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Green
The Big Take

China Has Set Its Sights on Cornering Another Green Energy Market: Hydrogen

Policymakers in Europe and the US are racing to counteract early Chinese dominance of electrolyzers, a key piece in the next generation of clean energy.

Electrolyzer stacks in the research and development area of Plug Power’s facility in Concord, Mass.

Electrolyzer stacks in the research and development area of Plug Power’s facility in Concord, Mass.

Photographer: Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg

A decade ago, China used low prices to dominate solar manufacturing, wiping out Western competitors just as worldwide demand for panels started to soar. The US and Europe are determined not to let the same thing happen with hydrogen.

As the world sprints to decarbonize, the next round of competition revolves around a device called an electrolyzer. Plug these into clean electricity such as solar power, and it's possible to extract hydrogen from water without producing any planet-warming emissions. That's a crucial step in creating a green fuel capable of decarbonizing such industries as steel, cement or shipping.