A Japanese research marketing firm, the Fuji-Keizai Group, predicts a 99-fold increase in the use of hydrogen fuel cells in Japan between now and 2025, an increase of $17.7 billion USD. Housing fuel cell systems and hydrogen cars will account for most of the increases.
From now, to 2025, the trend is supposed to reverse with the demand for hydrogen fuel cell cars overtaking the initial demand of fuel cells for housing accounting for about $1 billion USD in sales on that date.
Unlike many other market research firms who believe that hydrogen fuel cells for small electronic devices will overtake sales first, such as for cell phones, laptops and other equipment, the Fuji-Keizai Group says this isn’t so for Japan. In fact, they are predicting that fuel cells for housing and cars will account for 90-percent of the market share by 2025.
Perhaps the Japanese firm is banking on breakthrough technology between now and then such as the Graphene hydrogen storage solution developed by PhD student Javad Rafiee.
According to the Rensselaer School of Engineering, “Rafiee used a combination of mechanical grinding, plasma treatment, and annealing to engineer the atomic structure of graphene to maximize its hydrogen storage capacity. This new graphene has exhibited a hydrogen storage capacity of 14 percent by weight at room temperature — far exceeding any other known material. Rafiee’s new graphene material holds the promise of opening the door to better, more affordable hydrogen-powered cars and trucks.”
The Japanese firm is most likely basing its projections on current technology as well as a presumptions of breakthrough future technology in the hydrogen fuel cell research and development space. If this prediction comes to fruition this will put both Japan and Germany in the lead over the U. S. and other countries in regard to hydrogen cars and the building of a hydrogen-based economy.
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