On August 15, 2025, against the backdrop of China accelerating the development of its green hydrogen industry, the “5MW Off-Grid Photovoltaic Hydrogen Production Project in Otog Banner, Shenzhen Energy”, jointly developed by the Tsinghua Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute (“Tsinghua Sichuan Institute”), Shenzhen Energy Northern Holdings Co., Ltd., and Inner Mongolia Green Hydrogen Technology Co., Ltd., officially commenced construction in Otog Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia.

As a key sub-project of the Shenzhen Energy North Holdings 505MW Wind-PV Hydrogen-to-Green Ammonia Project, the 5MW off-grid photovoltaic hydrogen production project adopts China’s first fully proprietary intrinsic off-grid hydrogen production technology. This technology was jointly developed by the institute and the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University, and was funded under the Inner Mongolia “Challenge Project” Development and Demonstration of Key Electrolyzer Equipment for Hydrogen Production Adapting to Wide Power Fluctuations. Previously, it had successfully completed hundred-kilowatt-scale laboratory verification. The current project scales the technology to the megawatt level and performs comprehensive engineering validation, marking the transition from laboratory research to practical engineering application.

The 5MW off-grid photovoltaic hydrogen project is powered directly by 5MW of DC photovoltaic electricity, operates independently from the main grid, and does not use energy storage. It employs a flexible hydrogen production and purification process capable of adapting to complex variable-load start-stop conditions. The system runs off-grid with “self-reliant, following the sun, dancing with the sunlight” operational logic and intelligent optimized scheduling. This design simplifies electrical system complexity, reduces initial investment costs, and effectively removes dependency on the grid—representing a major breakthrough in off-grid hydrogen technology and opening a new pathway for large-scale, low-cost green hydrogen production in China.

Looking ahead, the 5MW off-grid photovoltaic hydrogen project will serve as a foundation to build a green hydrogen engineering practice platform, promoting technological innovation, industrial application, and talent cultivation in the field of green hydrogen. The project will also provide key support for interdisciplinary initiatives at the Tsinghua University–Toyota Joint Research Institute, exploring sustainable pathways for fully off-grid green hydrogen engineering in terms of economics and feasibility, contributing to the long-term development of China’s green hydrogen industry.

Background

The Shenzhen Energy North Holdings 505MW Wind-PV Hydrogen-to-Green Ammonia Project (Ordos, under construction as of August 2025) is the world’s first integrated zero-carbon industrial chain demonstration, combining 500MW wind power, 20,000 tons of green hydrogen, and 150,000 tons of green ammonia, complemented by a 30MW pure hydrogen fuel cell system achieving “electricity–hydrogen–electricity” cycles. The project will reduce carbon emissions by 460,000 tons per year, produce 150,000 tons of green ammonia annually, and involves a total investment of 3.8 billion RMB, with full-capacity grid connection planned in 2025. Its innovations include off-grid hydrogen production technology, hydrogen energy storage systems, and fully integrated green ammonia synthesis, providing a benchmark for Inner Mongolia’s hydrogen industry and supporting China’s transition to a new type of power system.