Shanghai Electric has made another significant stride in lowering the overall costs of green H₂ with its latest Z-series alkaline electrolyzer technology, an energy-saving innovation breaking through the bottleneck of the renewable energy sector to make emission-free H₂ production more economically sustainable.

A solution that further propels the industry toward decarbonization, the solution, which adds to Shanghai Electric's prowess in new energy innovation, makes industrial applications of green H₂ more feasible, accelerating the utilization of H₂ in chemical, transportation, metallurgy and green energy storage sectors.

"H₂ production involves multiple segments and a long industrial chain, with cost being the primary challenge. Green H₂ is more expensive than gray H₂, requiring solutions across production, storage, refueling, and usage. Our goal is to streamline the entire technology chain, driving industry-wide cost reductions," said Wu Liang, Chief Engineer of Shanghai Bright-H Technology Co., Ltd.

Green H₂, the cleanest form of H₂, is emerging as a crucial solution in the worldwide quest for renewable energy and decarbonization, but the overall economic feasibility of its production, storage, refueling and usage is currently a major development constraint. Shanghai Bright-H Technology Co., Ltd. ("Bright-H Technology"), a subsidiary of Shanghai Electric, has been focusing on industry pain points and technological challenges, fully addressing the key links in the H₂ energy development chain.

Through exploring alkaline water electrolysis and proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis, the Bright-H Technology is dedicated to providing integrated "production-storage-refueling-usage" system solutions for its customers, achieving breakthroughs in green chemistry, metallurgy, transportation and energy storage.

Setting its focus on H₂ energy as part of its technological drive to push the boundary of clean energy innovation, Shanghai Electric has been advancing H₂ production technology and exploring its commercial applications with other energy sources since 2015. Shanghai Electric's ongoing endeavor has allowed it to spearhead a number of pilot projects, which puts the company at the forefront of H₂ energy innovation as it seeks to integrate the clean energy source within a broader power ecosystem.

For H₂ production, Shanghai Electric has explored two technology routes, leveraging its technological advantages to build an industrial chain. In June 2023, Shanghai Electric independently manufactured and released a 2,000 Nm³/h alkaline electrolyzer, which was China's largest single H₂ production unit at the time. In October 2023, the Company rolled out a megawatt-level PEM electrolyzer with a capacity of 200 Nm³/h, leading the industry in China in overall performance, with its compact, lightweight and flexible design making them better suited for H₂ refueling stations.

Shanghai Electric has also developed high-pressure H₂ storage tanks and offers diaphragm compressors for H₂ refueling while exploring H₂ applications, such as green chemistry and H₂-blended gas turbines. In November 2023, the company tested a H₂-blended gas turbine at Datang Haikou Power Plant, achieving a H₂ volume ratio above 7%, the first operational F-class project in China. In addition, Shanghai Electric proprietary DeNox burner is capable of achieving H₂ blends of up to 30%.

As of now, Shanghai Electric has secured H₂ energy projects across the power, transportation and chemical sectors, leading the way in advancing sustainable energy solutions and driving innovation in clean H₂. The Taonan wind power-biomass green methanol integrated demonstration project is set to produce 1 MMtpy of green methanol in three phases. The first phase aims to develop a 250,000-t wind-biomass green methanol project, supported by an installed capacity of 680,000 kilowatts of renewable energy.

Marking a breakthrough in H₂ energy technology development and commercialization, The Zero-Carbon Demonstration Project by the Bright-H Technology integrates renewable energy generation, PEM water electrolysis for H₂ production, H₂ storage and fuel cells. The power generated by the project is sourced from renewable energy, with fuel cells providing additional power during low-demand periods, achieving zero carbon emissions in H₂ production and green energy self-sufficiency.