China's independently developed, world-first 30-megawatt pure hydrogen gas turbine Jupiter I Photo: CCTV News

China's independently developed, world-first 30-megawatt (MW) pure hydrogen gas turbine Jupiter I achieved 100 percent hydrogen power generation and maintained stable operation in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Sunday, marking the successful transition of the world's first 30-MW-class "electricity-hydrogen-electricity" demonstration project from blueprint to reality, the CCTV News reported.

The project integrates wind power, photovoltaic power and a water electrolysis hydrogen production system, forming an energy conversion model of "green electricity to green hydrogen, and green hydrogen back to electricity," the report said, noting that it effectively addresses the challenge of absorbing surplus renewable power and provides a practical, scalable integrated solution for building a new energy system with renewables as the mainstay. 

The project has been selected for the first batch of national hydrogen energy pilot projects in the energy sector.

Compared with a thermal power unit of the same capacity, the pure hydrogen gas turbine can reduce carbon emissions by more than 200,000 metric tons per year, the CCTV reported, citing Wang Yongzhi, head of the Mingyang hydrogen gas turbine project. Wang said that in combined-cycle operation, it generates 48,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour, enough to meet the daily electricity demand of 5,500 households.

After the project enters operation, it will effectively smooth fluctuations in renewable energy and enhance grid regulation capability, providing a replicable practical model for the energy transition and helping build a national-level hydrogen energy demonstration hub, according to the report.

Global Times