On January 28, the industry–government-academia collaboration promoting the research and development of hydrogen energy had an online lecture meeting named “Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Forum in Kyushu & International Hydrogen Development Forum 2021”.

This event has been held every year since 2007 as an opportunity to present the activities to realize a hydrogen energy society by the Kyushu University as the main player, Hydrogen/FC-related researchers, private companies and the public organizations which are engaged in the research on hydrogen materials. This year 677 registered participants joined the event online due to the corona crisis.

Mr. Kenzo Yoneda, Director, Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry representing the sponsor made a speech in which he emphasized importance of the public-private unity for development referring to the national budget of 2021 in the amount of 70.7 billion yen for the R&D to realize a hydrogen energy society.

In the lecture four persons shown below were on stage: Kazunari Sasaki, Vice President, Kyushu University; Toshiyuki Shirai, New Energy System Div., Energy Saving/New Energy Department;
Daishu Hara, NEDO’s Next Generation Battery/Hydrogen Department;Joichi Sugimura, Director, Research Center on H2 Industrial Use/Storage (HYDROGENIUS), Kyushu University.

Kazunari Sasaki, Vice President, Kyushu University out of them referred to that the CO2-free ratio combined with reusable energy and nuclear power has reached 58%, and said “Kyushu can accomplish earliest the decarbonization which the government declared. It could also back up to attract domestic and overseas industries.”

Mr. Shirai from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry talked about his idea about the transportation means of hydrogen to end uses in the value chain of hydrogen, saying, “As for the transportation means to a so-called the last one mile, other than the use of high pressurized and liquefied hydrogen, there is a means to deform into MCH (methylcyclohexane) which enables the use of existing facilities leading to the cost reduction of hydrogen. It is just one of examples. However, we are going to support various innovations such as raising a transportation efficiency of metal hydride or liquefied hydrogen.”