Sinopec issued guidance for integrated hydrogen production and refueling station
On March 19th, Sinopec announced it, jointly with dozens of high-profile companies, issued “Technical Guidance of Integrated Hydrogen Production and Refueling Station” which is first of its kind in China.
Sinopec said that following this guidance could substantially reduce CAPEX and operating cost of integrated hydrogen production and refueling stations. Currently, Sinopec is operating multiple on-site hydrogen production and refueling station covering all the mainstream technologies, including methanol to hydrogen, ammonia to hydrogen, LNG to hydrogen, as well as electrolysis hydrogen production.
Photo: Sinopec’s integrated hydrogen production and refueling station using methanol material, began operation on Feb 15th, 2023, Source: Sinopec
External hydrogen supply station VS Integrated station
There are two method to supply hydrogen to hydrogen refueling stations- external hydrogen supply and on-site hydrogen production. For external supply, hydrogen is transported to the refueling stations through the pipe trailer, pressurized by the hydrogen compressor and stored in the high-pressure storage tank in the station, and then filled with hydrogen for the fuel cell vehicle through the hydrogen filling machine. For on-site production, hydrogen is produced from raw material such as methanol, ammonia, or LNG, which are much easier to be transported and stored than hydrogen; or from water electrolysis.
Beside reducing transportation and storage costs, on-site hydrogen production also has some other advantages, including flexibility and scalability: on-site production facilities can be scaled to match demand growth, providing flexibility in expanding hydrogen infrastructure as the market for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles grows. And on-site electrolysis can serve as a form of demand response to absorb excess renewable energy during periods of low demand and high production, aiding in grid stability and the integration of variable renewable energy sources.
Photo: A integrated hydrogen production and refueling station began operation on March 20th, 2024 in Changsha, Hunan province, China. The station, developed and operated by SANY Group and has a capacity of 2,000 kg per day, is the largest one in China so far. Source: SANY Group
Before 2023, integrated hydrogen station only represents