Two years ago today, Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield's megawatt-scale renewable power water electrolysis hydrogen production demonstration project was officially put into operation. Cummins supplied its Accelera HyLYZER® series proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment for the project, responsible for the project's zero-carbon green hydrogen production.

Since being put into operation, the project has run smoothly, safely and efficiently for more than 10,000 hours, cumulatively producing nearly 350 tons of hydrogen. Cummins' PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production technology and its product capability for coupled operation with renewable energy have been further validated in real operating scenarios of domestic customers.

The project is a photovoltaic power generation green hydrogen production scenario. Cummins' PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment needs to rapidly adjust load within the 10%-100% operating range following the actual photovoltaic power generation curve, maintain long-term safe operation in the low-load range of 10%-20% when photovoltaic output is insufficient, and at the same time ensure rapid and safe startup and shutdown according to the customer's hydrogen demand. Under the above fluctuating operating conditions, more than 10,000 hours of stable operation fully verified the reliability of Cummins' PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production technology and its coupling adaptability with renewable energy, helping the customer achieve the economic goals of the green power to green hydrogen project.

The equipment adopted by the project is Cummins' 2.5MW containerized proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis hydrogen production system, including two 1.25MW electrolyzers, with a total rated hydrogen production capacity of 500Nm³/h and green hydrogen purity of 99.9995%. The hydrogen produced each day can supply 106 buses for a full day of operation, with a target annual reduction of 2,200 tons of carbon dioxide.

The project is located in Puyang City, Henan Province, and is of great significance to the local green hydrogen economy. The project uses "green power" to produce "green hydrogen," achieving zero carbon emissions throughout the entire process. Puyang City is forming a full hydrogen energy industry chain of "production, storage, transportation and application." The successful commissioning of the project has provided strong support for the local hydrogen energy industry, thereby driving the development of the local hydrogen energy industry and helping to achieve the "dual carbon" goals.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of the hydrogen energy industry and has issued the Medium- and Long-Term Plan for the Development of the Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035), proposing that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, a hydrogen energy supply system based primarily on the nearby utilization of industrial by-product hydrogen and hydrogen produced from renewable energy should be initially established. The plan mentions that by 2025, the number of fuel cell vehicles in use will be about 50,000, a batch of hydrogen refueling stations will be deployed and built, the amount of hydrogen produced from renewable energy will reach 100,000-200,000 tons per year, and carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 1-2 million tons per year.

This safe operation of more than 10,000 hours is an important milestone in Cummins' zero-carbon commitment to the Chinese market. In addition to PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment, Cummins' other hydrogen energy projects have also steadily achieved phased progress, including hydrogen fuel cell technology R&D that has developed to the fourth generation and has been put into use in various application scenarios. In its hydrogen fuel cell bus, dump truck and tractor projects, the total safe driving mileage has exceeded 16 million kilometers.