A major national hydrogen demonstration project has officially broken ground at the Guangzhou International Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park. Led by the Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau under China Southern Power Grid, the project is part of the National Key R&D Program, focusing on core technologies for integrating user-side fuel cell microgrids and enabling them to actively support the power grid.
Source: China Electric Power News
A major national hydrogen demonstration project has officially broken ground at the Guangzhou International Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park. Led by the Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau under China Southern Power Grid, the project is part of the National Key R&D Program, focusing on core technologies for integrating user-side fuel cell microgrids and enabling them to actively support the power grid.
Scheduled for completion in 2026, the project will feature China’s largest fuel cell-based microgrid capable of delivering high-efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) while also stabilizing the grid. Designed to both “feed into the grid” and “serve end users,” the system aims to achieve overall energy efficiency above 90%, reaching global benchmarks.
Built on the principle of “hydrogen where preferred, electricity where optimal,” the microgrid is designed with real-world deployment and scalability in mind. In addition to the core fuel cell CHP system, the facility will include proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers for hydrogen production, as well as hydrogen storage, thermal storage, and a hydrogen refueling station. This configuration enables flexible conversion among electricity, hydrogen, and heat, allowing for multiple operating modes tailored to various usage scenarios.
“The power-to-hydrogen model leverages distributed renewables or off-peak grid power to produce and store hydrogen via water electrolysis,” said Zhang Xing, Director of the Hydrogen Energy Center at the Power Technology Research Institute, Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau. “In the initial phase, hydrogen will mainly support emergency power vehicles and hydrogen-powered drones for grid operations. It will follow a self-production, self-consumption model.”
“In the long term, we plan to explore external hydrogen supply, partnering with outside parties to provide fueling services for hydrogen buses and fuel cell vehicles, making this site a stable, high-quality source of hydrogen,” Zhang added.
The project’s technical approach is expected to be replicable in regions with limited electricity access or challenging environments—such as cold climates, high-altitude areas, islands, and border zones. Scaled deployment could accelerate domestic progress in hydrogen-related technologies, equipment manufacturing, and engineering services.
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