The case study for transiting Hong Kong to a hydrogen economy

Abstract

The vision of hydrogen economy, i.e. the use of hydrogen as the main energy carrier, was once view as the future energy solution as hydrogen was a clean, secured and abundant secondary energy source. However, the advancement to a hydrogen economy not only required substantial Research and Development (R&D) in the production, storage, transportation and application of hydrogen but also a revamp of the current energy production and distribution system. It was a long-term commitment requiring a transitional process. Not many previous studies had touched upon developing a hydrogen economy in Hong Kong. The study aimed at unveiling the characteristic of hydrogen economy with a focus on transitional issue through extensive literature review. Case study was conducted against recent hydrogen economy project and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle (HFCV) demonstration projects to extract learning form them. An online survey was conducted to understand public awareness and supportiveness of hydrogen economy, consumers’ willingness to pay, perceived barriers and motivation. The paper concluded with recommendations and a roadmap for the realization of a hydrogen economy in Hong Kong. The analysis revealed that producing green hydrogen and fuel cell appliances, e.g. HFCV, in an economic way were the bottlenecks to the advancement of a hydrogen economy. Survey showed that 75% of the respondents had not ever heard of hydrogen economy, yet 97% supported the deployment of HFCV. Over 90% of respondents were willing to accept not more than 10% increase in bus fare for switching to HFCV. The main perceived barriers to the advancement of a hydrogen economy were the low public awareness in hydrogen technology and the lack of infrastructural support while environmental benefit was the main motivation. To realize a hydrogen economy in Hong Kong, long-term commitment from the government was crucial to overcome the technological and economic challenges through a transitional management approach. Private-public partnership and cross-boundary cooperation were ways to tackle the challenges for bringing a possible hydrogen future in Hong Kong.