According to the intensity of carbon emission in the production process, hydrogen can be divided into "grey hydrogen" directly produced by fossil energy, "blue hydrogen" produced by fossil energy and carbon dioxide capture and storage, and "green hydrogen" produced by electrolytic water of renewable energy and nuclear energy.
According to the data released by China Coal Industry Association, China's hydrogen production will exceed 25 million tons in 2020, of which coal accounts for 62%, natural gas accounts for 19%, industrial by-product gas accounts for 18%, and electrolyzed water accounts for 1%. Globally, the most commonly used hydrogen production method is natural gas, accounting for 48%, followed by oil, accounting for 30%, coal, accounting for 18%, and electrolyzed water, accounting for 4%, which is also very low.
Whether it is the goal of China's carbon dioxide emission peak in 3060 and carbon neutrality, or the strategy of the European Union and other countries to promote the development of green hydrogen, developing green hydrogen is the strategic direction of long-term development. It is estimated that by 2060, the green hydrogen produced by renewable energy in China will reach 80%. However, it takes a process to reduce the production cost of green hydrogen, not only the cost of renewable energy such as photovoltaic and wind power, but also the cost of electrolyzer for hydrogen production. Therefore, the conversion process from gray hydrogen to green hydrogen cannot be iterated quickly and directly. As the transition stage from grey hydrogen to green hydrogen, the development of blue hydrogen mainly depends on the development of carbon capture and storage technology and the reduction of cost. However, some scientists have found that blue hydrogen is not much better than gray hydrogen in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and its emissions are only about 9%- 12% lower than gray hydrogen. The attitudes of major hydrogen energy developing countries in the world towards blue hydrogen are quite different. In view of the current proportion and development stage of hydrogen energy in China, blue hydrogen should be the focus.
The hydrogen energy industry chain includes hydrogen production from upstream, hydrogen storage in the middle and hydrogen transportation downstream. In the process of hydrogen production, green hydrogen is obtained by electrolyzing water. If a carbon capture and storage (CCS) device is added to the hydrogen production from fossil fuels and industrial by-products, it will be blue hydrogen, and if it is not in the process, it will be gray hydrogen.
In addition to hydrogen production from coal and natural gas, industrial by-product hydrogen is the third largest source of hydrogen in China, and it is also a hydrogen production method suitable for China's own industrial base. Industrial by-products of hydrogen include coke oven gas, chlor-alkali industry, synthetic ammonia and propane dehydrogenation.
For example, Meijin Energy, the leader of hydrogen energy concept stocks, is based on hydrogen production from coke oven gas, and then builds the whole industrial chain of hydrogen refueling stations and hydrogen fuel cells in the industrial chain.
Hua Bin Co., Ltd. has a production capacity of 6,543,800 tons of by-product hydrogen in chlor-alkali industry, and is also building a PDH project, which will have 23,000 tons of by-product hydrogen from propane dehydrogenation. In addition, Jinneng Technology, Wanhua Chemical and Blonde Technology all have certain industrial by-products of hydrogen as by-products.
From the long-term requirement of carbon neutrality, realizing zero emission and producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water are the main development directions in the future. At present, Longji Co., Ltd., Sunshine Power and Baofeng Energy are the main routes for hydrogen production by electrolytic water from renewable energy.
Compared with other energy sources and fuels, the storage and transportation of hydrogen is more difficult, and the cost ratio is obviously higher, which is also the main factor that restricts the sharp decline of hydrogen cost. Among the links in the upper, middle and lower reaches, upstream hydrogen production and downstream hydrogen consumption are relatively mature, and storage and transportation in the middle reaches is an important reason that restricts the large-scale development of hydrogen energy.
The storage and transportation of hydrogen can be divided into three types: gaseous, liquid and solid. From the perspective of technical maturity, high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage is the most commonly used. The corresponding modes of transportation are long-tube trailers and pipelines. High pressure hydrogen storage has high safety and relatively simple process. However, due to the low energy density of hydrogen, its hydrogen storage capacity is very low, and the long-tube trailer is more suitable for short-distance transportation and consumes less hydrogen. Pipeline storage and transportation will form a cost advantage in long-distance transportation, but pipeline construction cost is high and initial investment is large.
In order to solve the problem of low energy density, low-temperature liquid hydrogen storage is being developed all over the world. Low-temperature liquid hydrogen storage has the characteristics of high hydrogen storage density, and the storage method is similar to storing oil. Transporting liquid hydrogen can reduce the transportation times of vehicles and improve the energy supply of a single hydrogen refueling station, which is suitable for occasions with large hydrogen consumption and long transportation distance. However, the liquid storage and transportation of hydrogen also have disadvantages, such as high cost of hydrogen liquefaction and hydrogen will escape after long-term storage. In China, low-temperature liquid hydrogen storage and transportation is mainly used in military and aerospace fields, but due to legal restrictions, it can not be used in civil fields at present.
Solid hydrogen storage takes metal hydride, chemical hydride or nano-material as hydrogen storage carrier, and realizes hydrogen storage through chemical adsorption and physical adsorption. Solid hydrogen storage has higher density, higher cost and more complex technology, so it is difficult to commercialize it at present.
According to the White Paper on Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry in China (20 19 Edition) issued by China Hydrogen Energy Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the White Paper), the cost of long-tube trailer and solid storage and transportation is considerable, but the economic distance does not exceed150km; The economic distance of liquid storage and transportation is more than 200 kilometers, and the cost is the highest among all modes; The pipeline transportation cost is the lowest, and the economic distance is more than 500 kilometers.
Hydrogen storage bottle is an important part of gaseous hydrogen storage mode. Sinoma, a domestic company, took the lead in developing the largest hydrogen bottle in China, with a volume of 320L, which has been put into the market. Except for the 320L bottle, other hydrogen bottles have complete specifications, ranging from 1.5L to 385L. In addition, Sinoma Technology's 70 MPa IV bottle production line is currently under construction, with an annual production capacity of 65,438+0,000 bottles. It is expected to be completed by the end of 20021,and the certificate will be obtained in the first half of 2022, mainly for overseas market sales.
In terms of hydrogen liquefaction, domestic development lags behind. According to the answer given by investors of Zhongtai Co., Ltd., a hydrogen liquefaction concept stock, last week: At present, the company has the design and manufacturing technology of plate-fin heat exchanger, the core equipment of hydrogen liquefaction, and the whole process of hydrogen liquefaction is still under active research and development. Another cryogenic concept stock, cryogenic shares, also publicly hinted a few days ago that the company had no revenue from hydrogen energy.
Hydrogen refueling station is an important part of the hydrogen industry chain. However, because hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have not been commercialized on a large scale, the investment in hydrogen refueling stations is huge, and the current construction and operation costs are much higher than those of traditional gas stations and filling stations. In the early stage of industrial development, it is not economical to build an independent hydrogen refueling station. From the perspective of investors, we can avoid this industrial chain link of heavy assets, high investment and long-term losses.
Fuel cell system is a complex system, in which the stack system is the most important. In addition to the battery pack, there are also hydrogen supply system, gas supply system and hydrothermal management system. From the value point of view, the electric pile system accounts for the largest proportion, reaching 45-50%, followed by air compressor, accounting for about 25%. In the reactor, catalyst, bipolar plate and proton exchange membrane account for a large proportion, and these core materials and technologies still have a certain gap with Europe and America.
Catalyst accounts for about 18% of the total cost of fuel cell system, and this core material still depends on imports, so no domestic enterprises have been able to manufacture catalysts. Guiyan Platinum Co., Ltd. is an enterprise with a forward-looking layout of platinum catalysts for fuel cells, and was listed as the second batch of special innovation "Little Giant" enterprises by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. However, even as the leading enterprise of platinum catalyst, Guiyan Platinum Industry recently said on the investor interaction platform: Up to now, the company's platinum catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells is still in the laboratory stage, and there are no commercial products at present.
Similar to catalysts, in the fields of bipolar plate and proton exchange membrane, there is still a certain gap between domestic materials and technology and the international advanced level, and the localization process has just begun. From the perspective of technological breakthrough and cost reduction, there is still a long way to go.
In terms of stack and overall fuel cell system, Guo Hong Hydrogen Energy, a subsidiary of Yihuatong, Weichai Power, Xinyuan Power and Meijin Energy, occupies a dominant position in the market. We have written about the fuel cell system before, so I won't talk about it here.
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