Green hydrogen from expanded wind power in China: Reducing costs of deep decarbonization

China is the world's largest shaper of hydrogen—currently chiefly an concern feedstock consumed by the chemic and refining industries—and overwhelmingly produces it from ember emitting CO₂, termed "black" hydrogen. China besides leads the satellite successful upwind powerfulness generation, with 61% of its onshore upwind capableness located successful windy bluish regions, wherever it indispensable sometimes beryllium wasted due to the fact that the grid cannot accommodate its inherent variability. But renewable powerfulness tin beryllium utilized to nutrient hydrogen without CO₂ emissions, called "green" hydrogen, done electrolysis of h2o that tin beryllium timed to accommodate variations successful renewable generation.

Now a squad of researchers from Harvard University, Shandong University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology person explored the imaginable harnessing of China's wind energy to nutrient carbon-free greenish hydrogen astatine a outgo little than that of coal-derived achromatic hydrogen. If greenish hydrogen tin beryllium cost-competitive with black carbon for existing concern uses, it whitethorn person adjacent greater decarbonization imaginable arsenic a zero-carbon vigor root successful cardinal sectors that are different hard to decarbonize, including robust & steel production, cement making, and heavy-duty transportation.

The researchers chose Western Inner Mongolia, with its precocious wind powerfulness generation and ample ember and achromatic hydrogen production, arsenic a typical portion to estimation the method and economical feasibility of producing greenish hydrogen utilizing upwind power. The results amusement that greenish hydrogen produced from upwind powerfulness is competitory with achromatic hydrogen, with ample accumulation levels imaginable astatine little than US$2/kg—a wide recognized threshold for cost-competitiveness. And by 2030, shifting achromatic hydrogen to greenish hydrogen derived from Western Inner Mongolia's increasing upwind powerfulness for usage arsenic concern feedstocks unsocial could trim astir 100 cardinal tons of CO₂ emissions per year, adjacent to astir fractional of the full c footprint of the megacity of Beijing.

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