China's hydrogen development strategy in the context of double carbon targets

Abstract

As a clean, low-carbon, efficient and renewable energy source, hydrogen has gradually become an important energy carrier to combat climate change and achieve sustainable development in the world. China is now facing the stress of realizing the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, where hydrogen will play a significant role. Against this backdrop, to develop China's hydrogen strategy under the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, this paper explores the hydrogen resource endowment in China, presents the concepts such as Hydrogen Ethics and the Hu's Hydrogen Line, and discusses the status quo and existing advantages in hydrogen production, storage, transport and utilization in China. Six major obstacles and challenges that China's hydrogen energy industry is facing are pointed out, i.e. cost problem, inadequate hydrogen infrastructures, low energy efficiency mismatching the development progress of renewable energy, insufficient market demand, shortcomings in technology, and imperfect policy system. Finally, five policy suggestions for the future development of China's hydrogen energy industry are proposed as follows: (1) make an action plan as a response to the national hydrogen development plan; (2) build an international and domestic double-cycle hydrogen economic system; (3) incorporate hydrogen into the establishment of a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system; (4) accelerate the technological innovation to form advanced hydrogen technologies; and (5) construct hydrogen-oriented industrial clusters/parks to expand the hydrogen utilization market. It is concluded that for meeting the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, China should leverage the dual advantages of hydrogen as an energy carrier and an industrial raw material, allowing the hydrogen industry to play a synergistic role in ensuring the country's energy security, promoting the socio-economic transformation and upgrading, and protecting the ecological environment, thereby providing a technical option and support for China to achieve the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality.