The race towards a cleaner and more sustainable future demands innovative solutions to address the challenges of our current energy landscape. With global electricity consumption growing at record rates1, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve ambitious decarbonization goals, one promising solution rapidly gaining traction is hydrogen.
From powering transportation to fueling industrial processes and generating electricity, hydrogen can be used across various applications from mobility to heavy industry, directly as a combustion fuel to generate electricity or as backup power – thereby helping to decarbonize transportation and industries.
APAC's growing hydrogen economy
In Asia Pacific (APAC), China stands out as a leader in hydrogen technology investment, primarily due to the country's decarbonization push and lower costs of renewable power. This is evident in the country’s growing number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on their roads. Last year, China became the world's largest market for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), recording 5,600 sales compared to second place South Korea's 4,631. According to consultancy firm SNE Research, most of these sales in China — 5,362 — were for commercial vehicles such as trucks, vans, and buses.
This growth can be attributed to Beijing's Hydrogen Energy Industry Mid- to Long-Term Development Plan (2021-35), which aims to expand the supply of FCEVs and hydrogen infrastructure. This commitment to hydrogen technology positions China as a major player in the future of hydrogen transportation.
Meanwhile, in India, the push for green hydrogen is largely driven by its vast industrial sector, with significant implications for both domestic utility and international trade. Sectors like steel and fertilizer production are under pressure to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability through hydrogen technology. Currently, India consumes around 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of hydrogen annually for industrial applications like refining, fertilizer production, and metal treatment. However, most of this is "grey hydrogen" produced from fossil fuels like natural gas.
The Chlor-alkali industry does generate hydrogen as a byproduct, but this is a limited source. Recognizing the limitations of grey hydrogen, India has initiated pilot projects for green hydrogen production through water electrolysis using renewable energy and exploring biomass conversion methods. Companies are developing prototypes for hydrogen-compatible components, and the transportation sector is also seeing hydrogen-powered vehicles under development. These initiatives suggest a bright future for the hydrogen economy in India.
The challenges in hydrogen adoption
However, several challenges stand in the way, and economic viability is the key hurdle to widespread adoption. Green hydrogen, produced through electrolysis powered by renewable energy, offers a clean alternative to fossil fuel-based "grey hydrogen". However, the high cost of electrolyzers and renewable energy currently makes green hydrogen uncompetitive. Governments worldwide, including China and India, are implementing measures to support this initial ramp-up phase until economies of scale kick in.
Beyond cost, technological advancements like upscaling production and deployment of high-performance electrolyzers are crucial. The global electrolyzer manufacturing capacity is set to grow rapidly, and it is critical to develop a cost-economical domestic electrolyzer manufacturing ecosystem in countries like India and China.
Finally, infrastructure limitations pose another challenge. A critical mass of infrastructure for the storage and delivery of green hydrogen, and its derivatives, is needed for mass adoption. This includes developing a network of hydrogen refueling stations, pipelines, and storage facilities.
Overcoming hydrogen embrittlement
After overcoming the challenges of cost, technology, and infrastructure, careful material selection becomes paramount. Hydrogen embrittlement, a critical issue in hydrogen systems, necessitates materials with exceptional resistance to ensure safe and reliable operation. This phenomenon occurs when hydrogen atoms penetrate metal, causing it to become brittle and susceptible to cracking. Hydrogen's elusive nature and potential for catastrophic failures underscore the critical importance of managing its impact on materials.
Research & collaboration is key to advancing hydrogen
The advancement of hydrogen technology also relies heavily on international collaboration. Shared knowledge and experiences, gleaned from successes and challenges alike, fuel innovation across the entire hydrogen ecosystem – from safety protocols to efficiency improvements.
At Alleima, we invest heavily in research and development, especially when it comes to sustainable solutions. It’s why we maintain a portfolio of 1,500 alloy recipes, where over 900 are active for further processing into different niche applications. These are protected by around 850 patents, with new patent-protected alloy concepts in constant development. Not least, we maintain active and close relationships with universities and institutes through common projects and initiatives, either governmentally funded or in bilateral collaborations.
By collaborating with partners, including designers, fabricators and user experts, we can transfer knowledge and ensure that the technology can be utilized for advanced material solutions. This collaborative approach will be instrumental in driving the region's transition towards a clean and sustainable hydrogen economy.
Supporting the transition in APAC
At Alleima, we are a leading provider of high-quality tubular products specifically engineered for the hydrogen industry across production, storage, and transportation applications. We have extensively tested in high-pressure hydrogen environments to prove that our alloys have excellent hydrogen resistance.
Our offerings, such as Sanicro® 35, bridge the gap between stainless steel and nickel alloys, making it an excellent choice for demanding environments, while the Alleima® 3R60 grade also exhibits better hydrogen embrittlement resistance within the 316/316L standard as it has a higher nickel content (~13%).
In China and India, our tubes are used extensively throughout the hydrogen infrastructure, including fuel injection lines connecting tanks for vehicles and connection lines for cascades to dispensers and compressors to cascades. You would even find them in the engine systems of commercial vehicles like trucks and buses.
Alleima® 3R60 high-pressure tubesin hydrogen-powered vehicles. Picture from FCVC 2024, Shanghai
Our tubes are meticulously crafted to meet the stringent demands of hydrogen, boasting tight dimensional tolerances, smooth surface finishes, high-pressure ratings, and exceptional resistance to hydrogen embrittlement. All these translate to safe and reliable operations for our customers, providing them with complete peace of mind.
What also truly sets Alleima apart is our dedication to serving the regions we are in. In APAC, our production units in Zhenjiang, China, and Mehsana, India are strategically located to meet the rapidly growing needs of the regional hydrogen market. This commitment to local production ensures efficient supply chains and readily available solutions for our customers and partners in the region.
