SUSTAINABILITY

THE WORLD’S LARGESTHYDROGENPRODUCTION
FACILITYFH2RFukushima

ON THE PATH TO ZERO EMISSIONSThe Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field, the world’s largest hydrogen-production facility,
began operation in 2020 and constitutes a giant leap towards the realization of a hydrogen society.
Hydrogen, unlike petroleum or coal, produces nocarbon dioxide when used. It can also be produced
from a variety of resources, allowing renewableenergy sources, such as solar, wind, and biomass, tobe used. Thus, the entire process, from production
to utilization, can be nearly carbon-free, whichis indispensable for achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) of climate action andaffordable and clean energy.
Amid calls for a global conversion to clean
energy, Japan is leading the world by applying its
technological strengths, such as introducing theworld’s first commercially viable fuel-cell vehicle(FCV), moving forward to the realization of ahydrogen society. Japan is also showing leadership inother ways, such as through the action plan known

as the Basic Hydrogen Strategy, established in 2017,and by hosting the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial
Meeting, which in 2018 was the world’s first cabinetlevel discussion devoted to the issue.
In those efforts, a vital role is played by theFukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field(FH2R), completed in March 2020. Equipped witha 10,000 kW class hydrogen production facility, theplant is producing hydrogen by utilizing electricity
generated from solar panels arrayed around itsperimeter. Enough hydrogen fuel can be produced at
the facility every day to supply power for about 150
households (monthly consumption), or to fill 560
FCVs.
Achieving a hydrogen society requires promoting
the total integration of the making, storing, andWhen automobiles fueled by hydrogen generated by renewable energy
become more widespread, it will contribute greatly to reducing CO2emissions.

using of hydrogen. A particularly critical issue is
responding to fluctuations in electrical power when
the hydrogen is made from renewable energy sourcesthat vary according to the weather and other factors.
FH2R uses information from a hydrogen demandand-supply forecasting system for predicting themarket demand for hydrogen, and additional datafrom a power grid control system, so as to maximize
the use of electricity from renewable sources. The
goal is to develop the most efficient hydrogen energy
management system.
Compared to conventional energy, hydrogenoffers new possibilities for storing and transporting
energy, necessitating the development of appropriate
methods. Accordingly, based on an understandingof hydrogen’s properties as a fuel, verification of thesafest management and transportation methods isbeing carried out. The operation of FH2R, whereverification tests can be run on the entire process—from making to storing—is a giant leap towards
realizing a hydrogen society.
In Japan, the stage of using hydrogen began priorto the stage of making and storing. Iconic examples
are the Ene-Farm fuel cell (for residential use),
Mirai (the world’s first FCV), and the introductionof fuel-cell buses on Tokyo’s metropolitan bus lines

and elsewhere. Moreover, the Olympic Village areain Tokyo will be furnished with a hydrogen station,a hydrogen pipeline, and pure hydrogen fuel cells.
When the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo
2020 finally end, the area will be designated forresidential and commercial use, and will utilize theelectricity generated from these facilities. Busesand automobiles equipped with hydrogen fuelcells are being introduced as a legacy of the Tokyo
2020 Games, enabling Tokyo to be a model of anenvironmentally advanced city transitioning
towards a carbon-free society.
Hydrogen, a clean fuel that can be stored andtransported, provides flexibility and new possibilities
to society beyond what was previously available withconventional energy sources. With humanity facing
so many problems in need of solutions, great hopes
are being placed on the switch to hydrogen. The Olympic Village area for the Tokyo 2020 Games is designed as a modelof advanced urban planning, utilizing hydrogen fuel.

The world’s largest facility for producing hydrogen using renewableenergy is the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R).

Vehicle Supply
Block Supply
Utilization of hydrogenin the Olympic Village
area.
Not only is the hydrogen
supplied from ahydrogen station
used as bus andautomobile fuel,but plans also include
broadening the extent ofpractical applications
for utilization inresidential
and commercial facilities.

Hydrogen Station

Electricity andHeat
Hydrogen
Residential

Commercial

Hydrogen

Pipeline
Pure hydrogenfuel cell

Fuel-cellbus

Hydrogen productionand storage

Fuel-cellcar(includingcar-share)