At COP 21, held in Paris in November 2015, major countries around the world came to an agreement to reduce CO 2 (Paris Agreement). Hydrogen can contribute to CO2 reduction in various ways. Japan is leading the initiative to create a hydrogen society with the concrete vision on hydrogen energy.
Importance of hydrogen
Hydrogen energy is already widely in use in Japan. What future does the hydrogen society hold for us?
Here are a list of ways that Hydrogen can benefit our lives:
- Energy savings - Fuel cells, which produces electricity from hydrogen, are highly efficient, resulting in significant energy savings
- Reliable energy supply - Because hydrogen can be produced from various sources creating energy diversity, it contributes to improving energy security in Japan.
- Environmental impact – Hydrogen produces zero CO2 emission at the point of use, and by concentrating its production, improving efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy, we can work towards lowering the environmental impact.
- Industry booster - Because Japan has strong competitive advantages on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, promotion of hydrogen energy will create new business and industry opportunities in Japan.
Japan’s Policy
To promote hydrogen energy, it is necessary to have a common vision on hydrogen in the future, and a common understanding on future automobile society. To realize a low-carbon society with hydrogen energy, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, METI, has developed a roadmap on hydrogen energy which describes the pathway until 2040. It is generally understood that FCVs and electric vehicles (EVs) are not competing, but co-existing in the future automobile society with certain user segments.
Phase 1: Installation Fuel Cell (Current-)
1. Stationary FC
- Clarifies price targets of residential FCs
→disseminates without government support by around 2020- PEFC: 800,000 yen by 2019
- SOFC: 1,000,000 yen by 2021
2. Fuel Cell Vehicles
- Sets the goals of market introduction
- About 40,000 FCVs by 2020, 200,000 by 2025, 800,000 by 2030
- Aims at introducing FCVs in main market segment (price range) by around 2025
3. Hydrogen Refueling Stations
- Sets the goals of installations and self-sustaining business
- About 160 stations by FY2020, 320 by FY2025
*Needs around 900 stations in case of 300Nm3/h refueling capacity by 2030 - Self-sustaining business of HRSs by the late 2020s
Thereafter establishes adequate amount of stations in response to the spread of FCVs
- About 160 stations by FY2020, 320 by FY2025
Phase 2: H2 Power Plant/ Mass Supply Chain (Realized in the late 2020s)
4. Hydrogen Power Plant
- Reflects a report by study group on H2 power plant (March 2015) , embodies the description
Phase 3: CO 2 -free Hydrogen (Realized in around 2040)
5. Hydrogen derived from Renewable Energy
- States to launch a working group which handles technical and economic issues regarding introduction of CO2-free Hydrogen concluded in March 2017.
- Describes the promotion of advanced initiatives such as the reform 2020 project and Fukushima new energy society initiative.
Policy Links
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Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Compilation of the Revised Version of the Strategic Roadmap for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells” (March 22, 2016)
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2016/0322_05.html(from website)For the purpose of revising the Strategic Roadmap for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, which was formulated in June 2014, the Council for a Strategy for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, consisting of experts from industry, academia, and government, has continued discussions since 2015. On March 22, 2016, the Council released a revised version of the Roadmap including new goals and specific explanations of efforts to be made.
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Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “METI has compiled a Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells” (June 24, 2014)
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2014/0624_04.html(from website)In December 2013, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) established a Council for a Strategy for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, and since then the council has been studying ideal approaches to the future utilization of hydrogen energy, through collaboration between industry, academia and government. On June 23, 2014, the council compiled measures to be taken by people involved in realizing a hydrogen society into a Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, and METI hereby publicizes the road map.
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Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Working Group on CO2-Free Hydrogen Compiled a Report” (March 7, 2017)
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2017/0307_003.html(from website)The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) established a Working Group on CO2-Free Hydrogen under the Council for a Strategy for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. Since May 2016, the working group has been holding discussions, aiming at the future expansion of CO2-free hydrogen utilization. METI hereby announces that the working group has compiled the results of their discussions into a report, describing streamlined current challenges and other tasks, and the direction of future efforts.
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Country Update - Japan (latest, April 2017)
http://www.iphe.net/docs/Meetings/SC27/Country%20Reports/Japan%20Country%20Report.pdf -
Country Policy – Japan
http://www.iphe.net/partners/japan.html(from website)New Policy Initiatives on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a policy speech to the 193rd Session of the Diet on January 20, 2017. He said “The hydrogen energy is a trump card for energy security and global warming mitigation measures. The world's first electric power supply will be started using a hydrogen generator in Kobe by spring 2018. We will challenge to transport a large amount of hydrogen using the world's first liquefied hydrogen carrier and we will build hydrogen supply chain covered from production through to transport and consumption. For realizing these challenges, we will proceed with the reformation by sorting out all regulations among ministries.”
On March 10, 2017, progress on Hydrogen / FC Strategy Roadmap which was revised in March 2016, was reported at the Ministerial/Industry Council for a Strategy for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, and challenges for the future were discussed.
A Working Group was established under the Ministerial/Industry Council for a Strategy for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in May 2016, aiming at the future expansion of CO2-free hydrogen utilization. The Working Group compiled the results into a Report in March 2017, describing streamlined current challenges and other tasks, and the direction of future efforts.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the first meeting of the Ministerial Council on Renewable Energy, Hydrogen and Related Issues on April 11, 2017. He said, "Japan will be the first in the world to realize a hydrogen-based society. I request relevant ministers to formulate the basic strategy within this year. In particular, I would like relevant ministers to accelerate the establishment of hydrogen refuelling stations, and streamline regulations on them, and to formulate a common scenario toward the building of supply chains and the full-scale introduction of hydrogen power generation.”
Hydrogen Stations
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List of Commercial hydrogen Stations in Japan (Regularly updated, in Japanese)
http://fccj.jp/hystation/index.html#hystop
from : http://fccj.jp/hystation/index.html#hystop
Hydrogen-related Organizations
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New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/index.html(from website)Following the two oil crises of the 1970s, the need for energy diversification increased. Against this backdrop, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) was established as a governmental organization in 1980 to promote the development and introduction of new energy technologies. Research and development of industrial technology was later added, and today NEDO is active in a wide variety of areas as one of the largest public research and development management organizations in Japan.
NEDO’s Missions
NEDO plays an important part in Japan's economic and industrial policies as one of the largest public research and development management organizations. It has two basic missions: addressing energy and global environmental problems, and enhancing industrial technology. -
The Association of Hydrogen Supply and Utilization Technology (HySUT)
http://hysut.or.jp/en/index.html(from website)The predecessor of HySUT as a research association had been engaged in developing the technologies for commercial hydrogen stations since July, 2009. As FCVs were launched and corresponding hydrogen stations have been built in Japan, HySUT was reborn in February, 2016 to be an industrial association to develop and promote hydrogen infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles.
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Next Generation Vehicle Promotion Center (NeV)
http://www.cev-pc.or.jp/english/(from website)NeV, complying with the system established by the government, promotes electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, clean diesel vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. The Center also promotes installation of the charging facilities necessary to power electric vehicles, as well as hydrogen fueling stations for fuel cell vehicles.
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Fuel Cell Commercialization Conference of Japan (FCCJ)
http://fccj.jp/eng/index.html(from website)Since its foundation in 2001, the FCCJ has been proactively engaged in the research and development as well as the promotion of fuel cell technologies by providing a forum for a number of private companies and entities to hold private-sector level discussion and examination of the commercialization and popularization of fuel cells. In the field of technology development, we are cooperating with the government to draw up policies to aid in the development of fuel cells by inspecting conventional regulations and suggesting revisions to bring them up to international standards. By doing so, we hope to provide a concrete path for the acceleration of fuel cell commercialization.
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Shipment of Ene Farm (Updated periodically, in Japanese)
the Advanced Cogeneration and Energy Utilization Center Japan (ACEJ)
https://www.ace.or.jp/web/works/works_0090.html
from : https://www.ace.or.jp/web/works/works_0090.html
Other information site for Hydrogen
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Tokyo Suiso-miru
https://www.tokyo-suisomiru.jp/language/en/(from website)About "Tokyo Suiso-miru" The hydrogen information center "Tokyo Hydrogen Museum (Tokyo Suiso-miru)" (meaning "viewing hydrogen") is a facility where visitors can enjoy learning hydrogen, which is actually invisible, and see the future image of a potential hydrogen society while "viewing, touching and experiencing" hydrogen.
On the second floor are an open library with exhibition booths that introduce the latest technologies and products, a lecture room that can be used for a wide range of purposes, and power generation devices with which visitors can generate hydrogen themselves using bicycles.