Sinopec has announced that its Green Hydrogen Pilot Project has started operation in China. The project, constructed by Sinopec's New Star Company in Kuqa City, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, uses solar energy to generate green hydrogen. It is the largest solar-to-hydrogen project in the world and the first of its kind equipped with a photovoltaic power generation complex and supporting facilities in the country.
Green hydrogen is generated using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the entire production process. Through this project, Sinopec aims to produce 20,000 tons of green hydrogen per year using solar power to electrolyze water, with a storage capacity of 210,000 cubic meters and a transportation capacity of 28,000 cubic meters per hour.
The project will supply hydrogen to Sinopec's Tahe Refining & Chemical, replacing fossil-fuel-based electricity that is used for hydrogen production and is expected to reduce 485,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year.