Supply Chains of Green Hydrogen Based on Liquid Organic Carriers Inside China: Economic Assessment and Greenhouse Gases Footprint

The Chinese government has unveiled its commitment to attain carbon neutrality by 2060. Central to this strategic endeavour is the integration of hydrogen as a preeminent energy vector in the emerging energy paradigm. This chapter analyses the viability of electrolysis as a central mechanism for supplying hydrogen, with a specific focus on green hydrogen sourced from renewable energy power plants in China’s most remote provinces. The analysis considers the interplay between economic considerations and environmental implications of producing and transporting hydrogen from Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Gansu, and Xinjiang to China’s leading industrial centres, specifically, the Jing-Jin-Ji cluster, the Pearl River Delta, and the Yangtze River Delta, for the years 2030, 2040, and 2060. The hydrogen to be transported is considered to be stored via two-way liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOCH), particularly toluene-methylcyclohexane and dibenzyltoluene-perhydro-dibenzyltoluene. The study concludes that a synergy between remote renewable energy generation, advanced LOHC-based hydrogen storage mechanisms, and strategic trans-provincial transportation networks can contribute to realizing China’s carbon neutrality targets.