Role of hydrogen in China's energy transition towards carbon neutrality target: IPAC analysis

Abstract

China announced its intention to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 in 2020, and there is an urgent need to understand the viability of emission pathways to reach this goal. This study presents the IPAC modelling team's scenario analysis on China's hydrogen utilisation as a key option for carbon neutrality pathways. In contrast to other studies, this study examines the demand for hydrogen as a feedstock and process material in the industrial sector and as a source of energy in the transportation sector in relation to China's energy system transition. The process of manufacturing hydrogen from carbon-free power generation was also analysed. The finding indicates that the demand for hydrogen could reach 52.4 Mt by 2050 and that the hydrogen will come from renewable power generation and nuclear energy, increasing the demand for electricity by 1884.8 TW h. There are several regions in China with abundant renewable energy and low power generation costs, which will make the hydrogen-based industry competitive in these regions after 2035.

Keywords

• Scenario
• Hydrogen
• Carbon neutrality targets
• CO2 mitigation
• China