The China Hydrogen Intelligence Service is a quarterly 2 hour, live analyst presentation and interactive Q&A session covering the key market sectors, direct from Shenzhen.
Why is it important?
Hydrogen has the potential to become one of the global economy’s largest commodities. China is the largest global market and in Dec 2020 announced a target of decarbonising 25% of the entire energy system by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2060. So what happens in China can have a dramatic impact on the growth of hydrogen, due to the potential to move hydrogen technologies faster down their cost and learning curve.
What is the background to hydrogen in China?
Fuel cell technology in China - as in most countries - began in the aerospace industry. However, commercialization of fuel cells in China started later. Fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) in China began appearing on roads in 2016 and have increased at a fast rate. China's post-COVID19 recovery plan as well as the upcoming five-year plan are expected to include policies promoting fuel cell technology.
In the past year China has made significant strides in promoting hydrogen energy: first, preliminary approval was given for high-pressure cylinders (HPC) at 70 MPa for use in commercial vehicles; second, hydrogen gas was reclassified as a "clean energy fuel," thus paving the way towards hydrogen refuelling station permitting; third, China released a comprehensive, points-based incentive system to encourage hydrogen energy city clusters.
Unlike in most countries, industrial policy often has an unusually immediate and powerful effect on markets in China. The logistics industry in the Pearl River Delta connecting the cities of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou in a web of well-maintained highways, high-speed trains, and deep waterways is one of the busiest in the world.
The inland port city of Wuhan - made (in)famous by COVID19 - lies both at the juncture of nine provinces as well as at the halfway point on the Yangzi River, one of the world's busiest waterways. These two regions are examples of opportunities for fuel cell technology to be applied not only in the FCEV industry but also in the shipping, materials handling, and stationary power systems. Indeed, these two regions feature prominently in the recently-released pilot cities program.
Meet the Analyst
This quarterly service is led by leading Shenzhen-based hydrogen and fuel cell expert, Hack Heyward. Hack Heyward has developed hydrogen energy and fuel cell systems for leading technology firms in Europe, North America, and East Asia. With over a decade of experience in the industrial chemicals sector, Hack brings a new perspective gained from a unique understanding of the Mandarin language and China business environment.
Hack maintains databases of FCEV fleet and hydrogen production projects and contributes both topical newsletters and interactive webinars to the World Hydrogen Leaders platform.
What Attendees Are Saying
““Excellent presentation, vast amount of knowledge, thank you and congrats! Looking forward to joining the WHL shortly! P.S. always deeply impressed by caucasians fluent in Putonghua!” ”
““Thank you Nadim for the invite, and Hack for a great presentation, also I am very impressed with your Chinese!””