On December 18, the 2023 World Hydrogen  Young Scientists Forum opened in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. As an important part of WYSS 2023, the forum brought together high-level professionals, industry experts and scholars, and outstanding young scientists in the field of hydrogen energy from around the world. They conducted in-depth discussions around hydrogen energy cutting-edge technologies and applications in a common hope to build an open exchange network of diversified hydrogen energy industries and promote technological exchanges in fields such as hydrogen energy production, storage, transport and use.

A young entrepreneur from Hong Kong has developed a porous silicon material that produces hydrogen and water through the reaction of water and porous silicon. His innovative technology has been successfully applied in fuel cell starting systems. Another young entrepreneur from Shandong has developed a new technique to generate hydrogen from alloy materials, and the abundant hydrogen produced can be used in various scenarios. A young professor returning from overseas has made progress in ammonia energy application technology. That means ammonia can be used as an energy alternative to traditional fossil fuels… A great many innovative outcomes developed by young scientists and entrepreneurs in the field of hydrogen energy were showcased at the forum. “They show the breakthroughs and bold innovations young scientists made in hydrogen production technology, which bring new prospects and possibilities for the development of hydrogen energy,” said Zhang Weidong, Assistant Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in China.

“As a type of zero-carbon secondary energy, hydrogen energy has become an important part for global energy transformation and low-carbon development. Attaching great importance to hydrogen energy, major economies around the world have stepped up efforts to develop the hydrogen energy industry. An explicit pattern of hydrogen energy development has taken shape as a result. As of now, more than 50 countries and regions around the world have issued national hydrogen energy strategies.” Ma Tiancai, Deputy Secretary General of China Hydrogen Energy Alliance and professor at Tongji University, said that the World Hydrogen Young Scientists Forum provides a platform of openness, innovation and cooperation for global scientists and industry leaders in hydrogen energy as hydrogen energy accelerates development around the world. At this event, outstanding young hydrogen energy talents from all over the world gathered together with a common vision for future hydrogen energy development in the world, discussing cutting-edge development trends of global hydrogen energy and seeking innovation in global hydrogen energy technology.

A concurrent symposium on the high-quality development of hydrogen energy industry in Wenzhou was also held, where attendees conducted exchanges on hydrogen energy development and industrial demonstration in Wenzhou.

In recent years, Wenzhou has striven to build an important highland of innovation and entrepreneurship by establishing high-level innovation platforms and boosting the principal role of enterprises in innovation. Relying on strengths such as diverse clean energy resources such as wind, solar, and nuclear energy as well as application scenarios such as shipping and fishery vessels, it has worked with new energy development enterprises, including central enterprises, to step up the development of a hydrogen energy industry chain as well as a whole industry chain system covering the production, storage, transportation and processing of hydrogen energy.

“Hydrogen energy plays an important role in building the future energy system as it is an important carrier for achieving green and low-carbon transformation for energy use and an important representative of new productive forces. Backed by a trillion-level market, it is expected to enjoy a bright prospect.” Wang Zhenyong, Deputy Mayor of Wenzhou, introduced the plan to build a national new energy production capacity center and application demonstration city. More than 10 major projects worth ten billion yuan have been introduced. An entire industry chain covering nuclear, wind, solar, water and hydrogen energy storage has been built, in which hydrogen energy is underdeveloped so far. Revealing that Wenzhou will speed up the development of the hydrogen energy industry in the future, he called on attending experts to sharing useful experience to guide the city’s hydrogen energy development.

At the forum, the Smart Energy Research Center of the Yangtze Delta Region Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Zhejiang, Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd., and Wenzhou Energy Development Co., Ltd. signed a cooperation agreement on the Pingyang Xiwan Wind Power Hydrogen Production Demonstration Project. Wind power hydrogen production is an important means to help achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals through optimizing the new energy structure. This demonstration project was aimed at providing on-site experience for hydrogen production from offshore wind power in the future by integrating hydrogen production and storage.