212 G. CHEN
(China Daily 2018). The “Fuel Cell Technology Roadmap” included in
the 13th FYP called for over 1000 hydrogen refueling stations to be in
operation by 2030, with at least 50% of all hydrogen production coming
from renewable resources. In addition, the Roadmap set a target for over
1 million FCEVs in service by 2030 (Jackson 2018). To overcome the
gaps in the country’s fuel cell infrastructure, China began to invest heavily
in foreign fuel cell technology in 2018. The application of hydrogen fuel
technology could in the long run make better use of China’s enormous
yet inefficient renewable energy capacity.
Hydrogen technology can potentially provide effective solutions to the
intermittency problems associated with power generation from renewable
energy sources like wind and solar. Usually, there are two ways of using
hydrogen to store energy, both of which involve electrolysis to convert
excess electricity into oxygen and hydrogen. This hydrogen is then stored
and can either be converted back to electricity, using it in FCEVs, or
the hydrogen can be burned directly, for example by pumping it into the
natural gas infrastructure (A Medium Corporation 2018).
Geographical Challenges
China’s prioritization of certain low-carbon electricity technologies is by
and large related to the country’s congenital advantages in geography
and meteorology in tapping these energy resources. Having a sloping
topography that descends in height from west to east, in which humid air
currents above the sea can penetrate deep into China’s interior areas and
thus bring abundant runoffs to big rivers that flow invariably eastward,
China leads the world in hydropower potential, with most hydroelectric
potential remaining untapped in the less developed and populated southwest and western region. China’s major river basins are well within the
monsoon zone of the Pacific, with over 50% of annual precipitation in
most areas concentrated in the four months of June to September. Sometimes more than 70% of regional rainfalls are concentrated in the two
months of July and August. While two-thirds of China’s land is threatened
by floods and typhoons ravage coastal areas seven times a year on average,
hinterland droughts occur almost every year in the dry seasons. Frequent
devastating floods have justified the Chinese government’s establishment
of gigantic dams.
(China Daily 2018). The “Fuel Cell Technology Roadmap” included in
the 13th FYP called for over 1000 hydrogen refueling stations to be in
operation by 2030, with at least 50% of all hydrogen production coming
from renewable resources. In addition, the Roadmap set a target for over
1 million FCEVs in service by 2030 (Jackson 2018). To overcome the
gaps in the country’s fuel cell infrastructure, China began to invest heavily
in foreign fuel cell technology in 2018. The application of hydrogen fuel
technology could in the long run make better use of China’s enormous
yet inefficient renewable energy capacity.
Hydrogen technology can potentially provide effective solutions to the
intermittency problems associated with power generation from renewable
energy sources like wind and solar. Usually, there are two ways of using
hydrogen to store energy, both of which involve electrolysis to convert
excess electricity into oxygen and hydrogen. This hydrogen is then stored
and can either be converted back to electricity, using it in FCEVs, or
the hydrogen can be burned directly, for example by pumping it into the
natural gas infrastructure (A Medium Corporation 2018).
Geographical Challenges
China’s prioritization of certain low-carbon electricity technologies is by
and large related to the country’s congenital advantages in geography
and meteorology in tapping these energy resources. Having a sloping
topography that descends in height from west to east, in which humid air
currents above the sea can penetrate deep into China’s interior areas and
thus bring abundant runoffs to big rivers that flow invariably eastward,
China leads the world in hydropower potential, with most hydroelectric
potential remaining untapped in the less developed and populated southwest and western region. China’s major river basins are well within the
monsoon zone of the Pacific, with over 50% of annual precipitation in
most areas concentrated in the four months of June to September. Sometimes more than 70% of regional rainfalls are concentrated in the two
months of July and August. While two-thirds of China’s land is threatened
by floods and typhoons ravage coastal areas seven times a year on average,
hinterland droughts occur almost every year in the dry seasons. Frequent
devastating floods have justified the Chinese government’s establishment
of gigantic dams.