According to a report by Science and Technology Daily on March 5, 2025, my country’s independently developed hydrogen fuel cells successfully generated power at the Qinling Science and Technology Research Station in Antarctica, marking the world’s first application of hydrogen energy technology in Antarctica.
China’s independently developed hydrogen fuel cell has successfully generated electricity at the country’s Qinling Station in Antarctica, marking the first ever application of hydrogen energy technology in the polar region, China Science Daily reported on March 5, 2025.
The picture shows a technician of the hydrogen power generation team of Guo Hydrogen Technology debugging power generation products at the Qinling Science and Technology Research Station in Antarctica (photo provided by State Power Investment Group). Image source: Science and Technology Daily
【Knowledge Points】
Hydrogen energy is an important part of the emerging energy system and an important tool to promote a new strategy for energy security. In recent years, my country has attached great importance to the development of the hydrogen energy industry. In March 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration jointly issued the “Medium- and Long-term Plan for the Development of the Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035)”, which clarified that hydrogen energy is the key direction of strategic emerging industries and is a new growth point for building a green and low-carbon industrial system and building a new growth point for industrial transformation and upgrading. The 2024 government work report proposes to “accelerate the development of cutting-edge emerging hydrogen energy, new materials, innovative drugs and other industries.” This is the first time that the hydrogen energy industry has been written into the government work report. With the deepening of the “dual carbon” goal, clean hydrogen is an important tool to achieve energy transformation and demand continues to grow.
As an important form of hydrogen energy utilization, hydrogen fuel cells are power generation devices that directly convert the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy, and have the characteristics of no pollution, low noise, and high efficiency. The working principle of a hydrogen fuel cell is that hydrogen gas decomposes into electrons and hydrogen ions (protons) through the catalyst (platinum) in the positive electrode of the fuel cell. In which protons pass through the proton exchange membrane, they reach the negative electrode and react with oxygen to turn into water and heat. The corresponding electrons flow from the positive electrode through the external circuit to the negative electrode to generate electrical energy.
On March 1, 2025, the equipment and systems equipped with “Hydrogen” hydrogen fuel cells were installed and debugged at Qinling Station, and successfully generated power, verified the reliability of hydrogen fuel cell products in extremely low temperature environments, filled the gap in the application of hydrogen energy in the construction of Antarctic energy system, and provided a model for the construction of polar environments and low-temperature harsh environment energy systems and microgrid construction. It is understood that the microgrid system used for power supply to the Antarctic Qinling Station is equipped with a hydrogen storage tank with a maximum hydrogen storage capacity of 50 cubic meters. The “Hydrogen” fuel cell generation alone can provide the station area with a maximum power supply of 30 kilowatts for 24 consecutive days. The fuel cell system can be modularly expanded, with a power range of 50 kilowatts to tens of megawatts, a power generation efficiency of up to 50%, a comprehensive thermoelectric efficiency of up to 90%, and a design life of 40,000 hours. Compared with traditional fossil fuel power generation, this product can save about 400 grams of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions for every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated by this product.
【Important Speech】
It is impossible to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality in one fell swoop. China will break through and establish a steady and steady approach, gradually and orderly reduce traditional energy in the process of promoting reliable replacement of new energy, and ensure the stable development of the economy and society.
Carbon peak and carbon neutrality cannot be realized overnight. Through solid and steady steps, China will pursue an orderly phase-down of traditional energy in the course of finding reliable substitution in new energy. This approach, which combines phasing out the old and bringing in the new, will ensure steady economic and social development.
——On January 17, 2022, Xi Jinping’s important speech at the 2022 World Economic Forum Video Conference
【Related Words】
Green and low-carbon energy transformation
a green-oriented transition of energy
Hydrogen energy industry
hydrogen energy industry
China Daily Network English Dots and Tianjin Studio (this article was first published on the “Study Strong Country” learning platform)
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[Editor in charge: Chen Danni]
