Major green hydrogen project completed in Shandong

The nation's first factory-based seawater hydrogen production research project was completed in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, on Wednesday, said its operator China Petroleum and Chemical Corp.

This is a significant step by the country toward advancing clean energy technology and sustainable resource utilization.

The project, combining direct seawater hydrogen production with green electricity, is capable of producing 20 cubic meters of green hydrogen per hour.

It provides a new solution for utilizing renewable energy in coastal areas while offering a pathway for recycling high-salinity industrial wastewater, said the company, also known as Sinopec.

The project uses green electricity generated by a floating photovoltaic power station of the company's Qingdao refinery to electrolyze seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. The produced hydrogen is integrated into the refinery's pipeline network for refining operations or fueling hydrogen-powered vehicles, with the entire production process carried out within the factory, it said.

With China positioning itself as a global leader in the production and utilization of green hydrogen, industry experts expect a transformative leap in the nation's hydrogen sector, driven by declining costs, policy support and technological innovation, especially green hydrogen.

Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power and generates minimal greenhouse gas emissions during production.

Green hydrogen is forecast to dominate China's hydrogen supply in the coming decades, accounting for 90 percent by 2060 from the current negligible 0.2 percent of total production, said Liu Shiyu, vice-president of the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute.

An analyst said the project demonstrates the potential of direct seawater electrolysis for producing green hydrogen, reducing reliance on freshwater resources while utilizing abundant coastal renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.

China's coastal regions boast abundant wind, solar and seawater resources, offering a clear advantage for producing green hydrogen using renewable electricity, said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.

Direct seawater electrolysis can convert intermittent and hard-to-store green power into hydrogen, which is easier to store and utilize, while conserving valuable freshwater resources. This opens new pathways for the development of the hydrogen energy industry, he said.

China, already the world's largest producer and consumer of hydrogen, accounted for over one-third of global output in 2023, with its production reaching 35 million metric tons and expected to nearly triple to 100 million tons by midcentury.

Global consultancy Rystad Energy expects China's share of green hydrogen to further accelerate in the coming years, especially since it is installing new electrolyzer capacity at a world-leading pace every year.

Despite its advantages, the complex composition of seawater, which contains more than 90 chemical elements and a large number of microorganisms and suspended particles, brings corrosion and toxicity issues, catalyst inactivation, low electrolytic efficiency and other technical bottlenecks and challenges.

The roughly 3 percent salt content in seawater and chloride ions among impurities can corrode electrolyzer electrodes, reducing efficiency or even damaging the devices, said Sinopec.

The company tackled these issues by developing specialized key equipment and unique process technologies. It has overcome challenges such as chlorine-resistant electrode technology, high-performance electrode plate design, and seawater circulation systems, achieving a seamless integration of research and practical application.

As technology matures and costs decline, seawater hydrogen production is expected to achieve large-scale industrial application in the future. China is currently accelerating research into seawater hydrogen production, with domestic universities and research institutions actively working to overcome technical challenges in the field.

Sinopec has been accelerating its efforts in recent years to become China's leading hydrogen energy company by advancing research and application across the entire hydrogen value chain and building platforms for key technologies.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn