Hydrogen is a gas that is easily combustible, colorless, transparent, odorless and tasteless, and hardly soluble in water. Hydrogen is the gas with the smallest density and relative molecular mass known in the world. Hydrogen is the main industrial raw material and the most important Industrial gases and special gases are also an ideal secondary energy source. Hydrogen production refers to a series of technologies that use industrial methods to produce hydrogen. Hydrogen is mainly produced by steam reforming of natural gas. Other major sources include the reforming of naphtha or oil from refineries or other industrial waste gases, and the partial oxidation of coal and other hydrocarbons. A small part is obtained through water electrolysis and other sources. The commercial production of hydrogen has four main sources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, and electrolysis. The hydrogen energy market has a bright future, and hydrogen production from electrolysis of water is the focus of future development.
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Market Status and Development Prospect Forecast of Hydrogen Production Industry
Hydrogen production by electrolysis of water is a method of producing hydrogen by providing energy to water through electric energy and destroying the hydrogen-oxygen bonds of water molecules. The process is simple and pollution-free, the production efficiency is generally 75%-85%, and the electricity consumption per cubic meter of hydrogen is 4-5 kW·h. Since electricity costs account for about 80% of the entire production cost of hydrogen production by water electrolysis, its competitiveness is not high. Therefore, the key to the cost of hydrogen production by water electrolysis lies in energy consumption. This leads to two ways to reduce costs: one is to reduce the energy consumption in the electrolysis process, and the other is to use low-cost electricity as the raw material for hydrogen production. In the context of carbon neutrality, hydrogen energy is the most closely integrated category in the field of new energy with the existing businesses of the oil and gas industry. It is also one of the best ways to help the oil and gas industry achieve carbon peaks and carbon neutrality as soon as possible. Policies have been introduced to show support for innovative research on hydrogen production technology. Some time ago, Sinopec plans to plan 1,000 hydrogen refueling stations or oil-hydrogen combined stations during the 14th Five-Year Plan, which has become a hot spot for the industry. The market value of the hydrogen production industry has been steadily increasing. As of 2019, the market value of the hydrogen production industry reached 136 million U.S. dollars.
At present, the mainstream hydrogen production technology by electrolysis of water includes two types: traditional hydrogen production by alkaline electrolysis of water, and hydrogen production by proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEM). Among them, hydrogen production by alkaline electrolysis of water is the most mature and most industrialized. Hydrogen production technology, but its electrolysis efficiency is only 60-75%. The PEM technology developed abroad can effectively improve the electrolysis efficiency. In addition, in actual production applications, the PEM load adjustment range is wider than that of alkaline equipment. Renewable energy power generation is more handy in terms of intermittent and volatility. If in the future renewable energy sources such as wind and solar replace thermal power on a large scale, then PEM must have a larger imagination than alkaline hydrogen production. As of 2019, the market share of traditional alkaline electrolyzers is 57.55%, and the market share of PEM electrolyzers is 42.45%.
Most of the leading gas companies in North America, Europe and other places use PEM hydrogen production routes. For example, Cummins and Air Liquide’s PEM hydrogen production plant in Quebec, Canada can produce more than 3,000 tons of green hydrogen each year. The green hydrogen projects in the Middle East all use the PEM hydrogen production route. But by 2021, there are still very few cases of PEM hydrogen production in developing countries, such as the Asia-Pacific region, and they are still in the stage of small-scale applications. The reason is that, on the one hand, the response to climate warming in the clusters of developing countries is later than that in developed countries, and the technology and equipment are lagging behind. On the other hand, it is due to the high cost of PEM hydrogen production. In the past, carbon emissions were almost zero-cost, but in the context of carbon neutrality, the PEM market in developing countries will see great growth. For example, China uses hydrogen energy as a strategic energy technology to provide continuous policy support and promote the process of industrialization. Under the catalysis of multiple factors such as policies and funds, China's hydrogen refueling stations and other infrastructure, key technologies and equipment in the industrial chain have been developed in recent years, forming hot spots in the hydrogen energy industry such as the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. As of 2019, North America has a market share of 39.71%, ranking first; Europe has a market share of 33.63%, ranking second; Asia-Pacific has a market share of 19.14%, ranking third.
The combustion calorific value of hydrogen ranks first among all chemical fuels. Due to its high fuel nature, the aerospace industry uses liquid hydrogen as fuel; the rapid development of new energy vehicles in recent years still has hydrogen, based on the comprehensive thermal efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions of automobile internal combustion engines. As a benchmark for comparison, hydrogen fuel cells have the highest overall thermal efficiency and low carbon dioxide emissions, making them the best fuel for vehicles to replace petroleum. In addition, hydrogen has very important applications in many main fields. As of 2019, power plants accounted for 23.59% of the market, ranking first; industrial gases accounted for 22.75%, ranking second. In the future, with the decline in the production of renewable energy and fossil fuels, the market capacity of hydrogen is expected to continue to rise due to its series of excellent properties.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Hydrogen Production Industry
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, the virus has spread to all parts of the world, spreading in a wide range, and causing great harm to the global economy. During the epidemic, governments of various countries have introduced a series of measures to control the extension of holidays and delays in business operations. The flow of people reduces the occurrence of cross-infection, and many companies are unable to carry out normal production and operation. However, different industries are affected differently. Compared with labor-intensive industries, high-tech industries are much less affected. In 2020, the hydrogen production industry will be affected by the epidemic, and the market value will fall. However, the impact of the epidemic on the hydrogen production industry is expected It is only temporary. In the future, after the epidemic has resumed, the hydrogen production industry will continue to show its vitality for development.
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