Abstract
Carbon-free transportation is envisaged by means of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) propelled by hydrogen that originates from renewably electricity. However, there is a spatial and temporal gap in the production and demand of hydrogen. Therefore, hydrogen storage and transport remain key challenges for sustainable transportation with FCEVs. In this study, we propose a method for calculating a spatially resolved highway routing model for Germany to transport hydrogen by truck from the 15 production locations (source) to the 9683 fueling stations (sink) required by 2050. We consider herein three different storage modes, namely compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH2), liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC). The model applies Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm for all available source-sink connections prior to optimizing the supply. By creating a detailed routing result for each source-sink connection, a detour factor is introduced for “first and last mile” transportation. The average detour factor of 1.32 is shown to be necessary for the German highway grid. Thereafter, the related costs, transportation time and travelled distances are calculated and compared for the examined storage modes. The overall transportation cost result for compressed gaseous hydrogen is 2.69 €/kgH2, 0.73 €/kgH2 for liquid hydrogen, and 0.99 €/kgH2 for LOHCs. While liquid hydrogen appears to be the most cost-efficient mode, with the integration of the supply chain costs, compressed gaseous hydrogen is more convenient for minimal source-sink distances, while liquid hydrogen would be suitable for distances greater than 130 km.
Highlights
IntroductionHydrogen is considered a potential energy carrier that can be used in transportation, central and distributed electric power, as well as in portable applications
Introduction iationsThe implementation of green hydrogen within the current energy system is investigated to address societal challenges as well as climate concerns, environmental impact and limited natural resources
For short distances, the detour factor was higher than the average, implying an underestimation, while for larger distances it varied between 1.2 and 1.3
Summary
Hydrogen is considered a potential energy carrier that can be used in transportation, central and distributed electric power, as well as in portable applications. Increasing worldwide industrialization and transportation sector growth make it necessary to consider the decarbonization of several sectors by deploying clean energy sources in the current energy system. The most demanding sectors are heavy industry and transportation with a total final consumption worldwide in 2017 of 32,807 and 32,658 TWh, respectively [1]. The related electrical final consumption were 8945 and 364 TWh for industry and transport, respectively [2]. Thereby, global CO2 emissions by sector worldwide leveled to 32.84 Gt, with a 19% share for industry, 25% for transport and 41% for electricity
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