Development and application of hydrogen energy highlighted

Shanghai has established a research center for the development and application of hydrogen energy in the Yangtze River Delta for green purposes.

Zhang Jiujun, head of Shanghai University's sustainable energy research institute, was named as the honorary director, according to the Yangtze River Delta Hydrogen Energy Technology Summit Forum held at the Shanghai Science Hall on Friday.

Zhang said hydrogen energy plays a big role in China's carbon goal – reaching peak carbon emissions before 2030 and becoming carbon neutral by 2060.

"Why is it necessary to achieve carbon neutrality?" he asked. "The world now has about 1.7 billion fuel-powered vehicles, which emit about 400 trillion tons of carbon dioxide every year. It's such a great risk to human beings. So, we have to turn to sustainable energy.

"In the future we will rely more on sun, wind, water, bioenergy and geothermal energy to generate electricity. But their capabilities largely depend on climate, like less-efficient solar panels when it's cloudy. So, we have to develop technologies to store energies. One major way is to transform electricity to hydrogen."

A report by the Hydrogen Council predicts that the demands for hydrogen energy by 2050 will be ten times that of today, and the world will have 10 to 15 million hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2030. 

"It implies a promising market," he said.

Shanghai, a pioneer in new energy cars in China, plans to build more than 70 hydrogen stations for hydrogen vehicles by 2025, according to Xie Wenlan, deputy director of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission.

"Over the years, Shanghai has made a series of breakthroughs and progresses in the industry, from making and storing hydrogen to developing hydrogen vehicles and support facilities," he said.