Future application and market prospect of Chinese fuel cell

A fuel cell is a power generation device that converts the chemical energy of a fuel and an oxidant directly into electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction. It is mainly composed of positive poles, negative poles, electrolytes and auxiliary equipment. Commonly used fuels include methanol, Hydrazine, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in addition to hydrogen. The oxidant is generally oxygen or air. Electrolytes are common phosphoric acid, potassium hydroxide, molten carbonate and ion exchange membranes. A fuel cell is a power generation device that converts chemical energy that exists in fuels and oxidants directly into electrical energy. Unlike traditional internal combustion engines, the chemical energy in the fuel is not released by combustion but by electrochemical reactions, which has the advantage of high efficiency and zero emission. Fuel cells are mainly divided into six types, of which PAFC, DMFC, and PEMFC use platinum metal catalysts.

According to statistical data, PEMFC is currently the most important type of fuel cell. Shipments in 2016 accounted for 71.93 % of all fuel cell shipments, and megawatt shipments accounted for 65.02 % of all fuel cell shipments. The total number of fuel cell shipments using platinum catalysts accounted for 75.46 % of total shipments, and megawatt shipments accounted for 74.80 % of total shipments.

Judging from the current ratio of three fuel cell shipments, with the rapid development of the new energy automotive industry, fuel cells in the transportation field are occupying a higher and higher proportion. According to statistics, the number of megawatts shipped in 2016 has exceeded the fixed power supply.

As one of the three new energy vehicles(pure electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles), fuel cell vehicles require more complex hydrogen production technologies and large-scale hydrogen storage technologies than the other two, which is the bottleneck that restricts their development. As a result, development has been slow. However, the situation began to change. In recent years, the gradual maturity of fuel cell vehicles has led to the explosion of transportation fuel cells in 2015. The shipment of megawatts reached 113.6 megawatts, an increase of 272.85 % year-on-year, and the number of battery shipments reached 5,200 units., an increase of 68.97 % year-on-year, a fierce rise.

Judging from the situation in China, the supporting technology is not yet mature. According to the data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National fuel cell vehicle production in 2015 was only 10 vehicles. The State Council's "Made in China 2025" proposed to produce 1,000 fuel cell vehicles and demonstrate their operation in 2020. In 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Energy Bureau issued the energy technology revolution and innovation action plan(2016-2030), which refers to the innovation of hydrogen energy and fuel cells, and the development of fuel cells has been clearly defined. It is planned to achieve large-scale promotion of fuel cells and hydrogen energy in 2030.

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