Experts speaking at the upcoming NetZero Milan Expo-Summit 2025 have told pv magazine that lithium’s rising competitiveness is pressuring emerging chemistries like sodium-ion, as the market shifts from incremental gains to larger cells that could reshape enclosure design.

Sungrow Hydrogen has started production at China’s largest dual-tech green hydrogen project combining PEM and alkaline electrolyzers, while HNO International has partnered with Zhuhai Topower to pilot its modular hydrogen platform in China.

Experts set to speak at the NetZero Milan Expo-Summit 2025 on May 15 have told pv magazine that tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) will remain the dominant cell technology in the near term due to ongoing advancements, despite rising competition from back-contact and heterojunction technologies.

OMV says it has successfully started its 10 MW green hydrogen plant at the Schwechat refinery near Vienna, while Austrian university TU Graz says it has inaugurated a hydrogen electrolysis test center at its Inffeldgasse Campus to develop and test hydrogen technologies.

Aurora Energy Research says the global electrolyzer pipeline now totals around 1.3 TW, with 114 GW in development and 32% expected online by the end of 2026. The firm cites stronger EU policy support and growing momentum in hybrid power purchase agreements (PPAs).

The European Commission has cleared a €400 million ($455.2 million) Spanish aid program to scale renewable hydrogen output, backing up to 345 MW of electrolyzer capacity and targeting 221,000 tons of production via the EU Hydrogen Bank’s 2025 auction round.

Fincantieri says it is building the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship for delivery in late 2026, while Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan says it will debut the world’s first hydrogen-powered vending machine at the Kansai Expo this year.

Westwood Global Energy Group says just 17% of the European Union’s hydrogen projects will advance without intervention, while Smartenergy says Spain’s Orange.bat project has cleared a key environmental hurdle and will launch in May 2028.

Trafigura says it has scrapped plans for a $471.2 million green hydrogen plant in Australia after a feasibility study, while Aurora Energy Research says Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Great Britain could drive over 50% of renewable energy demand by 2035, requiring €100 billion in investment.

Chile’s economic development agency Corfo has selected three companies – two Chinese and one Spanish – to build electrolyzer production facilities in the country. The projects, set to begin operations by mid-2026, will assemble alkaline and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers ranging from 50 kW to 5 MW.