The Production Cost of Hydrogen Energy Varies Greatly among Countries, and Diversified Sources to Become a Trend

The high cost of hydrogen is another challenge. In Japan, the price of hydrogen fuel including tax is 1,210 yen per kilogram, and the running cost is equivalent to running 10 kilometers per liter of a fuel car. Although it is barely acceptable to consumers, it is about twice as long as a lithium tram that travels the same distance; not to mention that suppliers operate at a loss and produce hydrogen from fossil fuels, which is not completely clean gray hydrogen. Iwatani, Japan's largest hydrogen maker, is working to reduce costs, including using lignite from Australia and Hokkaido, which is extremely low-value, as a feedstock, and considering biomass made from palm shells and wood pellets to generate electricity liquefied green hydrogen. The company aims to keep the price of hydrogen down by a third of what it is today by 2030. The industry's efforts to diversify the supply chain for hydrogen fuel are also effective ways to reduce costs. For example, Iwatani set up hydrogen refueling stations in California with Toyota testing hydrogen trucks, and used overseas markets to expand market opportunities. Sinopec is building what it claims is the world's largest plant to produce green hydrogen using solar energy in Xinjiang. ENGIE, a large French power company, is also considering the use of solar energy to produce hydrogen in the desert region of northern Chile in South America. At present, the production cost of green hydrogen per kilogram in Chile is about 4-5 US dollars, which is more than 40% cheaper than that in Japan. The government claims it can be reduced to $ 1.50 over the next 10 years, making it more competitive than fossil fuels. In addition to South America, there are also opportunities for hydrogen energy development in Africa. Norwegian solar power company Scatec will be engaged in green hydrogen production in Egypt; Siemens Energy and Italy's National Hydrocarbon Company also intend to vigorously develop green hydrogen business in Egypt.

In recent years, both Japan and the United Kingdom have noticed the possibility of using ammonia as a hydrogen carrier for diversification. The compound composed of hydrogen and nitrogen, called ammonia, is easier to liquefy and transport over long distances, and can provide additional hydrogen storage capacity.


References
 

• H2Stations.org statistics by LBST
• Web Cartop, 2022-03-22, Naoji Mihori , ヒョンデがネッソを Invest in the era of FCV ! The fundamental problem of water element ステーションのNumber が「増やせない」とは
• Electrive.com, 2021-12-06, Carrie Hampel, S.Korea builds charging and H2 stations
• Electrive.com, 2022-03-29, Carrie Hampel, H2 Mobility to increase hydrogen refuelling network
• PetrolPlaza, Pablo Plaza, 2021-01-21, HysetCo to run 20 hydrogen stations in Paris by 2024
• 氫啟未來, 2022-01-03,中國加氫站建設數量已經超越日本，正式躍居世界首位
• glpautogas.info, Hydrogen Stations in France in May 2022