A solid-state hydrogen storage project, a key national research and development project in China, was put into operation.
It was the first time that solid-state hydrogen generated by photovoltaic-based power has been used in the country's power system, a milestone for promoting large-scale hydrogen production from renewable energy and accelerating the completion of a new-type power system.
Workers of CSG refuel hydrogen to an emergency hydrogen fuel-based power generation facility. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Wang Chengshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that solid-state hydrogen storage solves the problem of flexible conversion between green power and green hydrogen, adding that it is expected to become a key driving force supporting evolution of power systems in the future.
Previously, storage of hydrogen was based on its gaseous or liquid status. Gaseous hydrogen storage has risks of high air pressure, flammability and explosion, and liquid hydrogen storage requires a temperature below minus 250 degrees Celsius, which is extremely costly.
The newly-launched hydrogen energy development project, led by China Southern Power Grid (CSG), is expected to solve the technical bottleneck of storing hydrogen in solid form under normal temperature conditions.
It is based on the principle of chemical reaction between hydrogen and a new-type of alloy material. When the ambient temperature of the alloy is raised, the hydrogen gas is released and converted into electricity through a fuel cell. New energy vehicles can directly realize refueling through that method.
According to the head of the hydrogen research center of CSG's power supply branch in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, "a solid-state hydrogen storage facility is like a large-capacity charger that can store unstable renewable energy such as photovoltaic and wind power with high density, which solves the problem of developing wind and photovoltaic-based power generation with strong volatility and overcomes difficulties of use."
He added that the facility is also expected to relieve reliance on fossil energy such as coal and oil.
A worker at CSG's power supply branch in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, inspects the inlet and outlet valves of the solid hydrogen storage facility. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The latest forecast of the Chinese Academy of Engineering shows that under the background of carbon neutrality, hydrogen supply in China will exceed 130 million metric tons in 2060, and that hydrogen energy is predicted to take up 20 percent of end-use energy consumption, with more than 80 percent of it being "green hydrogen".
"The integration of hydrogen and electricity will provide an effective way to speed up development and utilization of 'green hydrogen' and help achieve China's 'dual carbon' goal of peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060," said the head of the hydrogen research center of CSG's power supply branch in Guangzhou.
(Executive editor: Xie Yunxiao)
