Analysis: China Strategically Develops Green Hydrogen Energy

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 18, 2002

Analysis: China Strategically Develops Green Hydrogen Energy

When the world is facing environmental deterioration and potential energy crisis, China announced Thursday to join the international race in effectively using hydrogen energy.

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When the world is facing environmental deterioration and potential energy crisis, China announced Thursday to join the international race in effectively using hydrogen energy.

By launching the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) plans to compete with a few of developed countries to develop the environment- friendly energy of hydrogen. The total investment into the technological endeavor in the next three years would reach 100 million yuan (12 million US dollars).

In the existing energy consumption structure, more than 80 percent of energy is from coal and petroleum. However, the rampant use of such kind of traditional types of energy has resulted in abnormal climate change and increased pollution.

Transforming chemical power to electric power, fuel cell will not produce any pollutant. Therefore, governments of various countries and transnational companies have placed research and development of fuel cell, which is regarded as the most effective alternative of traditional energy generators, at their top priority.

Chinese people mostly consumed low-effective coal and lack oil resources. In 2000, the country spent 25 billion US dollars in importing 70 million tons of crude oil and 30 million tons of refined oil. Oil strategists analyzed that the warning line of oil import for a big country like China would be at 40 million tons annually. The strategists estimated that the whole country would need 100 million tons of imported oil in 2005 and 170 million tons in 2010.

With the rapid economic growth, more and more Chinese families want to buy home vehicles. However, experts said that the development of traditional vehicle manufacturing would find no way out.

Chief executive officer of the giant technological project Zhang Minhua, who is professor at the CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, said that research and development of the fuel cell will make China be competitive in manufacturing environment- friendly vehicles.

Promotion of using hydrogen energy will be the final target for developing the fuel cell, Zhang said.

Besides the green vehicles, fuel cell could also be used for space shuttles, submarines, underwater robots, communications systems, medium-sized power plants, home appliances and other mobile power suppliers.

As the world's leading manufacturer in the field, Canadian business Ballard invested 320 million US dollars into the first fuel cell factory. Daimler-Chrysler yearly pours one billion US dollars into research and development of fuel cell. Toyota's annual investment reaches more than five billion Japanese yen.

In the development of fuel cell, China now has 41 patents of the world's total 164. Zhang said that the fuel cell engines might be equipped with environment-friendly vehicle fleet which serve the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Zhang said that China is keeping abreast of the developed countries in the field of fuel cell. "If a country gains favorable positions in fuel cell development, it would be rewarded with profitable returns."

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