China is moving quickly on hydrogen by releasing a draft hydrogen evaluation standard called the Clean and Low-Carbon Hydrogen Evaluation Standard for 2025.
If it seems like a lot, here’s what it means: China is putting actual measures in place to make hydrogen cleaner. They are imposing strict restrictions on carbon emissions and making sure that everyone is speaking the same (eco-friendly) language by following EU standards. Guoneng HydrogenTech is in charge of everything, and the China Electricity Council is keeping an eye on everything.
New Categories Are Meant to Make Hydrogen’s Carbon Footprint Clearer
The new hydrogen evaluation standard will put hydrogen into three groups: renewable, clean, and low-carbon. This will depend on how it is produced and how much CO2 is created throughout the process.
That type of transparency is a game-changer for the green hydrogen industry. It makes it simpler for businesses to keep track of emissions and make investments based on that information.
From Guidelines to Rules That Must Be Followed
This isn’t simply a list of ideas. The National Energy Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation are striving to get rid of old voluntary standards and replace them with rules that the government will enforce. This change helps China reach its wider climate objectives of reaching peak emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
Big Goals, Bigger Problems
There is still a long way to go right now. China still gets most of its hydrogen from coal, and just around 2% of it comes from renewable sources. But this new framework sets the stage for a cleaner hydrogen market to flourish, which will make space for cleaner exports and make it possible for substantial industrial decarbonisation to happen.
Global Signals and What to Do Next
Along the way, including building up hydrogen infrastructure and creating reliable certification procedures. China is making it very obvious that it intends to be a major player in the global green hydrogen market by aligning its hydrogen evaluation standard with EU standards. It could even get there with bold policy initiatives like these.