Japanese tech to slash green hydrogen costs by two thirds
Japanese energy company Eneos and plant engineer Chiyoda will build a facility that manufactures hydrogen without carbon dioxide emissions at one-third the current cost, a breakthrough in the nation's push toward decarbonization.
The plant will use a proprietary electrolysis technology to significantly lower necessary investment, with the aim of bringing down the price of hydrogen to 330 yen, or roughly $3, per kilogram. Eneos and Chiyoda are looking at Australia and other locations as candidates to build the plant in 2030.
Hydrogen, which can power automobiles or power plants without generating CO2, is seen by some as vital to decarbonization efforts, but production costs have remained high. Hydrogen costs roughly 1,100 yen per kilogram in the Japanese market, and the government seeks to bring down the figure to 330 yen by 2030 and eventually to 220 yen.
The method developed by Eneos and Chiyoda electrolyzes both water and toluene at the same, instead of through separate processes, to create methylcyclohexane, or MCH. This simplification of the process slashes facility investment by half.
Liquid MCH will be shipped at ambient temperatures to power plants and other facilities, where hydrogen is extracted for energy use. This is far more cost-effective than shipping hydrogen, which involves keeping it at minus 253 C in a special shipping vessel.
The partners already have the technology to produce limited quantities of MCH and will now work on boosting capacity by using bigger electrodes to develop 500kw equipment by fiscal 2025.
News On Japan - Nov 24
It's Shichi-Go-San, the Japanese festival season for celebrating the healthy growth of children, with Aibo the robot dog giving prayer at a shrine in Fukuoka, on Friday.
HISTORY - Nov 24
Japan has had multiple incidents that may have included the work of aliens. See more in this compilation from Ancient Aliens.
tweaktown.com - Nov 23
Minecraft isn't just a game where you can let your imagination and creativity run wild; it can also be used to demonstrate real-world projects, or at least that is what Japan's government appears to be doing.
newsonjapan.com - Nov 21
For many of us, particularly those of a certain age, Japan is the country that built the gaming industry.
NHK - Nov 20
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it finished the third round of the treated and diluted water discharge into the sea as planned.
News On Japan - Nov 18
Honda is set to launch an unmanned autonomous taxi service in Tokyo's Odaiba area in about two years.
NHK - Nov 18
Japan's space agency says it aims to make a second attempt to launch the country's new flagship H3 rocket by the end of next March.
News On Japan - Nov 17
The Japan Pharmaceutical Association will begin experimental sales of "emergency contraceptives," aimed at preventing unwanted pregnancies, at approximately 150 pharmacies nationwide starting from Nov 28 as part of a feasibility study to make them available without a doctor's prescription.
News On Japan - Nov 17
The new island that emerged off the coast of Iwo Jima last month continues to spew ash and lava every few minutes.
News On Japan - Nov 16
Last year's average global concentration of greenhouse gases recorded their highest levels since statistics began in 1984, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
NHK - Nov 16
Japan's Environment Ministry says levels of tritium in seawater off the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remain below detectable amounts.
newsonjapan.com - Nov 15
The main goal for any business is considered to be to increase the growth of sales or service delivery.
NHK - Nov 15
Japanese astronaut Onishi Takuya, a former passenger jet pilot, will head to the International Space Station around 2025.
ndtv.com - Nov 14
Recently, Japan's McDonald's has introduced an innovative system in some locations where washrooms have a slot designed to sanitise our phones.
Nikkei - Nov 14
Japan will ease regulations on clinical trials for new drugs developed overseas, Nikkei has learned, scrapping the rule that in principle drugs' safety must be tested on Japanese before they can be launched in the domestic market.
Running2Redline - Nov 12
The V8 engine is one of the best formats out there, and when Japanese manufacturers gave it a try, the result was incredible. In this installation of the engine tier list series, we find out which of the Japanese V8s comes out on top!