(Yicai) Nov. 10 -- Multinational companies, such as Germany's Freudenberg Group, are showcasing their hydrogen equipment at the China International Import Expo with a view to finding opportunities to work with local businesses on green transformation.

Freudenberg unveiled two new electrolytic tanks for producing green hydrogen at the trade fair in Shanghai that ends today, Yicai learned. They use the Weinheim-based firm's core nonwoven technology and material formula to effectively cut energy consumption and the cost of hydrogen production with greater safety, according to the company.

Green hydrogen is produced when an electric current splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, and when the electricity comes from renewable sources such as wind or solar power, it is judged to be “green.” China is actively investing in green hydrogen technology and infrastructure as a key part of its shift to more sustainable energy sources.

The country needs to produce about 30 million tons of hydrogen per year, which will generate about 300 million tons of carbon dioxides if fossil fuels are used, equivalent to 3 percent of China’s total carbon footprint, Cheng Yingjun, senior manager of Freudenberg’s technology innovation department in China, told Yicai.

So replacing those energy sources with renewables has become a clear commercial direction, Cheng said.

China’s hydrogen production from renewable energy resources should reach 100,000 to 200,000 tons a year by 2025, becoming an important part of total consumption while reducing one or two million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, according to a plan released by the National Energy Administration in March 2022.

Siemens Energy, a subsidiary of German industrial giant Siemens, is also introducing new green hydrogen products to the Chinese market. Its water electrolysis unit which has a capacity of close to 4,000 standard cubic meters per hour debuted at the CIIE this week. 

China is promoting a deep energy revolution and accelerating the construction of a new energy system, according to Yao Zhenguo, senior vice president of Siemens Energy. The Munich-based firm's energy technology unit is hoping to work with Chinese partners to explore cooperation while steadily promoting green and low-carbon transformation.

General Electric's GE Vernova, a supplier of hydro turbines and solar power solutions, is also showcasing its HA-class gas turbine that runs on 50 percent hydrogen at the expo. The energy firm said it aims to develop 100 percent hydrogen-powered units by 2030.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Emmi Laine