A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is displayed in the Dongyue Future Hydrogen Technology Demonstration Center in Zibo city, east China's Shandong province. (PHOTO: LU Chengkuan/S&T Daily)

By LI He, LU Chengkuan, LIN Lijun and ZHONG Jianli

The Dongyue Future Hydrogen Technology Demonstration Center in Zibo, a city in eastern coastal province Shandong, is regarded as a pioneer in hydrogen energy core technology and industrialization. Its main business includes manufacturing the core component of high-performance hydrogen cells, an important tool for industrial transformation and low-carbon development.

"It takes only three to five minutes for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to refuel," says Wang Zhenhua, deputy general manager of Shandong Dongyue Future Hydrogen Energy Materials, referring to a hydrogen cell vehicle kept at the center for demonstration. "The vehicle can then travel 600 to 800 kilometers, even in a low temperature environment of minus 30 degrees Celsius."

Wang adds that the company spent more than a decade to develop the core component of hydrogen fuel cells, a proton exchange membrane, and now has a lot of cooperation projects with leading downstream companies at home and abroad.

Zibo is one example of promoting green, low-carbon and high-quality development in Shandong as the province encourages high-quality development through innovation, especially in highly efficient and low-carbon technologies.

Xu Wen, deputy secretary general and director of the General Office of the Shandong Provincial Government, has figures to back the initiative. In the first half of 2023, new and renewable energy generation increased by 18.2 percent, accounting for 25.4 percent of the province's total power generation.

In the demonstration base of Weichai Lovol Intelligent Agricultural Company, located in Weifang city, a tractor with continuously variable speed is undergoing tests. The driverless tractor can function at 340 horsepower, and its fuel consumption is about 30 percent lower than that of traditional tractors.

"Our company has made a technological breakthrough on the intelligent tractor, filling a gap in China's agricultural machinery industry," says Tian Dayong, strategic director of Weichai Lovol. The company now does business in more than 120 countries and regions.

Shandong is also promoting energy-saving technology in its shipping industry.

In the factory of China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai city, 15 ships under construction will adopt dual-fuel power technology, using liquefied natural gas or diesel. This will reduce carbon emissions by about 22 percent. The emission of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matters will also be slashed by 92 percent, 98-100 percent and 98 percent respectively.

Two other ships are powered by methanol, achieving 100 percent life-cycle carbon reduction.

"The primary driving force for high-quality development is sci-tech innovation," said Sun Haisheng, director-general of the Department of Science & Technology of Shandong Province, adding that the number of small and medium-sized sci-tech enterprises in Shandong reached over 35,000 in 2022, ranking fourth in the country.