Hydrogen energy technology is booming around the world
At present, the hydrogen energy-related industrial chain mainly includes upstream hydrogen production, midstream
hydrogen storage and transportation, hydrogen refueling stations, and downstream diversification and other
application scenarios.
In the hydrogen production link, fossil fuel hydrogen production is still the main method of producing hydrogen in
the world with mature technology and cost advantages, which can meet the demand for industrial hydrogen. And
water electrolysis hydrogen production, by-product hydrogen purification, distributed hydrogen production and other
technologies that meet the needs of transportation hydrogen and renewable energy hydrogen production are being
demonstrated and developed. Among them, water electrolysis hydrogen production technology, which supports the
application of green hydrogen, is the biggest hotspot. At present, there are three main technical routes for water
electrolysis hydrogen production: alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production (AWE) technology, proton
exchange membrane water electrolysis hydrogen production (PEM) technology and solid oxide water electrolysis
hydrogen production (SOEC) technology. Among them, AWE water electrolysis hydrogen production technology is
relatively mature, the electrolyzer manufacturing cost is low, it is more economical, and it has been applied on a
large scale. PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production technology is highly valued by the industry due to its high
production efficiency, simple hydrogen post-refining, and adaptability to the volatility of photovoltaic wind power,
and has been widely promoted and applied in Europe. SOEC water electrolysis hydrogen production technology
belongs to the emerging hydrogen production technology route and is still in the research and development
verification stage. In the future, water electrolysis hydrogen production technology using renewable electricity still
needs to further reduce its investment cost through the combination of production and research.
In the hydrogen transportation link, typical technologies include high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage,
low-temperature liquid hydrogen storage, solid metal hydrogen storage, carrier compound hydrogen storage, etc.
Among them, high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage is easy to use and has been commercialized, but the
hydrogen storage density is low. Low-temperature liquid hydrogen storage can significantly improve storage
efficiency, and the corresponding technology has been commercialized in Europe, the United States and Japan.
Solid metal hydrogen storage is highly safe and can maintain high purity of hydrogen, but the hydrogen absorption
and release performance and recycling performance need to be improved. In recent years, inorganic and organic
hydrogen carriers have been regarded as promising storage and transportation technologies due to their
advantages such as high hydrogen storage density and convenient transportation. They have become a key
research and development field and are being demonstrated and applied.