30
alternative fuel
@green | July-August, 2020
Moulding
the future
SEDA’s webinar marks plural
developments and utilisations of
Green Hydrogen economy
A H2
combustion
engine for
future emission
free ecofriendly
transport.
Wei-nee Chen
Osamu Ikeda
Pierluigi
Mancarella
Sanjayan
Velautham
Chinho Park
Tan Sri Abdul
Aziz
Malaysia is aiming for the
construction of refueling stations.
BY CAMILIA REZALI
Hydrogen as a fuel is not something
hot off the press.
In-depth discussions and growing
efforts have been ongoing for some
time, by looking at the possibilities of
green hydrogen. Recently, a webinar
was organised by the Sustainable
Energy Development Authority
(SedA) Malaysia, giving centrestage to the development
of green hydrogen economy within the Asia Pacific.
The webinar titled ‘Shaping the Future of Green Hydrogen
Economy’ had four outstanding speakers from the
green industry.
Chief Strategic Officer of SedA, Dr Wei-nee Chen, who
moderated, said the key role of SedA was to provide advice
to the minister and the relevant government entities on all
matters related to sustainable energy.
Aside from that, SedA’s functions are to implement
the feed in-tariff (FiT) and net energy metering (NEM)
schemes and also provide technical development and
facilitation services.
In the session’s keynote address, the Chief Executive
Officer of SedA, Ir Dr Sanjayan Velautham, said: “Renewable
energy has been touted as a possible solution to
providing balancing mechanisms to solar energy. SedA
is very confident green hydrogen can fill the gaps in sectors
where RE electricity cannot reach such as the aviation,
maritime, and energy-intensive industries.”
In 2019, SedA was tasked with developing the Renewable
Energy Transition Roadmap (RETR) 2035. Within the
RETR is a inclusion of the development of a green hydrogen
agenda in the roadmap by 2025. Post 2025, Malaysia aimed
to thrive in developing a green hydrogen economy by
implementing measures meted in the roadmap.
The first speaker, Chairman of Sarawak Economic
Development Corporation (SedC),Tan Sri Datuk Amar
(Dr) Abdul Aziz Dato Husain said the advantages of green
hydrogen ranged from an abundance of hydropower
resources, presence in the market, marking a low electricity
tariff, utilisation of power reserves as well as having
Sarawakians well-equipped with technical expertise.
“One of the milestones of SedC is the first integrated
hydrogen production, storage and refuelling plant. We’ve
also introduced the first hydrogen vehicle in Southeast
Asia,” said Abdul Aziz.
He also mentioned the first hydrogen fuel cell buses in
Southeast Asia which were flagged-off on Jan 21, 2020, by
the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Abang Johari Openg.
These are some of Malaysia’s blooming efforts in trekking
towards more exceptional forms of development of green
hydrogen economy.
Looking forward, Abdul Aziz shared: “Our projects in
the pipeline includes the establishment of a hydrogen fuel
cell, Automated Rapid Transit (ART), setting up multifuel
refuelling stations, conducting a hydrogen fuel cell application
study and finally exporting green hydrogen to other
countries.”
By 2050, the global hydrogen economy is expected to
record six Gt of annual carbon dioxide reduction. The final
energy demand, on the other hand, is anticipated to grow
up to 18 per cent. For the yearly sales on hydrogen and
equipment, Malaysia hopes to achieve $2.5 trillion (RM11
trillion) (source: Hydrogen Council – Cross Industrial
Vision for Hydrogen).
Corresponding to a statement by SedA’s Ceo –
specifying that green hydrogen offers not only “a unique
opportunity for research and innovation”, help to “maintain
an expecting technological leadership”, and also “opening
the opportunity for economic growth and jobs across the
full value chain” - Abdul Aziz underlined that a total of 30
million jobs will be available worldwide by 2050 (source:
Hydrogen Council – Cross Industrial Vision for Hydrogen).
While Malaysia has a mission to export green hydrogen,
Australia itself also sees its potential to become a clean
energy superpower, including significant export of low to
zero carbon hydrogen.
To achieve this, the Programme Leader for Energy
Systems, Melbourne Energy Institute of University of
Melbourne, Prof Pierluigi Mancarella said: “Activities,
particularly in terms of research, may help by understanding
new business cases, the hydrogen system with current
infrastructure and the market.”
Other Asia-Pacific countries like Korea, on the other
hand, is drawing a roadmap to ensure it becomes the
world’s top-class country in hydrogen economy.
According to the Director of Hydrogen Education and
Research Consortium of Yeungnam University of Korea,
Prof Chin-ho Park, the utilisation of green hydrogen in
Korea “is increasing very fast with comprehensive support
from the government”.
Now, Korea has 5,058 units of passenger cars, 15 units of
buses, 10 taxis, 54 hydrogen refuelling stations, fuel cell for
power plants of 397 MW and fuel cell for domestic buildings
of 7.1 MW. These are considered significant developments
of the green hydrogen economy.
Similarly in Japan, the advancement of green hydrogen
can be seen through its SPerA Hydrogen Technology, also
known as the Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC).
“This features long-term storage, reduced risk of H2
storage and transport, easy-to-handle, and having physical
properties similar to petroleum oil,” disclosed the Head of
Hydrogen Business Planning and Development of Chiyoda
Corporation, Osamu Ikeda.
“Towards commercialising LOHC, we hope to collaborate
with various entities from various countries with
various technologies to establish global hydrogen supply
chains for the sustainable future of the human being,” said
Ikeda. — @green