China Agricultural University

New Capabilities

Co-developer of the low-cost hydrogen system

For a decade, hydrogen made from renewable power has cost far more than the hydrogen refineries pull from natural gas. In January 2026, researchers in China and Singapore built a solar-powered device that skips one of the two normal products of splitting water. Instead of making oxygen, it oxidizes sugar from crop waste, producing hydrogen plus formate, a chemical that sells, and that side income cuts the cost to $1.54 a kilogram.

Updated Aug 21