Comprehensive Review of Development and Applications of Hydrogen Energy Technologies in China for Carbon Neutrality: Technology Advances and Challenges

Concerning the transition from a carbon-based energy economy to a renewable energy economy, hydrogen is considered an essential energy carrier for efficient and broad energy systems in China in the near future. China aims to gradually replace fossil fuel-based power generation with renewable energy technologies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. This ambitious undertaking will involve building an industrial production chain spanning the production, storage, transportation, and utilisation of hydrogen energy by 2030 (when China’s carbon peak will be reached). This review analyses the current status of technological R&D in China’s hydrogen energy industry. Based on published data in the open literature, we compared the costs and carbon emissions for grey, blue, and green hydrogen production. The primary challenges concerning hydrogen transportation and storage are highlighted in this study. Given that primary carbon emissions in China are a result of power generation using fossil fuels, we provide an overview of the advances in hydrogen-to-power industry technology R&D, including hydrogen-related power generation technology, hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen internal combustion engines, hydrogen gas turbines, and catalytic hydrogen combustion using liquid hydrogen carriers (e.g. ammonia, methanol, and ethanol).