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Green hydrogen: can China replicate its success in EVs, batteries and solar panels?

  • In the second of a four-part series on the fuel of the future, Yujie Xue looks at the opportunities, threats and challenges China faces in dominating the industry

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Illustration: Brian Wang
In the second of a four-part series on green hydrogen, the fuel of the future, Yujie Xue looks at the opportunities, threats and challenges China faces in dominating the industry.
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The array of scale models at the International Carbon Neutrality Expo in Shanghai last week gave an indication of China’s plan for the future of energy – hydrogen.

At one such exhibit teeming with miniature aeroplanes, buses, solar and wind farms, and pylons, a docent from China’s largest power producer Huaneng Group enthusiastically explained the company’s hydrogen plans to a group of government officials from Shanghai’s Qingpu district.

In another part of the 20,000-square-metre hall, was a hydrogen-powered truck, aptly painted in blue, developed by Shaanxi Automobile Group and US energy tech firm Accelera.

Across the venue, which showcased the latest technologies and developments from local governments in the race for a green future, at least a dozen exhibits depicted a hydrogen-fuelled future to visitors from across the world.

“There were some hydrogen-related companies here last year, but most of them just talked about concepts,” said Lu Yufei, vice-president of Shanghai CEO Environmental Protection Technology, a maker of sewage and exhaust gas purification equipment that launched a pilot hydrogen production project in Shanghai in March. “This year it was different; they brought real [world] products and detailed solutions.”

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