Green Hydrogen Project Tracker — A New Attempt in Guangzhou: Methanol-to-Hydrogen Power Generation Technology First Applied to an Island Distribution Grid

Recently, the methanol-hydrogen backup smart microgrid on Dadaosha Island, Panyu District, Guangzhou, completed commissioning and was successfully put into operation, with equipment running in a stable state. This marks the first on-site application of methanol reforming hydrogen production and power generation technology in an urban island distribution network scenario in Guangzhou. It not only opens a green pathway for ensuring residential power supply during emergencies such as extreme weather and disasters, but also creates a replicable and scalable practical model for emergency power supply work in islands, urban villages, and central urban areas within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

This methanol-hydrogen backup power supply was independently developed and built by the Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau of Guangdong Power Grid Company. The overall system comprises three core modules: methanol reforming hydrogen production, fuel cell power generation, and lithium battery energy storage buffering. It can steadily provide 1,000 kWh of continuous power supply and quickly restore power when the main grid fails. According to relevant technical personnel, the system uses methanol as a hydrogen storage carrier. It produces hydrogen on-site through catalytic reforming technology for immediate use, completely avoiding the safety risks associated with high-pressure hydrogen storage and transportation. The entire process from methanol solution refueling and unit startup heating to full-load operation is automated, and it can also flexibly adapt to dynamic changes in electricity loads.

Compared with traditional diesel generator sets, this equipment offers distinct advantages: the cost per unit of power generation drops by approximately 50%, operating noise is significantly reduced, and carbon emissions are cut by over 40%, demonstrating a very prominent green and energy-saving profile.

Located at the Pearl River estuary, Dadaosha Island and Guanlong Island primarily rely on agricultural production, with fish ponds, flower planting bases, and agro-cultural tourism projects scattered across them, imposing stringent requirements on power supply stability. Previously, the two islands depended on a single overhead line across the river for power, with no backup supply channel, resulting in a relatively weak grid structure. Coupled with the geographical feature of being surrounded by water, line patrols and emergency repairs during severe weather or at night were challenging, and power restoration after outages took a considerable amount of time.

To address the challenge of securing power supply for islands, the Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau planned and deployed four independent yet mutually cooperative microgrids across the two islands. This initiative established the first megacity island microgrid cluster within China Southern Power Grid that achieves coordinated and partitioned regulation and dynamic islanding control across the main grid, distribution network, and microgrid. Multi-grid coordination and linkage are also central to the stable operation of this new-type power grid system.

According to staff introduction, the four microgrids can operate either independently or complement each other through networking for combined power supply. During normal main grid operation, the microgrids can participate in power dispatch and peak shaving and valley filling, reducing grid energy consumption. Once an external grid fault occurs, the system can switch to islanded operation mode within milliseconds, rapidly restoring power supply to the area and ensuring that residential living and agricultural production are unaffected.

On April 22 this year, an off-grid field test was also conducted. The test simulated a transformer fault and disconnection from the main grid. The methanol-hydrogen backup power supply quickly connected to the low-voltage grid, with an imperceptible switching process. All electrical equipment for the island’s 94 user households returned to normal operation, and neither irrigation nor residential electricity was interrupted. One hour later, the main grid restored power, and the equipment automatically switched to standby mode. The fuel cell simultaneously recharged the ESS battery, remaining on standby for subsequent emergency needs.

Reliable power support also lays a solid foundation for the development of the local agro-cultural tourism industry. A relevant person in charge of a large-scale cultural tourism camp on the island stated that after the microgrid’s operation, various electricity consumption scenarios—such as fish pond farming, amusement facilities, and RV charging—have all received stable support.

Currently, this set of methanol hydrogen production and power generation equipment has been connected to the Guangzhou urban distribution network intelligent management and control platform. Future implementations will include unattended operation, remote control, and autonomous fault diagnosis functions. The main part of the project for the remaining three microgrids has been completed, and equipment joint commissioning is currently underway. They are planned for full deployment by month-end June to fully guarantee regional electricity demand during the summer peak and support agricultural and cultural tourism projects.