China's hydrogen energy sector has achieved a significant breakthrough: a domestically developed 30-megawatt (MW) pure hydrogen gas turbine and a hydrogen energy storage demonstration project have entered operation in Ordos, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

"Jupiter One" unit has successfully generated electricity using 100 percent hydrogen and maintained stable operation, marking the transition of the 30MW "power–hydrogen–power" demonstration project from blueprint to reality.

By integrating wind power, photovoltaic generation, and water electrolysis for hydrogen production, the project has established an energy conversion model in which green electricity produces green hydrogen, which is then converted back into electricity.

This approach effectively addresses the challenge of absorbing surplus renewable power and offers a scalable, practical solution for developing a new energy system dominated by renewables. The project has been selected as one of China's first national hydrogen pilot projects in the energy sector.

Compared with coal-fired power units of the same capacity, "Jupiter One" turbine can cut carbon emissions by more than 200,000 metric tons annually. Operating in combined-cycle mode, it can generate 48,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour – enough to meet the daily power demand of about 5,500 households. The technology is expected to see broad applications in grid peak regulation, distributed energy, industrial parks, and green data center backup power.

Experts from China Energy Research Society noted that converting gas turbines from natural gas to pure hydrogen is widely recognized as a key technological pathway toward a zero-carbon power system. The unit's stable operation has enabled full-chain engineering verification of its pure hydrogen gas turbine and hydrogen storage system.