36Kr Exclusive | Provincial Laboratory Team Develops Electricity-Hydrogen Coupling Solutions, Led by Xiamen Hi-Tech Investment

Author | Qiao Yujie

Editor | Yuan Silai

Yingke learned that Xiamen Qihang Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Qihang Hydrogen Energy") recently completed a new round of financing. This round was led by Xiamen High - tech Investment. The financing funds will be mainly used for the continuous R & D investment and product iteration and upgrading of key equipment for electro - hydrogen coupling and related core technologies for off - grid hydrogen production.

Qihang Hydrogen Energy was established in April 2024. Its technology originated from the electro - hydrogen coupling research team of Jiageng Innovation Laboratory. The company focuses on the R & D, production, and sales of equipment for electro - hydrogen coupling technology and application scenarios. The core team has nearly 20 years of research experience in fields such as power electronics technology, smart grid, and electrochemistry. Jiageng Innovation Laboratory is one of the provincial - level high - level scientific research platforms established by the Fujian provincial government. Its hydrogen energy industry cluster is led by Academician Zheng Nanfeng, the director of the laboratory, and Fang Xiaoliang, the dean of the Hydrogen Energy Research Institute.

Hydrogen energy plays a key role in connecting the power system and end - use energy in the new energy system. Especially against the background of the large - scale access of volatile renewable energy such as wind and solar power, how to achieve efficient and stable power conversion and consumption has become the core issue for industrial implementation. Among them, "electro - hydrogen coupling" is the key link in determining the efficiency and cost of green hydrogen. Through more refined power supply control, more intelligent system - level scheduling, and off - grid hydrogen production/micro - grid hydrogen production architecture design, the technologies related to in - depth electro - hydrogen coupling can significantly improve the stability and economy of the green hydrogen system.

Different from the path of traditional power supply giants that only provide general - purpose power supplies, Qihang Hydrogen Energy has developed an intelligent power supply system that is more suitable for electrolyzers based on a deep understanding of electrochemical characteristics. Through an exclusive control algorithm, it better solves the pain points in the entire life cycle of electrolyzers, such as cold - start current impact, harmonic damage during operation, and internal resistance compensation during the aging period.

At present, the company has completed the R & D of three major product series: IGBT hydrogen production power supply, off - grid hydrogen production/micro - grid hydrogen production solutions, and fuel cell inverters, and has built a relatively complete matrix of core electrical products for electro - hydrogen coupling.

Among them, the hydrogen production power supply products cover two technical routes: liquid - cooling and air - cooling. The power range extends from 30kW to 20MW, and includes dedicated power supplies for PEM electrolyzers and photovoltaic direct - drive hydrogen production solutions, which can be adapted to hydrogen production scale scenarios of 6 - 4000 standard cubic meters. At the same time, the company has launched pre - research work on the next - generation hydrogen production power supply with higher efficiency and lower cost.

(Image source/Enterprise)

In the field of hydrogen production micro - grids, the company can provide system - level solutions at the 200kW - 50MW level, realizing medium - and long - distance power transmission and networking through a 1500V DC or 10 - 35kV AC medium - voltage architecture, and forming standardized and modular solutions to support rapid deployment.

Qihang Hydrogen Energy positions itself as a third - party hydrogen energy electrical equipment and system solution provider. It does not produce electrolyzers but provides supporting capabilities for electrolyzer manufacturers and end - energy owners. At present, the company has cooperated with more than 50 electrolyzer enterprises, covering most of the participants among domestic mainstream manufacturers, and has also laid out the domestic large - customer market and overseas markets.

The following is an excerpt from the communication between Yingke and Wei Wen, the CTO of Qihang Hydrogen Energy:

Yingke: There are already players such as Intelli and Sungrow in the domestic hydrogen production power supply track, and many companies are also deploying IGBT hydrogen production power supplies. Where does the "irreplaceability" of Qihang Hydrogen Energy lie?

Wei Wen: Our advantages are mainly reflected in three aspects. The first is engineering capabilities and product benchmarking capabilities. The team members come from the front line of the industry and have more than a decade of experience in developing ultra - high - power power electronic equipment, with solid engineering implementation experience. Our benchmarking goal is very clear, which is the world's top - level platforms. In terms of core products, we can currently achieve the same technical level as the products of world - class companies, rather than remaining at the laboratory stage.

The second is the research on the material mechanism of electrolyzers and the ability to extend to cutting - edge directions. Xiamen University and Jiageng Innovation Laboratory have world - class electrochemistry research teams and experimental support platforms, which are sufficient to support us in introducing the latest academic research and methodologies into the R & D system through interdisciplinary integration. Instead of studying hydrogen production power supplies from a single power electronics perspective, we have established an overall research roadmap covering the material mechanism of electrolyzers, the characteristics of the whole cell, off - grid hydrogen production, and system - level solutions, aiming to create "hydrogen production power supplies and electro - hydrogen coupling solutions that understand electrolyzers better" and fundamentally promote the technological evolution of the industry.

The third is the product iteration speed. Our organizational mechanism is relatively flexible, enabling us to complete the closed - loop from R & D to productization more quickly, and facilitating joint customized design with large industry customers. The development cycle of a generation of products in the industry is usually about three years. Our internal goal is to compress it to one and a half years, with a maximum of no more than two years, launching new products more than one year earlier than the mainstream industry manufacturers. Therefore, we do not just aim to keep up with the technology but gradually form a leading position in products and technology through the rhythm advantage.