Publications

The development of hydropower industry is progressing rapidly in China and the installed capacity and power generation are increasing year by year. However due to factors such as transmission channels and power grid peaking capacity hydropower consumption in some areas is facing greater pressure. As an excellent medium for energy interconnection hydrogen energy can play an important role in promoting hydropower consumption. This paper introduces the current status and trends of hydrogen energy development in major developed countries and China and analyzes the current status of China’s hydropower abandoned water. Based on the production of hydrogen using surplus hydropower in the Dadu River Basin in Sichuan an integrated energy network research plan including hydropower electrolytic hydrogen production storage and transportation hydrogen refueling and hydrogen-powered vehicles is proposed. At the same time the development concept of hydrogen energy industry including hydrogen energy source economy hydrogen energy industry ecosphere and hydrogen energy sky road in western Sichuan is also proposed.

The freight sector is expected to keep or even increase its fundamental role for the major modern economies and therefore actions to limit the growing pressure on the environment are urgent. The use of electricity is a major option for the decarbonization of transports; in the heavy-duty segment it can be implemented in different ways: besides full electric-battery powertrains electricity can be used to supply catenary roads or can be chemically stored in liquid or gaseous fuels (e-fuels). While the current EU legislation adopts a tailpipe Tank-To-Wheels approach which results in zero emissions for all direct uses of electricity a Well-To-Wheels (WTW) method would allow accounting for the potential benefits of using sustainable fuels such as e-fuels. In this article we have performed a WTW-based comparison and modelling of the options for using electricity to supply heavy-duty vehicles: e-fuels eLNG eDiesel and liquid Hydrogen. Results showed that the direct use of electricity can provide high Greenhouse Gas (GHG) savings and also in the case of the e-fuels when low-carbonintensity electricity is used for their production. While most studies exclusively focus on absolute GHG savings potential considerations of the need for new infrastructures and the technological maturity of some options are fundamental to compare the different technologies. In this paper an assessment of such technological and non-technological barriers has been conducted in order to compare alternative pathways for the heavy-duty sector. Among the available options the flexibility of using drop-in energy-dense liquid fuels represents a clear and substantial immediate advantage for decarbonization. Additionally the novel approach adopted in this paper allows us to quantify the potential benefits of using e-fuels as chemical storage able to accumulate electricity from the production peaks of variable renewable energies which would otherwise be wasted due to grid limitations.

The increasing penetration of renewable and distributed resources signals a global boom in energy transition but traditional grid utilities have yet to share in much of the triumph at the current stage. Higher grid management costs lower electricity prices fewer customers and other challenges have emerged along the path toward renewable energy but many more opportunities await to be seized. Most importantly there are insufficient studies on how grid utilities can thrive within the hydrogen economy. Through a case study on the State Grid Corporation of China we identify the strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats (SWOT) of grid utilities within the hydrogen economy. Based on these factors we recommend that grids integrate hydrogen into the energy-as-a-service model and deliver it to industrial customers who are under decarbonization pressure. We also recommend that grid utilities fund a joint venture with pipeline companies to optimize electricity and hydrogen transmissions simultaneously.

Ammonia can be stored as a liquid under relatively easy conditions (Ambient temperature by applying 10 bar or Ambient pressure with the temperature of 239 K). At the same time liquid ammonia has a high hydrogen storage density and is therefore a particularly promising carrier for hydrogen storage. At the same time the current large-scale industrial synthesis of ammonia has long been mature and in the future it will be possible to achieve a zero-emission ammonia regeneration cycle system by replacing existing energy sources with renewable ones. Ammonia does not contain carbon and its use in fuel cells can avoid NOx production during energy release. high temperature solid oxide fuel cells can be directly fueled by ammonia and obtain good output characteristics but the challenges inherent in high temperature solid oxide fuel cells greatly limit the implementation of this option. Whereas PEMFC has gained initial commercial use however for PEMFC ammonia is a toxic gas so the general practice is to convert ammonia to pure hydrogen. Ammonia to hydrogen requires decomposition under high temperature and purification which increases the complexity of the fuel system. In contrast PEMFC that can use ammonia decomposition gas directly can simplify the fuel system and this option has already obtained preliminary experimental validation studies. The energy efficiency of the system obtained from the preliminary validation experiments is only 34–36% which is much lower than expected. Therefore this paper establishes a simulation model of PEMFC directly using ammonia decomposition gas as fuel to study the maximum efficiency of the system and the effect of the change of system parameters on the efficiency and the results show that the system efficiency can reach up to 45% under the condition of considering certain heat loss. Increasing the ammonia decomposition reaction temperature decreases the system efficiency but the effect is small and the system efficiency can reach 44% even at a temperature of 850°C. The results of the study can provide a reference for a more scientific and quantitative assessment of the potential value of direct ammonia decomposition gas-fueled PEMFC.

Simultaneous and interactive combustion of three fuels with differing reactivities is investigated by numerical simulations. In the present study conventional dual-fuel (DF) ignition phenomena relevant to DF compression ignition (CI) engines are extended and explored in tri-fuel (TF) context. In the present TF setup a low reactivity fuel (LRF) methane or methanol is perfectly mixed with hydrogen and air to form the primary fuel blend at the lean equivalence ratio of 0.5. Further such primary fuel blends are ignited by a high-reactivity fuel (HRF) here n-dodecane under conditions similar to HRF spray assisted ignition. Here ignition is relevant to the HRF containing parts of the tri-fuel mixtures while flame propagation is assumed to occur in the premixed LRF/ containing end gas regions. The role of hydrogen as TF mixture reactivity modulator is explored. Mixing is characterized by n-dodecane mixture fraction ξ and molar ratio . When x < 0.6 minor changes are observed for the first- and second-stage ignition delay time (IDT) of tri-fuel compared to dual-fuel blends (x = 0). For methane when x > 0.6 first- and second-stage IDT increase by factor 1.4–2. For methanol a respective decrease by factor 1.2–2 is reported. Such contrasting trends for the two LRFs are explained by reaction sensitivity analysis indicating the importance of OH radical production/consumption in the ignition process. Observations on LRF/ end gas laminar flame speed () indicate that  increases with x due to the highly diffusive features of . For methane  increase with x is more significant than for methanol.

In this fifth episode  Steffan Eldred and Neelam Mughal from Innovate UK KTN discuss how the glass industry is driving new hydrogen developments and research and explore the hydrogen transition opportunities and challenges in this sector alongside their special guest Rob Ireson Innovation and Partnerships Manager at Glass Futures Ltd.

The podcast can be found on their website

Ammonia plays a vital role in feeding the world through fertilizer production as well as having other industrial uses. However current ammonia production processes rely heavily on fossil fuels mostly natural gas to generate hydrogen as a feedstock. There is an urgent need to re-design and decarbonise the production process to reduce greenhouse emissions and avoid dependence on volatile gas markets and a depleting resource base. Renewable energy driven electrolysis to generate hydrogen provides a viable pathway for producing carbon-free or green ammonia. However a key challenge associated with producing green ammonia is managing low cost but highly variable wind and solar renewable energy generation for hydrogen electrolysis while maintaining reliable operation of the less flexible ammonia synthesis unit. To date green ammonia production has only been demonstrated at pilot scale and optimising plant configurations and scaling up production facilities is an urgent task. Existing feasibility studies have demonstrated the ability to model and cost green ammonia production pathways that can overcome the technical and economic challenges. However these existing approaches are context specific demonstrating the ability to model and cost green ammonia production for defined locations with set configurations. In this paper we present a modelling framework that consolidates the array of configurations previously studied into a single framework that can be tailored to the location of interest. Our open-source green ammonia modelling and costing tool dynamically simulates the integration of renewable energy with a wide range of balancing power and storage options to meet the flexible demands of the green ammonia production process at hourly time resolution over a year or more. Unlike existing models the open-source implementation of our tool allows it to be used by a potentially wide range of stakeholders to explore their own projects and help guide the upscaling of green ammonia as a pathway for decarbonisation. Using Gladstone in Australia as a case study a 1 million tonne per annum (MMTPA) green ammonia plant is modelled and costed using price assumptions for major equipment in 2030 provided by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). Using a hybrid (solar PV and wind) renewable energy source and Battery Energy Storage System as balancing technology we estimate a levelized cost of ammonia (LCOA) between 0.69 and 0.92 USD kgNH3 -1 . While greater than historical ammonia production costs from natural gas falling renewables costs and emission reduction imperatives suggest a major future role for green ammonia.

Under the requirements of China's strategic goal of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" as a renewable clean and efficient secondary energy source hydrogen benefits from abundant resources a wide variety of sources a high combustion calorific value clean and non-polluting various forms of utilization energy storage mediums and good security etc. It will become a realistic way to help energy transportation petrochemical and other fields to achieve deep decarbonization and will turn into an important replacement energy source for China to build a modern clean energy system. It is clear that accelerating the development of hydrogen energy has become a global consensus. In order to provide a theoretical support for the accelerated transformation of hydrogen-related industries and energy companies and provide a basis and reference for the construction of "Hydrogen Energy China" this paper describes main key technological progresses in the hydrogen industry chain such as hydrogen production storage transportation and application. The status and development trends of hydrogen industrialization are analyzed and then the challenges faced by the development of the hydrogen industry are discussed. At last the development and future of the hydrogen industry are prospected. The following conclusions are achieved. (1) Hydrogen technologies of our country will become mature and enter the road of industrialization. The whole industry chain system of the hydrogen industry is gradually being formed and will realize the leap-forward development from gray hydrogen blue hydrogen to green hydrogen. (2) The overall development of the entire hydrogen industry chain such as hydrogen production storage and transportation fuel cells hydrogen refueling stations and other scenarios should be accelerated. Besides in-depth integration and coordination with the oil and gas industry needs more attention which will rapidly promote the high-quality development of the hydrogen industry system. (3) The promotion and implementation of major projects such as "north-east hydrogen transmission" "west-east hydrogen transmission" "sea hydrogen landing" and utilization of infrastructures such as gas filling stations can give full play to the innate advantages of oil and gas companies in industrial chain nodes such as hydrogen production and refueling etc. which can help to achieve the application of "oil gas hydrogen and electricity" four-station joint construction form a nationwide hydrogen resource guarantee system and accelerate the planning and promotion of the "Hydrogen Energy China" strategy.

In Spain the institutional framework for photovoltaic energy production has experienced distinct stages. From 2007 to 2012 the feed-in-tariff system led to high annual growth rates of this renewable energy but after the suppression of the policy of public subsidies the sector stagnated. In recent years green hydrogen an innocuous gas in the atmosphere has become a driving force that stimulates photovoltaic energy production. Since 2020 encouraged by the European energy strategies and corresponding funds Spain has established a regulation to promote green hydrogen as a form of energy resource. Adopting the new institutional economics (NIE) approach this article investigates the process of changing incentives for the energy business sector and its impact on photovoltaic energy production. The results show an increase in the number of both projects approved or on approval and companies involved in green hydrogen that are planning to use photovoltaic energy in Spain thus engendering the creation of a new photovoltaic business environment based on innovation and sustainability.

In the future green hydrogen—hydrogen produced with renewable energy resources—could provide developing countries with a zero-carbon energy carrier to support national sustainable energy objectives and it needs further consideration by policy makers and investors. Developing countries with good renewable energy resources could produce green hydrogen locally generating economic opportunities and increasing energy security by reducing exposure to oil price volatility and supply disruptions. Support from development finance institutions and concessional funds could play an important role in deploying first-of-a-kind green hydrogen projects accelerating the uptake of green hydrogen in developing countries and increasing capacity and creating the necessary policy and regulatory enabling environment.