Development Strategy of Hydrogen Energy Industry in China

Hydrogen energy is crucial for building a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient modern energy system in China. In this article, we expound on the progress of global hydrogen energy industry and summarize the development status of China’s hydrogen energy industry from the aspects of scale, characteristics, and policies. The demand for and problems of China’s hydrogen energy industry are analyzed. Our research shows that the strategic layout of China’s hydrogen energy industry has been continuously strengthened; the investment in hydrogen energy infrastructure has been gradually increased; and a regional industrial agglomeration effect has initially emerged. However, challenges remain including defective standards systems, severe industrial homogenization, incomplete industrial chain, and limited application scenarios. To promote the high-quality development of China’s hydrogen energy industry, we suggest that China should strengthen the top-level design for hydrogen industry development, establish a technical standards system for hydrogen production, storage, and use, promote the pilot demonstration and popularization of the entire hydrogen energy industry chain, and enhance hydrogen technology innovation to achieve a high level of self-reliance.