New Energy (Fuel Cell) Industry Patent Navigation Series Phase 1: Development Status of Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry in Major Countries and Regions of the World

The new energy (fuel cell) industry patent navigation series research report focuses on the development of the new energy fuel cell industry and the research on patent navigation based on the regional characteristics of Shenzhen. technology, providing navigation suggestions for the development path of Shenzhen’s new energy fuel cell industry

1. Why attach importance to hydrogen energy and fuel cells?

Under the background of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”, it has become the consensus of the international community to promote green and low-carbon technological innovation and develop a modern new energy system based on renewable energy. Accelerating clean and low-carbon energy transformation is the general trend. With the rapid implementation of various new energy industrial policies, the proportion of renewable energy represented by wind energy, solar energy, hydrogen energy and other new energy sources in the energy consumption structure is gradually increasing, and the market penetration rate of new energy vehicles is gradually increasing. Technological breakthroughs and the pursuit of “zero-emission” clean energy have made hydrogen fuel cells the “darling” of the new energy industry.

2. Layout of hydrogen energy and fuel cell industry chain in major countries and regions around the world

2.1
Development Strategy of Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry in Major Developed Countries

Hydrogen energy is currently recognized as the most ideal energy carrier and clean energy, and has been included in the national energy strategy layout of many countries in the world (see Table 1). So far, 18 governments whose economic aggregates account for 70% of the world have deployed strategic decisions on hydrogen energy solutions. At the beginning of 2021, more than 30 countries have released hydrogen energy roadmaps, and the industry has announced more than 200 hydrogen energy and fuel cell projects and investment plans. Governments around the world have promised to provide more than 70 billion US dollars in public funds. It is estimated that by 2050, the hydrogen energy and fuel cell industry technology will reduce 6 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions for the world every year, create about 30 million jobs, and about 20% to 25% of the world’s hydrogen energy vehicles account for 18% of the world’s energy. % of energy demand, creating a market value of more than 2.5 trillion US dollars. Fuel cell vehicles will account for 20%-25% of global vehicles, and will become the main consumer of the terminal energy system alongside gasoline and diesel.

2.2
Technology layout of hydrogen energy and fuel cell industry in major developed countries

The entire industrial chain of hydrogen energy and fuel cells includes multiple links such as hydrogen production, storage, transportation, filling, fuel cells, and terminal applications (as shown in Figure 1). The overall industrial chain has the characteristics of high technical content, large investment, slow output, high degree of marketization, fierce competition, and strong policy dependence. At the same time, different industrial chain links also have their own characteristics.

2.2.1 Hydrogen energy end
The upstream hydrogen energy end refers to the process of hydrogen from production to downstream application, including hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, hydrogen transportation, hydrogenation and other core links. At present, fossil energy (grey hydrogen) is the main source of the vast majority of hydrogen energy. Low-carbon electricity drives electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen, natural gas reforming or coal gasification combined with carbon capture and storage technology to produce hydrogen are two mainstream hydrogen production technologies plan. At present, increasing hydrogen production capacity and expanding hydrogen market demand is one of the main development lines of hydrogen energy strategies in countries around the world. In terms of the hydrogen production path, both Germany and Japan regard renewable energy hydrogen production (green hydrogen) as the future development direction, and vigorously promote the renewable energy production (green hydrogen) through measures such as large-scale electrolyzer technology research, natural gas grid business model innovation, and energy market pricing reform. The development of the renewable energy hydrogen production industry; the United States proposes that hydrogen production is not limited to renewable energy, emphasizing the full use of various domestic resources (fossil fuels, biomass/waste resources, renewable resources, nuclear energy) to achieve sustainable, large-scale, Economical and safe domestic hydrogen supply. In terms of expanding hydrogen market demand, the United States plans to establish a world-leading, safe, and independent domestic hydrogen industry supply chain by 2030, and domestic hydrogen demand will reach 22 million to 41 million tons per year by 2050 (the output in 2020 will be about 10 million tons. ). The European Union plans to complete 2×40GW renewable hydrogen energy electrolyzer devices by 2030, achieve green hydrogen production of 10 million tons/year, and hydrogen energy will account for 13%~14% of the EU’s energy structure by 2050 (2% in 2019) ). Germany predicts that by 2030, the domestic demand for hydrogen energy will reach 90T~110TW·h (the demand in 2020 will be 55TW·h), ushering in the first wave of growth in hydrogen energy demand in the industrial (chemical, steel) industry2.

Hydrogen storage and transportation technology is a key issue in the middle and lower reaches of the hydrogen energy industry chain. Commonly used methods include storage and transportation of solid hydrogen storage materials, storage and transportation of organic liquid hydrogen, and storage and transportation of high-pressure gaseous hydrogen. At present, the global hydrogen energy storage and transportation solutions mainly include transportation technologies such as liquid hydrogen (LH), ammonia (NH), and liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC). Pipe network transportation will become the mainstream form of transportation in the future. Japan focuses on the field of hydrogen transport ships, aiming to be the first to realize commercial use in the world, and export related equipment and key technologies; the European Union and Germany promote the cross-integration of power supply, heating and natural gas infrastructure, and carry out the construction of hydrogen pipeline network and natural gas hydrogen Mixed transportation pipeline network transformation; the United States innovatively proposed the chemical hydrogen carrier method, that is, through the chemical combination of hydrogen and liquid or solid materials, large-scale hydrogen transportation at low pressure and normal temperature can be realized.

In terms of hydrogenation infrastructure construction, the development goals of major developed countries are clear, and they all plan the quantity for 2025 or even 2030. By the end of 2022, the number of hydrogen refueling stations on the three continents is as follows: a total of 254 hydrogen refueling stations are in operation in Europe, including 105 in Germany, 44 in France, 17 in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and 14 in Switzerland; there are 455 hydrogen refueling stations in Asia 165 stations in Japan, 149 stations in South Korea, and 138 stations in China; a total of 97 hydrogen refueling stations have been put into operation in North America, including 70 stations in California, USA3.

2.2.2 Hydrogen fuel cell side

The hydrogen fuel cell end is the core technology and commanding height of the entire industrial chain, representing the development direction of new energy in the future. Its system includes upstream core materials, such as bipolar plates, membrane electrodes, gas diffusion layers, and sealing layers. The midstream is mainly Fuel cell system integration, including stack and gas supply system, etc. (Figure 2).

Hydrogen fuel cells are different from common lithium batteries. The system is more complex, mainly composed of stacks and system components (air compressors, humidifiers, hydrogen circulation pumps, hydrogen bottles). The battery stack is the core of the entire battery system, including each battery unit composed of membrane electrodes and bipolar plates, as well as current collector plates, end plates, sealing rings, etc. The key materials of membrane electrodes are proton exchange membranes, catalysts, and gas diffusion layers. The durability (and other properties) of these components and materials determine the service life and adaptability of the stack. In recent years, research on hydrogen fuel cell technology has focused on stacks, bipolar plates, control technology, etc., hydrogen fuel cell technology system and some related frontier research

In terms of the development of the hydrogen fuel cell industry, the United States was the first country to use fuel cells. In the 1960s and 1970s, fuel cells were used as the main power source in the space shuttle field. The United States plans to enter the era of “hydrogen energy economy” in 2040. The market predicts that the sales of fuel cell vehicles in the United States will reach 228,000 by 2024 and 3.5 million by 2030. Europe is the global leader in hydrogen fuel cell projects. Germany launched the National Development Program (NIP) for Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Technology in 2006, promoting technology development in the form of a national center (NOW-Gmb H). 350 companies and scientific research institutions conduct research in this field. Japan is currently the country that promotes fuel cell technology and its technology the most in the world and is the first to commercialize fuel cell vehicles. In the past few decades, the Japanese government has invested hundreds of billions of yen in fuel cell vehicles (FCV) technology research and development and demonstration application, and achieved good results4.

2.2.3 Application side of hydrogen fuel cell

Hydrogen fuel cell applications mainly include transportation and stationary utilization (industrial heating and power supply, building heating and power supply, industrial raw materials, etc.), among which hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are an important application of hydrogen energy and fuel cell industries field. Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, it has the advantage of no pollution. Compared with electric vehicles, fuel cells have a high energy density, which can reach 0.5-1.0kWh/kg, and have the advantages of high battery life and short filling time. In addition, electric stacks and hydrogen tanks It is separated, the stack is not easy to explode, and the safety of the engine is improved. These advantages determine that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can become a development trend in the field of energy transportation. By the end of 2022, the total number of fuel cell vehicles in major countries in the world will reach 67,315, of which, the number of fuel cell vehicles in China will reach 12,682; the number of fuel cell vehicles in South Korea will reach 29,369, which will soon become the first in the world. The number of fuel cell vehicles in the United States reached 14,979; the number of fuel cell vehicles in Japan and Germany was 8,150 and 2,135 respectively. In addition to being used as a mobile energy source, hydrogen energy can also be used as a fixed energy source, as an energy supply carrier and backup energy source for buildings, communities, etc., and can also be used in many fields such as hydrogen metallurgy, gasoline refining process, glass polishing, gold welding, etc. It has a wide range of application fields and a huge development space5.

3. Summary

Hydrogen can be widely used in energy, transportation, industry and construction sectors, and its combination with fuel cell technology has broad application prospects in the field of transportation. At the same time, it also plays an important role in large-scale energy storage, power generation and green chemical raw materials. At present, many developed countries/regions in the world attach great importance to the development of hydrogen energy and fuel cell industries, have incorporated hydrogen energy into an important part of their energy systems, and have successively issued development strategic plans and plans for hydrogen energy and fuel cell related fields. route map. Based on the degree of infrastructure improvement, resource differences, and technological development in different countries, the strategic layout and technical focus of hydrogen energy and fuel cell industries in countries/regions around the world are different.