At this Winter Olympics, the torch "flying" became the main torch of the Winter Olympics, although the flame became smaller, but for the first time hydrogen energy was used as a torch fuel to minimize carbon emissions.
On February 9, Mary Salois, Director of Brand and Sustainability at the IOC, said at a joint press conference of the IOC and the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee that the Beijing Winter Olympics is a major milestone for the Green Olympics, where low carbon and environmental protection have achieved maximum development.
In order to meet the needs of various participating groups and events, the Beijing Winter Olympics used a variety of vehicles including hydrogen fuel vehicles, pure electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles, hybrid vehicles and traditional energy vehicles. Among them, the most eye-catching is that hydrogen fuel vehicles have become the main force of racing service vehicles. The Winter Olympics became the world's largest demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the main force to ensure large-scale activities. In Zhangjiakou, the industrial map of hydrogen energy is also fully displayed in front of the world.
During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, hydrogen-fueled vehicles in Zhangjiakou will provide transportation and logistics support services for the event. Hebei Daily reporter Geng Hui photographed
"Hydrogen" helps
On February 4th, the Beijing Winter Olympics was grandly opened at the "Bird's Nest" at the National Stadium, and the small flame of the torch "flying" became the main torch of the Winter Olympic Games, using hydrogen energy as the torch fuel for the first time to minimize carbon emissions and show the world China's green and low-carbon development concept.
This is the detail of the main torch ignition that is difficult for the audience to pay attention to at the opening ceremony: "In the dark, the technicians dressed in black and moved quickly, quickly connecting the 6 pipelines hanging from the sky to the 'snowflakes'. The first two wires to be connected are cables and network cables, the circuit supply of 'snowflakes' switches from underground to the sky, real-time status feedback to the control room and receive commands, and the main torch has a 'nerve'. Then the two hydrogen tubes were successfully inserted, the hydrogen fuel supply was normal, and the main torch had a 'main artery'. Two WIA steel cables pulled up this 'snowflake' and made it dance in the air. ”
Torchbearers Zhao Jiawen and Dinigal Yilamujiang climbed the steps, inserted the "Flying" torch in their hands into the center of the "Snowflake", so that the hydrogen supply system in the air was connected with the main torch, and the hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank swam down the flexible hose, passing through the gas pipeline built into the "Snowflake" into the "Flying". The pipe inside the holding torch shell bends and loops, and the hydrogen flows along the pipe and finally sprays out.
Unlike previous Olympic Games, which used a lot of gases such as liquefied natural gas or propane as torch fuel, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics used hydrogen energy as a torch fuel for the first time.
As the cleanest and most environmentally friendly fuel, hydrogen only produces water when burning, does not produce carbon dioxide, can achieve complete zero emissions, and can truly reflect the green, low-carbon and sustainable principles of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
This is not the only appearance of "hydrogen" at this Winter Olympics.
In order to meet the needs of various participating groups and events, the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games use a variety of vehicles including hydrogen fuel vehicles, pure electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles, hybrid vehicles and traditional energy vehicles. In order to practice the concept of running the Green Olympic Games, a large proportion of clean energy vehicles with "green" technology are used.
Pure electric and natural gas vehicles are mainly used in the Beijing competition area, and hydrogen fuel vehicles are mainly used in yanqing and Zhangjiakou competition areas, and energy-saving and clean energy vehicles account for 85.84% of all vehicles, setting a new high in the previous Winter Olympics.
Among them, the most eye-catching is that hydrogen fuel vehicles have become the main force of racing service vehicles. Previously, the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee announced that more than 1,000 hydrogen fuel vehicles will be demonstrated and operated during the event, equipped with more than 30 hydrogen refueling stations. It can be said that it is the world's largest demonstration of large-scale activities led by hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to ensure large-scale activities.
"During the Winter Olympics, the company and vehicle companies invested 212 and 515 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Yanqing and Chongli respectively, a total of 727 units." Yihuatong Power Technology Co., Ltd. located in Zhangjiakou relies on independent research and development, developed a vehicle fuel cell engine with independent intellectual property rights and related supporting products, took the lead in realizing the mass production of domestic hydrogen fuel cell engines, at the Winter Olympics, united with Beiqi Foton and other enterprises to provide hydrogen energy vehicle support, its commercial director Shi Jiannan introduced that the company's research and development of the engine has the technical advantages of minus 35 ° C low temperature start, minus 40 ° C low temperature storage, It meets the needs of the Beijing Winter Olympics shuttle bus driving in cold areas.
The first fixed hydrogen refueling station in Hebei Province, located on Weisan Road, Zhangjiakou Economic Development Zone. Photo by Bi Ruixiang, correspondent of Hebei Daily
"Hydrogen" forces to ensure supply
On February 9, in the Wangshan Industrial Park in Zhangjiakou, the high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage tank of Haipel New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. could not see anything special from the appearance, but Deputy General Manager Zhao Hui was always paying attention to every detail of the upstream production workshop and the downstream hydrogen transportation link.
Ensuring the daily production and transportation of green hydrogen, supplied to the Winter Olympics area, is his biggest task in recent times. "Now the full load output is 4 tons of hydrogen a day, which can meet the needs of more than 400 (hydrogen) fuel cell buses a day."
According to the previous "Zhangjiakou Winter Olympics Transportation Service Vehicle Energy Guarantee Hydrogen Refueling Station Planning Plan", the average daily demand for hydrogen energy during the Winter Olympic Games is 8.3 tons, and the peak demand is 9.5 tons. At present, Zhangjiakou City has completed and put into operation the first phase of Haiper's water electrolysis hydrogen production project, and Zhangjiakou Jiaotong Shell New Energy Co., Ltd., which was established by Zhangjiakou Jiaotong Investment Group and Shell (China) Co., Ltd., undertakes hydrogen production tasks.
Hydrogen is considered the cleanest and most environmentally friendly fuel, and its combustion products produce only energy and water. Although hydrogen energy is a clean renewable energy source with no carbon emissions in the process of releasing energy, the current process of producing hydrogen energy is not 100% "zero carbon". According to the source of hydrogen preparation, hydrogen produced by burning fossil fuels (such as oil, natural gas, coal, etc.) is called "gray hydrogen", and there will be emissions such as carbon dioxide during the production process. At present, the vast majority of hydrogen on the market is gray hydrogen, accounting for about 95% of today's global hydrogen production.
Hydrogen produced through the use of renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, nuclear, etc.) is called "green hydrogen", such as electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen through renewable energy generation, and there is no carbon emission at all in the process of producing green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is an ideal form for hydrogen energy utilization, but due to the limitations of current technology and manufacturing costs, it will take time for green hydrogen to achieve large-scale application.
"The hydrogen we supply to the Winter Olympics area is all green hydrogen, mainly using electrolyzed water to produce hydrogen, the raw materials for hydrogen production are mainly water and electricity, Zhangjiakou's wind power and photovoltaic resources are sufficient, using "green electricity" to produce "green hydrogen", zero carbon emission and zero pollution in the whole process of production and application. Zhao Hui introduced.
"In the six days since the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics, according to incomplete statistics, the hydrogen refueling capacity in Zhangjiakou City has reached 27 tons, and the cumulative carbon reduction is estimated to be 405 tons." On February 9, a set of data given by Wang Hewu, executive director of the Zhangjiakou Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Research Institute, became the latest "report card" handed over by the Zhangjiakou hydrogen energy industry to help the green Winter Olympics.
Zhangjiakou and "hydrogen" are related much earlier.
Since Zhangjiakou was identified by the State Council as a national renewable energy demonstration zone in July 2015, the construction progress of renewable energy in Zhangjiakou has attracted much attention. Based on the needs of preparing for the Winter Olympics and the good prospects of related industries, the development and utilization of hydrogen energy has also received increasing attention from the city, and the industrial layout has gradually been put on the agenda.
Zhangjiakou has a wealth of renewable energy, which provides a unique advantage in hydrogen production for the development of hydrogen energy. Zhangjiakou can develop more than 70 million kilowatts of wind and solar energy, and the installed capacity of renewable energy reaches 18.47 million kilowatts。 Abundant renewable energy not only provides sufficient power guarantee for electrolysis of water to hydrogen, but also helps to create an innovative development model that can be promoted and replicated, zero-carbon hydrogen production and hydrogen energy industry development.
In addition to the hydrogen source itself, Zhangjiakou also synchronously promotes the production, storage and hydrogenation equipment manufacturing, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle manufacturing and other upstream and downstream industries, the annual output of 10,000 hydrogen fuel cell engine projects and a number of industrial chain projects have landed, the development pattern of the whole industrial chain has accelerated the formation.
Model of the hydrogen fuel cell engine system of Yihuatong bus in Zhangjiakou City. Hebei Daily information sheet
"Hydrogen" to the future
"This Winter Olympics is the world's first major attempt to invest in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as a connection tool on a large scale. Through this large-scale demonstration operation, it can deepen the public's understanding of the green Olympic concept, promote the public's awareness of green travel, increase the social influence of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and promote the commercial development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. After stepping on the "stage" of the Winter Olympics, Yihuatong planned a longer-term development.
In Shi Jiannan's view, at this stage, the cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is concentrated in hydrogen fuel cell systems and hydrogen storage systems. During the demonstration operation of fuel cell vehicles, through large-scale production and further localization of materials and components, by the end of the demonstration period, fuel cell vehicles can be basically the same as the cost of pure electric vehicles, and officially enter the marketization stage.
Wang Hewu said that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have high power, suitable for medium and long-distance, medium and heavy-duty operation scenarios, in the field of commercial vehicles can give full play to their own advantages, can form an effective complement with pure electric vehicles, and jointly promote the healthy and rapid development of new energy vehicles in the mainland.
At present, the mainland is in the early stage of hydrogen fuel cell industrialization, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been in the city bus, group shuttle, logistics transportation, park ferry, urban management service vehicles and other regional application scenarios for demonstration operation, relying on the many advantages of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the future will be in the long-distance tourist passenger transport, interprovincial heavy-duty transportation, sanitation, cold chain and other key areas to achieve application.
"In addition to major industries such as hydrogen production and hydrogen fuel cells, enterprises in the industrial chain, including stacks and membrane electrodes, have come." Yin Xuguang, head of the high-tech department of the Zhangjiakou Municipal Development and Reform Commission, said that around the four links of "production, storage and transportation, filling, and application", Zhangjiakou accelerated the construction of hydrogen energy industry research and development, production and demonstration centers, and strived to build a first-class hydrogen energy industry cluster and equipment manufacturing base in China.
"In the face of the reality that traditional industries are 'not much good', 'too many are not good', and 'structural bias', Zhangjiakou City has seized the major historical opportunities of the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the preparation of the Winter Olympic Games, and the construction of the 'two districts' of the capital, and is committed to embarking on a new road of green development, ecological strong city, and lane changing and overtaking." Yin Xuguang said that in the process of transformation and upgrading, the hydrogen energy industry is placed high hopes by Zhangjiakou. (Hebei Daily reporters Yuan Weihua, Qiao Binjuan, Li Dongyun, Zhao Zezhong)