China has listed rational use of hydrogen into its energy development strategy and will hike up investment for research of automobiles powered by hydrogen cells.

The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology set aside over 400 million yuan (about US$48.2 million) for research on hydrogen cell-driven automobiles in the first five years of this century, said Lun Jingguang, state project coordinator with China Fuel Cell Bus Program Office.

Supportive policies will also be worked out to promote development of hydrogen cell automobiles, said Lun.

Development and widespread use of automobiles powered by hydrogen will be of great significance to alleviating China's energy shortage crisis, reducing pollution and reigning in greenhouse gas emission, experts say.

Information from a recent international symposium on China's strategy for development of hydrogen powered automobiles held in Shanghai said the country had long ago started development and utilization of hydrogen energy.

Shanghai and Beijing, which are assigned with the task of developing hydrogen-powered sedan cars and buses, respectively, have already worked out the second-generation products. And hydrogen-powered automobiles will be in service during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the World Expo scheduled to be held in 2010.

Ouyang Minggao, a professor with the Automotive Engineering Department of the elite Tsinghua University, said China would be able to develop buses powered by hydrogen in 2015 and cars in 2020, with the hydrogen cells much cheaper than similar products made overseas.

According to him, China has so far exported over 100 sets of hydrogen cells to countries such as Japan.

Professor Mao Zongqiang with Tsinghua University, also chief scientist in China's hydrogen energy research, said China had been following a hydrogen energy line that suits China's situation and is more energy efficient as well. A good example of energy-efficiency is to mix natural gas with a certain proportion of hydrogen.

Professor Xiao Yunhan with the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said a rational use of hydrogen energy had proved to be an efficient way to solve the energy problem in the countryside and improve the environmental situation in the rural areas, as well as to improve living standards of Chinese farmers.

Xiao noted that currently, 55 percent of the energy consumptionfor living in rural China still comes from biological fuel, and consumption of biological fuel has exceeded the rational amount of timber felling by 15 percent, which has led to destruction of vegetation on a large area of land, worsening of soil erosion and air pollution.

Moreover, respiratory diseases have become the leading cause of death in the countryside, said Xiao.

In the coming two decades, China's state energy strategy will focus on a harmonious development of energy, environment and the society and will advocate a sustainable development that is energy efficient, multiple structured and environmentally-friendly.

Chen Xiaohong, research fellow and head of the Enterprises Institute with the Development Research Center of the State Council, said "to advocate energy efficiency and a rational use of hydrogen and other clean energy will be an important measure and be an urgent task for China to safeguard energy security and protection environment."

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2004)