CPU Li Liuguan: The commercialization of hydrogen energy can be realized in 2 years, and alkaline electrolytic water hydrogen production market is the largest in the future
Time：2023/4/27 Tag：Dual carbon, new energy structure, hydrogen energy, energy strategy, market-oriented application, technological iteration, China Times
On March 28th, Li Liuguan, the general manager of CPU Hydrogen Power Technology（Suzhou）Co. ,Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "CPU"), stated in an interview with a reporter from China Times that it is expected that hydrogen energy can be commercialized in two years, and the research and development speed of hydrogen production equipment is accelerating. At the same time, as the photovoltaic electricity prices in the upstream of the hydrogen production industry are also decreasing, the entire hydrogen production industry chain is constantly improving. In the future, it will not only be the "world" of alkaline electrolysis water for hydrogen production, but alkaline water electrolysis water for hydrogen production will have the largest scale, the lowest cost of hydrogen production, and the lowest maintenance cost. Hydrogen energy enterprises do not blindly demand "big", while small enterprises can leverage their advantages of being small and specialized, focusing on research and development, ensuring the stability of research and development personnel, and the sustainability of research and development. Call for the establishment of industry standards to regulate the market.
- Will commercialization be achieved in 2 years?
Hydrogen energy is known as the "ultimate energy of the 21st century", and the industry believes that hydrogen energy will become a new way of energy storage in the future. Li Liuguan pointed out: "With the expansion of wind and solar power production capacity, in areas with good wind and solar resources, the sales market for wind power and optoelectronics is relatively narrow, and production capacity is insufficient. In response to this situation, we can provide hydrogen solutions to them.
It is reported that hydrogen energy is known as the "new oil" in some countries, and its energy storage methods are moving towards the world. Li Liuguan stated that CPU is also very concerned about exploring the international market. Some regions such as the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America do not have industries or industries, but have abundant natural resources. If the hydrogen energy industry chain is connected and hydrogen energy is sold as a commodity, it will definitely receive strong support and development to supply hydrogen energy to Europe and even the world.
The commercialization of hydrogen energy in China seems to be within reach. According to statistics from the China Hydrogen Energy Alliance, as of the end of 2022, the number of hydrogen refueling stations in operation in major countries worldwide has reached 727, and China has built a total of 358 hydrogen refueling stations, including 245 in operation, ranking first in the world in terms of hydrogen refueling stations. Public information shows that Shanghai is expected to build around 70 buildings by 2025. Beijing will build and operate 37 hydrogen refueling stations by 2023; By 2025, 74 hydrogen refueling stations will be built and put into operation.
At present, the cost of hydrogen production is still very high, and the price cannot compete with traditional fossil fuels, which hinders market promotion. Price will determine the development of the hydrogen energy industry. In the future, after the installation of hydrogen energy is saturated, even without relying on national subsidies, the hydrogen energy source produced by our equipment can compete with fossil fuels, bringing commercial investment benefits to enterprises. "Li Liuguan told reporters.
Li Liuguan pointed out that in addition to cost issues, the commercialization of hydrogen energy still needs to be addressed in various aspects such as transportation and storage. The current instability of new energy sources such as hydrogen energy requires the laying of specialized and stable pipeline networks for energy transmission in order to achieve large-scale hydrogen production. Currently, hydrogen production and consumption are basically on-site in the country, and the hydrogen energy industry is still in a demonstration application scenario, without long-distance transportation. "Li Liuguan analyzed and pointed out.
Despite numerous difficulties, the development of the hydrogen energy industry is still foreseeable in the future. According to the China Hydrogen Alliance, the proportion of hydrogen energy in China's terminal energy system will reach at least 10% by 2050, with a demand for hydrogen approaching 60 million tons. Among them, 24.58 million tons of hydrogen are used in the transportation sector, accounting for approximately 19% of the energy consumption in this field. The production of fuel cell vehicles will reach 5.2 million vehicles per year.
Li Liuguan also holds a very optimistic attitude towards the commercialization of hydrogen energy. "It is expected that hydrogen energy can be commercialized in 2 years, as the research and development speed of hydrogen production equipment is accelerating. At the same time, with the decrease of photovoltaic electricity prices in the upstream of the hydrogen production industry, the entire hydrogen production industry chain is constantly improving. Li Liuguan predicts that the country is emphasizing the energy attribute of hydrogen, and the proportion of green hydrogen in hydrogen production will reach 80% in the future. In the long run, coal will evolve into a "bottomless" energy source, with hydrogen energy accounting for up to 20% of the overall energy structure.
- Loving "small and specialized" and calling for the establishment of industry standards
The reporter noticed that in recent years, energy companies have flocked to the hydrogen energy race, including leading companies such as SUNGROW, LONGi, CNPC, and SINOPEC. In response, Li Liuguan said, "Almost all companies that invest in photovoltaic and wind power are doing hydrogen energy because for them, the industry chain can be connected. In the future, only two types of companies will survive: one is a sufficiently large enterprise with a scale advantage, and the other is a company located at the top of the industry with sufficient research and development capabilities. CPU aims to do the most cutting-edge content in the industry.
It is reported that the technical threshold for hydrogen energy is very high, and whether it is to reduce the cost of hydrogen production or solve the transportation and storage problems of hydrogen energy, it needs to rely on the improvement of technological level. The manufacturing of hydrogen production equipment is moving from the low end to the middle end globally. Compared to the international level, China's engineering design and manufacturing capabilities of hydrogen energy equipment are strong, but there are shortcomings in core materials that require strengthened research and development. However, the gap is not too large, with a maximum of 5-10 years of gap, still on the same starting line. "Li Liuguan analyzed and pointed out.
If the energy consumption of hydrogen production equipment can be reduced by 2%, the competitiveness of relevant enterprises in the entire industry will be greatly improved. The industry is currently a technology intensive enterprise, and the speed of technology updates and iterations is very fast, and there is a great demand for investment in research and development. Regarding the development model of the enterprise, Li Liuguan believes that the hydrogen energy market is not blindly demanding "large". Large enterprises have certain talent and financial advantages, and for small enterprises, they can leverage their small and specialized advantages to start early and focus on research and development. Especially in the early stages of industry development, it is crucial to be able to calm down and focus on research and development, ensuring the stability of research and development personnel, and the sustainability of research and development.
At present, the annual R&D investment amount of CPU remains at the level of 60 to 70 million yuan. Li Liuguan pointed out that the core advantage of CPU lies in its strong research and development capabilities. Continuously providing customers with stable, safe, and low energy equipment to improve their profitability and drive the development of the entire industry. CPU currently has a stable team and top-notch R&D technical personnel, specializing in alkaline equipment. We do not seek to be large, only specialized, and our core philosophy is to become the most efficient electrolytic water hydrogen production equipment company.
It is reported that the hydrogen production technology of electrolytic water mainly includes three types: alkaline electrolytic water, proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolytic water, and solid oxide electrolytic water. Among them, alkaline electrolysis of water for hydrogen production is currently the most mature electrolysis hydrogen production technology in China. Alkaline electrolysis of water for hydrogen production is also a track of choice for CPU. For the future market structure of electrolytic water hydrogen production, Li Liuguan pointed out that the future will not only be the "world" of alkaline electrolytic water hydrogen production, but different hydrogen production methods such as PEM will be applied in different application scenarios. But the largest scale will be alkaline electrolysis of water for hydrogen production, with the lowest cost of hydrogen production and maintenance costs.
The reporter noticed that in recent years, with the influx of large and small enterprises, the European Union and other regions have strengthened green certification for hydrogen energy. On February 13th, the EU passed two authorization bills required by the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) and proposed detailed rules to define the composition of renewable hydrogen in the EU.
"We are experiencing a brand new energy revolution, and the development speed of the entire industry is really too fast. We have the opportunity to make the hydrogen energy industry as strong as photovoltaic, but we are afraid that it will ruin the road from the beginning. Now everyone is crowding in, but there is nothing, lacking industry standards and legal regulations, and some low-quality products flowing out will not be conducive to the development of the entire hydrogen production industry. We are also calling on the country to establish entry barriers for the hydrogen energy industry, and look forward to standardizing the inclusion of hydrogen production equipment in special industries to avoid homogeneous and disorderly competition." Li liuguan sighed.