12 Countries Worldwide, 154 Companies and Organizations Participating, Over 27,000 Cumulative Visitors
3rd Hydrogen Mobility+ Show Scheduled for September Next Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] The '2021 Hydrogen Mobility+ Show,' held over four days from the 8th to the 11th at KINTEX in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, successfully concluded by forming an international consensus that hydrogen is an indispensable element for achieving carbon neutrality.
The cumulative number of visitors reached approximately 27,000, a 2.3-fold increase compared to the previous year. The exhibition featured 154 companies and institutions from 12 countries worldwide, showcasing new products and technologies in hydrogen mobility, hydrogen charging infrastructure, and hydrogen energy sectors.
A Venue Confirming the Potential for Revitalizing the Hydrogen Industry, the Core of Decarbonization
The 2021 Hydrogen Mobility+ Show included 55 companies and institutions from 11 leading hydrogen countries, including the guest country Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, and the Netherlands. This represents about a 28% increase from the previous year, reflecting the global interest in carbon neutrality heightened by the Paris Agreement.
Notably, on the first day of the exhibition, among the 15 member companies of the newly launched hydrogen business council 'Korea H2 Business Summit,' eight companies including Hyundai Motor Group, SK, POSCO, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Doosan, Hyosung, Kolon Group, and Iljin participated in the 2021 Hydrogen Mobility+ Show, presenting the potential and future development directions of Korea's hydrogen industry.
On the second day, the 'Global Hydrogen Industry Association Alliance (GHIAA)' announced its official launch next year. Led by the Hydrogen Convergence Alliance (H2KOREA), GHIAA includes participation from 14 countries such as Korea, the United States, the European Union, Germany, Australia, Canada, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Chile, China, and Singapore, pledging international cooperation for carbon neutrality.
On the third day, the 'International Hydrogen Conference' was held to strengthen international cooperation for revitalizing the hydrogen economy and to share the status, vision, and strategies of key countries implementing the hydrogen economy. Despite the COVID-19 situation, pre-registration for the conference was completed within three minutes.
In the opening remarks of the conference, Jeong Manki, the organizing chairman of the Hydrogen Mobility+ Show, emphasized, "International cooperation is inevitable to complete the hydrogen industry's value chain from hydrogen production, storage, transportation, to utilization. Despite international travel restrictions due to COVID-19, the participation of 154 companies from 12 countries in this exhibition demonstrates that companies themselves recognize the necessity of international cooperation for the development of the hydrogen industry through partner discovery and strategic alliances."
Ibrahim Baylan, Sweden’s Minister for Business, Industry and Innovation, also stated, "To activate the hydrogen economy for carbon neutrality, collaboration between both public and private sectors as well as international cooperation is necessary."
Showing Potential as a Platform Exhibition Based on Technological Innovation
The exhibition featured 50 companies in the hydrogen mobility sector, 34 companies in hydrogen charging infrastructure, and 36 companies in hydrogen energy. Large corporations such as Hyundai Motor, POSCO, and SK showcased the entire value chain encompassing the hydrogen industry by utilizing their subsidiaries, while small and medium-sized enterprises presented their unique innovative technologies.
POSCO Group attracted significant attention by introducing a blast furnace method using hydrogen as a reducing agent. The hydrogen reduction steelmaking process can produce steel without carbon dioxide emissions, unlike conventional blast furnaces that use fossil fuels.
The achievements of small and medium-sized enterprises were also remarkable. Vincen, a company specializing in electric hydrogen small vessels, drew attention by exhibiting a 'hydrogen electric hybrid leisure boat.' BK M introduced an integrated solution for real-time diagnosis and control of fuel cells incorporating artificial intelligence, a technology possessed by only a few companies overseas. Additionally, Wonil TNI unveiled a fuel cell system utilizing hydrogen storage alloys installed in submarines.
The organizing committee held the 'H2 Innovation Award' final presentations during the exhibition to discover innovative technologies in the global hydrogen industry and to broaden the foundation for technological innovation. A total of 10 companies competed in three categories: hydrogen mobility, hydrogen charging infrastructure, and hydrogen energy.
The grand prize was awarded to POSCO SPS for its 'precision rolling and forming manufacturing technology for fuel cell separator plates.' The excellence awards went to Hyundai Mobis for its fuel cell powerpack (hydrogen mobility category), Donghwa Entec for its hydrogen precooler for hydrogen chargers (hydrogen charging infrastructure category), and BK M for its edge AI-based integrated real-time diagnosis and control solution for fuel cells (hydrogen energy category).
An official stated, "Since receiving an award at the first Hydrogen Mobility+ Show last year, our sales have increased 4 to 5 times," adding, "We hope the Innovation Award continues to develop." Another official said, "Since the awards ceremony on the 9th, inquiries from buyers and visitors to our booth have increased significantly," and added, "We plan to actively utilize the fact of winning the H2 Innovation Award as a promotional and marketing tool going forward."
Additionally, the organizing committee, in cooperation with co-host KOTRA, promoted a business video consultation meeting to boost overseas exports of participating companies. Considering the COVID-19 situation, the consultation is conducted in a non-face-to-face video conference format and continues until the 30th after the exhibition ends. Although still in the early stages, 31 domestic companies and 25 overseas companies have completed over 70 meetings so far, with cumulative consultation amounts reaching approximately $59.75 million, about 2.7 times higher than the same period last year. A representative consultation case includes domestic water electrolysis equipment company E signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to export water electrolysis equipment worth $500,000 over two years with Australian renewable energy company Z.
Considering the significant achievements in carbon neutrality, business exchanges observed at this exhibition, and international interest, the organizing committee decided to hold the 3rd Hydrogen Mobility+ Show in September next year. So far, more than 20 companies have already confirmed their participation in the exhibition.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
