The 2020 “Hydrogen Olympics”

1964 was the year when Tokyo previously hosted the Olympic Games. It was also the debut of the Shinkansen high-speed train for the world to see. Nicknamed the Bullet Train, Shinkansen has become a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It has been in operation for over half a century now and has carried over 10 billion passengers since the first train’s sensational appearance all those years ago.

Tokyo, Japan’s boisterous and busy capital city, could certainly not allow itself to host the Olympics again without presenting another grandiose feat designated to showcase that Japan is, once again, miles ahead of the rest of the world in terms of technology. Although criticized for the poor post-Covid timing, and with a few scandals and set-backs in the committees, Tokyo has indeed, once again, managed to surprise the world with yet another technical extravaganza: Hydrogen Powered Olympics.

Due to Japan’s demonstration of advanced hydrogen technology and the fuel of the future, the 2020 Olympic Games, which took place in 2021, have been dubbed the Hydrogen Olympics by those interested in energy technology.

Hydrogen fuel is, however, not a new concept and, for the highly intelligent, it is a fairly simple concept. It causes no carbon dioxide emissions (carbon dioxide is one of the main offenders contributing to global warming) and can be produced with renewable electricity. The main potential of hydrogen fuel lies in minimizing and eventually eliminating dangerous emissions. Pollution and man-made greenhouse gasses can be drastically reduced without humanity having to scale down on favourite luxuries such as moving vehicles, or factories that produce clothes and accessories.

When it comes to hydrogen power and research, Japan is miles ahead of the rest of the world. In 2017 the country adopted a national hydrogen strategy. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) established the Research Centre for a Hydrogen Energy-Based Society (ReHES) at the Tokyo Technical University. ReHES has been the driving force behind many of the recent developments in hydrogen technology.

Tokyo is also the site of the Kawasaki King Skyfront Tokyu REI Hotel – the world’s very first hotel powered by hydrogen extracted from plastic waste. The hotel has a hydrogen fuel cell which generates carbon-free electricity and is able to heat all the water needed for all the rooms.

Tokyo announced plans for the entire Olympic Village to run on hydrogen as well as a fleet of hydrogen-powered busses and cars. Even the iconic Olympic torch and cauldrons were to be lit with a hydrogen-powered flame. All these promises were in line with Japan’s hydrogen strategy and the goal to become carbonneutral by 2050.

The Olympic goals, however, were not completely achieved. Only one building in the Olympic Village made use of hydrogen power and the number of busses and cars were significantly less than originally planned. The flame was kept burning with propane.

Reasons as to why Japan did not quite meet its own ambitions are varied and can be used for criticism when the need arises. It is clear, though, that Japan is still set to shift towards this newer energy system and should be seen as exemplary.

In August 2021 the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released an alarming report stating, among other things, that human activity is changing the climate in “unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways”. The report warns of extreme heat waves, devastating droughts and phenomenal flooding. It is not too late, however. We can fix this, and the Tokyo Olympics (although flawed) have been a fantastic example that the world should be paying attention to.

Daniela Steenkamp