to accelerate the formation of new quality productivity.
In recent years, the development of China's hydrogen energy industry, especially hydrogen energy vehicles, has accelerated significantly. Hydrogen energy is known to the public and cannot be separated from the help of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. About 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were used in the Beijing Winter Olympics, making it the world's largest hydrogen fuel cell vehicle demonstration operation to date.
In 2023, in Daxing District, Beijing, 10 hydrogen fuel cell buses will be officially "put on duty" in the No. 40 fleet.
According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in 2021 and 2022, China's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sales were 1,586 and 3,367 units, respectively.
In 2023, China's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle production and sales will be about 5,600 and 5,800 units, respectively, a year-on-year increase of 55.3% and 72%, respectively. Among them, from January to November, the cumulative production and sales of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were 4,290 and 4,291 respectively, a year-on-year increase of 42.6% and 34.8%. In December, the production and sales of fuel cell vehicles reached 1,300 and 1,500 units, respectively, a year-on-year increase of 98.8% and 149.1%, respectively, and the growth of production and sales accelerated again.
The person in charge of a hydrogen energy vehicle production plant in Qingdao, Shandong Province, recently said that this year, they have sold 270 hydrogen energy vehicles, compared with 45 sold in the same period last year, a significant increase. According to the data, in 2023, the production and sales of hydrogen energy vehicles in China will be about 5,600 and 5,800 respectively, an increase of about 55% and 72% year-on-year.
According to the previous planning and deployment of the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, by 2025, the number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will reach 50,000.
Hydrogen – one of the greenest sources of energy
On the way to the "dual carbon" goal, hydrogen energy has entered the fast lane with the advantages of clean, low-carbon, flexible and efficient.
During the two sessions of the National People's Congress this year, accelerating the development of the hydrogen energy industry was written into the government work report for the first time, which means that it has become one of the directions for China to actively cultivate emerging industries and future industries.
According to incomplete statistics from the Orange Club's hydrogen energy database, as of the end of October 2023, more than 900 hydrogen energy-related policies have been issued across the country, including more than 150 at the national level. Twenty-seven of the country's 31 provinces have issued provincial-level hydrogen energy industry plans.
"Hydrogen has a wide range of applications, and can be used as an industrial raw material, in metallurgy, chemical and other fields, and can also be used as a fuel in transportation and power generation. Dr. Liu Jian, a member of the Energy Storage Committee of the China Energy Research Society, told reporters that hydrogen energy is a secondary energy source that is different from primary energy sources such as hydropower, wind energy, and solar energy. "Although the use of green electricity is very environmentally friendly, in some industries, such as water transportation and aviation, there are large technical barriers to electrification, compared to hydrogen energy, which has more application scenarios. ”
Whether it is hydrogen combustion or through the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen fuel cells, the final product is only water, without pollutants and carbon emissions, and truly achieve low-carbon or even zero carbon emissions. In addition, according to the data of the China Hydrogen Energy Alliance, the calorific value of hydrogen is high (140.4MJ/kg), which is 3-4 times that of fossil fuels such as coke and gasoline of the same mass, and the comprehensive conversion efficiency can be achieved by fuel cells at more than 90%.
Many experts in the industry believe that hydrogen energy is an ideal interconnection medium to promote the clean and efficient use of traditional fossil fuels and support the large-scale development of renewable energy, and is the best choice to achieve large-scale and deep decarbonization in transportation, industry and buildings. In particular, combined with renewable energy power generation, the use of electrolysis of water to produce "green hydrogen" not only realizes the whole life cycle of green and clean, but also expands the use of renewable energy.
According to the "Research Report on the Future Development Trend of Hydrogen Energy" released by the International Hydrogen Energy Commission, it is expected that by 2050, the demand for hydrogen energy will be 10 times that of the current level. It is expected that by 2030, the number of fuel cell passenger vehicles worldwide will reach 10 million to 15 million, and by 2050, the demand for hydrogen energy will be 10 times that of today.
China has a good foundation for hydrogen production and a large-scale application market, and the development of hydrogen energy has significant advantages. Accelerating the development of the hydrogen energy industry is an important path to help China achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. In the "Medium and Long-term Plan for the Development of Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035)" jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, hydrogen energy is identified as an important part of the future national energy system and an important carrier for the green and low-carbon transformation of energy-using terminals, and the hydrogen energy industry is identified as a strategic emerging industry and a key development direction for future industries.
According to the China Hydrogen Energy Alliance, by 2050, the demand for hydrogen will be close to 60 million tons, and the carbon dioxide emission reduction will be about 700 million tons, hydrogen energy will account for more than 10% of China's terminal energy system, and the annual output value of the industrial chain will reach 12 trillion yuan.
"China is the world's largest producer and consumer of hydrogen energy, with an annual hydrogen output of up to 35 million tons, with a huge base. Liu Jian pointed out, "However, at present, hydrogen energy products are mainly gray hydrogen produced by fossil energy, and with the deepening of carbon reduction in various industries, the demand for hydrogen energy will continue to grow in the future, especially the proportion of clean and low-carbon green hydrogen will be greatly increased." ”
According to reports, hydrogen energy is currently divided into three types: gray hydrogen, blue hydrogen and green hydrogen according to the color according to the different production methods and carbon emissions. Hydrogen produced through the conversion of fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, etc.) is called "gray hydrogen", hydrogen produced by carbon capture and carbon sequestration technologies on the basis of gray hydrogen is called "blue hydrogen", and hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water from renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic and wind power, and hydrogen produced by basically no greenhouse gases in the hydrogen production process is called "green hydrogen", also known as "zero-carbon hydrogen".
According to the China Hydrogen Alliance Research Institute, more than 75% of the long-term hydrogen supply (2060) will come from green hydrogen, with non-fossil energy consumption accounting for 80%.
Strive to break through the bottleneck of hydrogen energy storage technology
In response to the call of the state, many provinces in China have successively issued relevant policies and plans to promote the positive development of the hydrogen energy industry. Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, as the first batch of fuel cell vehicle demonstration and application city clusters, continue to promote hydrogen energy technology innovation, industrial chain integration and coordinated development, and key technology research. Hebei and Henan, as the second batch of demonstration application city agglomerations, are also strengthening the construction of hydrogen refueling stations and other infrastructure, actively promoting the popularization and application of fuel cell vehicles, and improving the policy system.
In addition, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Fujian and other provinces have announced specific planning targets for hydrogen refueling stations and fuel cell vehicles. Taking 2025 as the node, a total of 8 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) including Beijing, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Henan and Inner Mongolia have announced quantitative hydrogen production capacity targets, totaling 2.267 million tons/year, and 8 provinces and cities including Gansu, Hainan, Hebei, Jilin, Jiangxi, Ningxia, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia have announced quantitative green hydrogen production capacity targets, totaling 1.071 million tons/ In addition, 27 of the above 30 provinces and cities with clear quantitative targets have disclosed their plans for the construction of hydrogen refueling stations, with a total of about 1,264 hydrogen refueling stations.
"In recent years, the field of hydrogen energy utilization in China has developed rapidly. Liu Jian said, "China has made significant progress in the field of hydrogen fuel commercial vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells. ”
Liu Jian said: "Hydrogen trains need to find suitable scenarios, and now they are mainly based on train electrification, and the electrification technology is mature and the cost is low, so hydrogen trains can focus on selecting areas with weak power grids for development." ”
However, China is not outstanding in green hydrogen, "on the one hand, hydrogen production technology needs to be improved, and in addition, large-scale long-distance hydrogen storage and transportation is a shortcoming." Liu Jian told reporters that compared with other developed countries, China also has its own advantages. "In areas with abundant renewable energy resources such as wind and solar energy, the production cost of green hydrogen is lower, but most of these places are remote and need to be stored and transported. Hydrogen storage and transportation is a global problem, which to some extent also limits the development of green hydrogen in China. In addition, the hydrogen supply infrastructure is also a shortcoming, which needs to be filled. ”
Liu Jian said that at present, Europe is trying to use pipelines to transport hydrogen, and several central enterprises in China are also trying to use pipelines to transport hydrogen over long distances.
At this year's National People's Congress and the National People's Political Consultative Conference, members of the Sichuan and Chongqing National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference jointly submitted a hydrogen energy proposal, calling for support for the inclusion of the Chengdu-Chongqing hydrogen corridor area in the national fuel cell vehicle demonstration application city agglomeration, the creation of a national fuel cell vehicle demonstration application city agglomeration, and the inclusion of the Chengdu-Chongqing hydrogen corridor area in the demonstration application city agglomeration, and support the two places to accelerate the construction of hydrogen energy infrastructure along the intercity trunk line and realize the large-scale operation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Li Huiyi, deputy chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association, vice chairman of the Lvliang Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and chairman of the Lvliang Municipal Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association, suggested that the state should take Shanxi Province as a pilot province for building a diversified hydrogen production system, led by Lvliang City, and jointly Taiyuan, Datong, Changzhi, and Linfen "1+4" cities included in the national "Fuel Cell Vehicle Demonstration Application City Agglomeration" for support.
Since 2020, five ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, have approved five hydrogen fuel cell vehicle demonstration city clusters to provide support with "substitution of awards". However, in the view of Zhang Guoqiang, chairman of Beijing Sinohytec Technology Co., Ltd., there is still a lot of room for development in the scale of the industry: "The current space is difficult to support the sustainable development of the hydrogen energy industry. The 41 cities in the five major urban agglomerations that have been approved plan to promote a total of about 35,000 fuel cell vehicles during the four-year demonstration period, with an average annual promotion volume of less than 10,000 units. In addition, the application of hydrogen energy in energy storage, power generation, metallurgy, chemical industry and other fields is still in the early stage of market application, and has not yet formed a scale, which is difficult to support the sustainable development of the hydrogen energy industry. ”
Zhang Guoqiang pointed out that the range of hydrogen sources is small, the scale of hydrogen production is insufficient, especially the large-scale production of green hydrogen has not yet been formed, resulting in insufficient hydrogen supply and high hydrogen prices. "In addition, hydrogen energy storage and transportation is mainly in a high-pressure gaseous mode, with low hydrogen storage and transportation efficiency and unsound hydrogen refueling infrastructure, which further hinders the development of the hydrogen energy industry. ”
