Fueling Infrastructure Research Articles

Electric Vehicle Charging from Tramway Infrastructure: A New Concept and the Turin Case Study

The electrification of transport is expected to progressively replace significant shares of light duty mobility, especially in large cities. The European Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) aims to drive the adoption of electric mobility by establishing specific targets for charging point deployment. Innovative charging concepts may complement and accelerate the uptake of this fundamental part of the urban mobility transition. In this paper, one such innovative concept is described and its potential impact is assessed. The core idea involves integrating charging points into existing city tramway infrastructures. Turin’s tramway network is taken as a representative case study. The proposed technical solution encompasses a charging hub powered by four isolated DC/DC converters of 50 kW, directly connected to the DC tramway distribution line. Three of these constitute the heart of a 150 kW charger, while the fourth acts as voltage regulator. This native DC installation greatly simplifies the architecture of the DC chargers. Using a conservative approach, it was estimated that a single recharging station could charge more than 60 vehicles daily. This highly scalable and replicable solution, with the potential for over 100 conversion substations across Italy, would enable the installation of numerous high-power chargers in urban settings. Furthermore, additional benefits could be realized through enhanced recovery of kinetic energy from trams, which is currently dissipated on-board.

An Exploration of Safety Measures in Hydrogen Refueling Stations: Delving into Hydrogen Equipment and Technical Performance

The present paper offers a thorough examination of the safety measures enforced at hydrogen filling stations, emphasizing their crucial significance in the wider endeavor to advocate for hydrogen as a sustainable and reliable substitute for conventional fuels. The analysis reveals a wide range of crucial safety aspects in hydrogen refueling stations, including regulated hydrogen dispensing, leak detection, accurate hydrogen flow measurement, emergency shutdown systems, fire-suppression mechanisms, hydrogen distribution and pressure management, and appropriate hydrogen storage and cooling for secure refueling operations. The paper therefore explores several aspects, including the sophisticated architecture of hydrogen dispensers, reliable leak-detection systems, emergency shut-off mechanisms, and the implementation of fire-suppression tactics. Furthermore, it emphasizes that the safety and effectiveness of hydrogen filling stations are closely connected to the accuracy in the creation and upkeep of hydrogen dispensers. It highlights the need for materials and systems that can endure severe circumstances of elevated pressure and temperature while maintaining safety. The use of sophisticated leak-detection technology is crucial for rapidly detecting and reducing possible threats, therefore improving the overall safety of these facilities. Moreover, the research elucidates the complexities of emergency shut-off systems and fire-suppression tactics. These components are crucial not just for promptly managing hazards, but also for maintaining the station’s structural soundness in unanticipated circumstances. In addition, the study provides observations about recent technical progress in the industry. These advances effectively tackle current safety obstacles and provide the foundation for future breakthroughs in hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The integration of cutting-edge technology and materials, together with the development of upgraded safety measures, suggests a positive trajectory towards improved efficiency, dependability, and safety in hydrogen refueling stations.

European governments’ electromobility plans: an assessment with a focus on infrastructure targets and vehicle estimates until 2030

Electromobility offers great potentials to the decarbonisation of the transport sector. The purpose of this study is to analyse the development of electromobility in the European Union (EU) and in the United Kingdom (UK) by 2030. The study is based on the objectives provided by the EU Member States and UK in their national implementation reports, as foreseen by the Directive 2014/94/EU on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure. As the initial data coverage was not full, in order to produce a complete data set on registered electric vehicles and public recharging points, we estimated missing values with different statistical techniques and critical analysis of the initial data. A set of proposed indicators, namely the share of electric vehicles, the density of publicly accessible recharging points, the electric vehicles and recharging points annual growth rates and the sufficiency index, were averaged at EU27+UK level to depict the envisaged evolution of electromobility in the present decade. The results show that the objectives of the countries’ governments are overall less ambitious than the goals defined in the EU Green Deal for 2025 and in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy for 2030. Most of the indicators vary significantly in the 2016–2030 period, often revealing an increased divergence between the development of electric vehicles and public recharging points. Two policy implications are derived: (i) the use of a combined set of indicators to assess the governments’ electromobility plans could be pursued, while the ratio of ten electric vehicles per recharging point may no longer be a useful benchmark; and (ii) measures supporting the uptake of recharging infrastructure are still needed to mitigate the divergence with electric vehicles and to meet the ambitious objectives of the EU Green Deal and Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.

The operation and applicability to hydrogen fuel technology of green hydrogen production by water electrolysis using offshore wind power

Hydrogen is gaining attention as a transportation fuel due to its potential for long-term and sustainable energy supply, as well as its capacity to address security and environmental concerns. However, the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles requires overcoming certain barriers, including the vehicle-infrastructure system and zero-emission hydrogen production. Establishing a hydrogen fueling infrastructure that is compatible with hydrogen vehicles and developing sustainable hydrogen production technologies are of paramount importance. Additionally, factors such as the cost of green hydrogen production and its economic viability must be taken into account. Therefore, the development and dissemination of new technologies for carbon-free or low-carbon hydrogen production are crucial for the hydrogen production and hydrogen fuel sectors. In this study, a comprehensive model is presented for the installation of a green hydrogen production facility. The model focuses on utilizing Offshore Wind Technology (OWF) for hydrogen production through water electrolysis, as well as the storage and transportation of the produced hydrogen for use in hydrogen fuel stations. OWF technology is specifically addressed in this study to overcome its limited approach in the green hydrogen industry and address these limitations. The suggested model for green hydrogen production has been discussed, outlining the stages of hydrogen production, storage, and transportation, with its application in the Edirne-Enez location. Furthermore, a detailed techno-economic analysis of the modeled green hydrogen production facility is conducted. According to this analysis, the cost of producing green hydrogen through OWF is projected to be 6.26 EUR/kg in 2023, decreasing significantly to 1.13 EUR/kg by 2050. When accounting for fuel transportation and fuel station expenses, the overall hydrogen cost is estimated to be 10.7 EUR/kg in 2023 and 2.42 EUR/kg in 2050. Given the current state of hydrogen vehicle technology, the cost per kilometer is projected to be 0.0927 EUR/km in the year 2023 and is expected to decrease to 0.021 EUR/km by the year 2050.

Mobility Data for a Safer and Greener Transport

Traffic network operators are using several channels to share their traffic related data, on one hand because of legal obligation, on the other hand to ensure a higher level of service for their customers. Of course, the value chain, and the provided content will change a lot with the emerge of connected and automated driving, or with the spread of Mobility-as-a-Service solutions and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) related data sharing in the near future. This paper gives a comprehensive overview of the current practice in Hungary, introducing the ways of distributing multimodal traffic related information, some existing services that were implemented based on these automatic data channels. The paper also gives an overview on the ongoing transition towards automatic data provision and how the regular road operators’ role change to digital road operators, furthermore the European harmonisation process that was started in the framework of the Napcore project.

Optimizing Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure Plans on Freight Corridors for Heavy-Duty Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

<div>The development of a future hydrogen energy economy will require the development of several hydrogen market and industry segments including a hydrogen-based commercial freight transportation ecosystem. For a sustainable freight transportation ecosystem, the supporting fueling infrastructure and the associated vehicle powertrains making use of hydrogen fuel will need to be co-established. This article introduces the OR-AGENT (Optimal Regional Architecture Generation for Electrified National Transportation) tool developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which has been used to optimize the hydrogen refueling infrastructure requirements on the I-75 corridor for heavy-duty (HD) fuel cell electric commercial vehicles (FCEV). This constraint-based optimization model considers existing fueling locations, regional-specific vehicle fuel economy and weight, vehicle origin and destination (O-D), and vehicle volume by class and infrastructure costs to characterize in-mission refueling requirements for a given freight corridor. The authors applied this framework to determine the ideal public access locations for hydrogen refueling (constrained by existing fueling stations), the minimal viable cost to deploy sufficient hydrogen fuel dispensers, and associated equipment, to accommodate a growing population of hydrogen fuel cell trucks. The framework discussed in this article can be expanded and applied to a larger interstate system, expanded regional corridor, or other transportation network. This article is the third in a series of papers that defined the model development to optimize a national hydrogen refueling infrastructure ecosystem for HD commercial vehicles.</div>

Fleet Operator Perspectives on Heavy-duty Vehicle Alternative Fueling Infrastructure

Despite the aggressive policy goals aiming to transition heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) toward zero-emission technologies, the penetration rates of zero-emission or even alternative fuel technologies (including zero-emission and other fuels cleaner than petroleum) are still very low. Given that the majority of HDVs are used as fleet vehicles, a better understanding of fleet operator behavior and perspectives on clean fuel technologies is crucial to develop effective demand-side strategies to achieve such policy goals. Of many adoption barriers, a well-known major obstacle is the lack of fueling/charging infrastructure. However, there is limited understanding on how HDV fleet operators have navigated the issues involving the insufficient infrastructure. This study explores how HDV fleets have used alternative fueling infrastructure, how dis/satisfied fleet operators are with the infrastructure, and for what reasons they have decided to construct their own on-site fueling facilities, or to use off-site stations. Based on a case study of compressed natural gas, the most prevalent alternative fuel option so far in the HDV sector, 17 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with HDV fleet operators in California. Content and thematic analyses of the data yielded detailed qualitative inferences on use behavior, satisfaction, and fleet decisions between on-site versus off-site fueling. The study findings are the first step toward enhancing our understanding of HDV fleet behavior regarding alternative fueling infrastructure, which can contribute to filling the knowledge gap in this field and to developing further research questions to elicit policy recommendations that can support the adoption of clean fuel technologies in HDV fleets.

Liquified hydrogen vs. liquified renewable methane: Evaluating energy consumption and infrastructure for sustainable fuels

This study aims to assess the energy consumption characteristics of various fuels, namely liquified natural gas, liquefied renewable methane, and liquefied hydrogen from production to overseas transportation, by covering broad color spectra of grey, blue, and green. A quantitative assessment is implemented to calculate how much energy is consumed to produce, store, and transport fuels. Carbon capture scenarios are also considered, along with boil-off gas recovery and utilization options for increased value chain effectiveness. Thereafter, a qualitative assessment is performed to compare the use of fuels from four perspectives: (i) technology, (ii) infrastructure, (iii) scalability, and (iv) regulations. The obtained quantitative results indicate that the energy consumption to produce liquified natural gas, liquefied renewable methane, and liquefied green hydrogen is about 0.49, 31.4, and 62.3 kWhe/kg of fuel, respectively. The energy consumption to store liquified hydrogen in a 2,000 m3 on-land storage tank for one day while recovering 100% of the generated boil-off gas is about 4,840 kWh. Moreover, the qualitative results indicate that the infrastructure is ready, and regulations are available to use liquefied renewable methane as fuel, whereas the infrastructure of liquified hydrogen still needs to be ready, and the associated regulations require amendments.

Optimizing Long Term Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure Plans on Freight Corridors for Heavy Duty Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">The development of a future hydrogen energy economy will require the development of several hydrogen market and industry segments including a hydrogen based commercial freight transportation ecosystem. For a sustainable freight transportation ecosystem, the supporting fueling infrastructure and the associated vehicle powertrains making use of hydrogen fuel will need to be co-established. This paper develops a long-term plan for refueling infrastructure deployment using the OR-AGENT (Optimal Regional Architecture Generation for Electrified National Transportation) tool developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which has been used to optimize the hydrogen refueling infrastructure requirements on the I-75 corridor for heavy duty (HD) fuel cell electric commercial vehicles (FCEV). This constraint-based optimization model considers existing fueling locations, regional specific vehicle fuel economy and weight, vehicle origin and destination (OD), vehicle volume by class and infrastructure costs to characterize in-mission refueling requirements for a given freight corridor. The authors applied this framework to determine the ideal long term public access locations for hydrogen refueling (constrained by existing fueling stations and dispensing technology), the minimal viable cost to deploy sufficient hydrogen fuel dispensers, and associated equipment, to accommodate a growing population of hydrogen fuel cell trucks. The framework discussed in this paper can be expanded and applied to additional electrified powertrains as well as a larger interstate system, expanded regional corridor, or other transportation networks.</div></div>

Seaports’ Role in Ensuring the Availability of Alternative Marine Fuels—A Multi-Faceted Analysis

In the effort to decarbonise shipping, a number of measures can be taken, one of which is to switch from conventional to alternative fuels. However, without an active role for seaports in providing adequate bunkering infrastructure for alternative fuels, these targets may not be achieved. Hence, the aim of this article is threefold: (1) to provide an overview of some of the emerging alternative fuel technologies that are being used or tested for further use in maritime transport, (2) to analyse the bunkering infrastructure in seaports, and (3) to assess the level of advancement of Polish ports in relation to the bunkering of alternative fuels by ships and to explore the ports’ plans in this regard. To achieve these goals, several research methods were applied: a critical literature review, desk-study research, critical and comparative analyses, and semi-structured interviews with representatives of three major Polish seaports. The research showed that the level of advancement of Polish seaports in the construction of bunkering infrastructure for alternative fuels is relatively low, as they are still in the early stages of conversations with their stakeholders identifying which new fuels should be included in their plans. However, with the growing number of LNG-fuelled ships operating worldwide, Polish ports are being forced to prepare for LNG bunkering; however, it is on a small scale for now. They have to make a decision about what type of fuel their bunkering infrastructures should be for, and this constitutes the subject of a great deal of uncertainty. All this is even challenging when taking into account the fact that shipowners are also struggling to choose alternative fuels for their ships. This uncertainty could be reduced through closer cooperation between ports and shipowners, between individual ports, and between ports and other shipping stakeholders. Unfortunately, there is a noticeable lack of cooperation between Polish ports in this regard, as well as with the relevant government departments.

Prioritization and Optimal Location of Hydrogen Fueling Stations in Seoul: Using Multi-Standard Decision-Making and ILP Optimization

Thus far, the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HCEVs) has been hampered by the lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. This study aimed to determine the optimal location and prioritization of hydrogen fueling stations (HFSs) in Seoul by utilizing a multi-standard decision-making approach and optimization method. HFS candidate sites were evaluated with respect to relevant laws and regulations. Key factors such as safety, economy, convenience, and demand for HCEVs were considered. Data were obtained through a survey of experts in the fields of HCEV and fuel cells, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process method was applied to prioritize candidate sites. The optimal quantity and placement of HFSs was then obtained using optimization software, based on the acceptable travel time from intersections of popular roads in Seoul. Our findings suggest that compliance with legal safety regulations is the most important factor when constructing HFSs. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis revealed that the hydrogen supply cost currently holds the same weight as other elements. The study highlights the importance of utilizing a multi-standard decision-making approach and optimization methods when determining the optimal location and prioritization of HFSs and can help develop a systematic plan for the nationwide construction of HFSs in South Korea.

Global Potentials and Costs of Synfuels via Fischer–Tropsch Process

This paper presents the potentials and costs of synthetic fuels (synfuels) produced by renewable energy via PEM water electrolysis and the subsequent Fischer–Tropsch process for the years 2020, 2030, 2040, and 2050 in selected countries across the globe. The renewable energy potential was determined by the open-source tool pyGRETA and includes photovoltaic, onshore wind, and biomass. Carbon dioxide is obtained from biomass and the atmosphere by direct air capture. The potentials and costs were determined by aggregating minimal cost energy systems for each location on a state level. Each linear energy system was modelled and optimised by the optimisation framework urbs. The analysis focused on decentralised and off-grid synthetic fuels’ production. The transportation costs were roughly estimated based on the distance to the nearest maritime port for export. The distribution infrastructure was not considered since the already-existing infrastructure for fossil fuels can be easily adopted. The results showed that large amounts of synthetic fuels are available for EUR 110/MWh (USD 203/bbl) mainly in Africa, Central and South America, as well as Australia for 2050. This corresponds to a cost reduction of more than half compared to EUR 250/MWh (USD 461/bbl) in 2020. The synfuels’ potentials follow the photovoltaic potentials because of the corresponding low levelised cost of electricity. Batteries are in particular used for photovoltaic-dominant locations, and transportation costs are low compared to production costs.

The Influence of the Electric Vehicle Charging Station on the Power Supply Network with Regard to Power Quality

The European Union (EU) aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and therefore a proposal has been accepted to improve publicly accessible charging and refueling infrastructure for alternative fuels. This will result in an increasing number of electric vehicles charging stations, which can negatively impact the power grid. Therefore, this paper investigates the impact of electric vehicle charging by a particular charging station on the grid from a power quality perspective. The charging station's harmonic components, reactive power, and power factor during different operating conditions are analyzed. The harmonic analysis for one period of supply voltage and current consumed by the charging station during maximum load, graphs of active power, reactive power, first harmonic power factor, and total power factor for different operating conditions are shown in this paper.

Making the ‘business case’: vocabularies of motive and clean tech innovation in the hidden developmental state

Abstract This article analyzes the hidden developmental state (HDS) from a cultural perspective, exploring the values and vocabularies of motive among technology experts, managers and government officials involved in state-led innovation. We consider the rollout of smart meters in Washington State, an endeavor primarily funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Mobilizing evidence from 70 key informant interviews, we develop two related arguments. First, despite its ‘hiddenness’, the ARRA provided cash injections that shifted utility business models and electricity markets from fossil fuels infrastructure and toward renewable technologies by funding projects rather than organizations. The funding structure enabled engineers and managers to bypass conventional industry gatekeepers. Second, this shift was conditioned by a traditional ‘business case’ discourse, which functioned as a rhetorical lubricant, legitimating risky innovation and disguising individual and organizational values that run against established norms. A concluding discussion highlights the implications for future research.

On inferred real-world fuel consumption of past decade plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the US

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have powertrain architectures that seek to combine the best features of two well-known powertrains: the environmental and other benefits of electric driving of battery electric vehicles; and the fuel efficiency and, due to widely-available fueling infrastructure and quick refueling times, limitless practical range of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Different regulatory organizations around the world have different standard testing procedures, and accordingly, different predictions for the degree of efficacy of PHEVs at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, there is somewhat of a consensus that PHEVs have the capacity for significant GHG reduction compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, yet some recent studies have claimed the real-world fuel consumption of PHEVs to be more than twice their standard ratings. A key factor to the efficacy of GHG reduction via PHEVs is the fraction of miles traveled in electric mode, also known as the utility factor (UF). In this work, we reinvestigate the data sources cited in previous studies for PHEVs in the US for the inferred real-world UF and fuel consumption via same estimation approaches as a previous study. We then compare with UF from SAE J2841 standard and fuel consumption ratings from the US environmental protection agency. While noting that it is difficult if not impossible to discern the exact reason for observed deviations given the available information in the cited data sources, we find the real-world fuel consumption of PHEVs in the US to be within 62% better to 21% worse than their standard ratings in the US, and generally, significantly better than a comparable HEV. Contrasted with reported results for other parts of the world, the results are viewed as a testimony to the importance of proper procedures for evaluation of PHEVs to reflect their correct environmental benefit value.

Dynamic modeling of global fossil fuel infrastructure and materials needs: Overcoming a lack of available data

The low-carbon energy transition requires a widespread change in global energy infrastructures which in turn calls for important inputs of energy and materials. While the transport and electricity sectors have been thoroughly analyzed in this regard, that of the hydrocarbon industry has not received the same attention, maybe in part due to the difficulty of access to the necessary data. To fill this gap, we assemble public-domain data from a wide variety of sources to present a stock-flow dynamic model of the fossil fuels supply chain. It is conducted from 1950 to 2050 and along scenarios from the International Energy Agency. We estimate the concrete, steel, aluminum and copper requirements for each segment, as well as the embedded energy and CO2 emissions through a dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) model. We find that (i) the material intensities of oil, gas and coal supply chains have stagnated for more than 30 years; (ii) gas is the main driver of current and future material consumption; and (iii) recycled steel from decommissioned fossil fuels infrastructures could meet the cumulative need of future low-carbon technologies and reduce its energy and environmental toll. Furthermore, we highlight that regional decommissioning strategies significantly affect the potential of material recycling and reuse. In this context, ambitious decommissioning strategies could drive a symbolic move to build future renewable technologies from past fossil fuel structures.

Electromobility infrastructure and vehicles in the context of Polish legislation

Motives: The increased interest in alternative fuels requires the creation of special legislation, especially in the context of rules for the development and performance of proper infrastructure necessary for electric vehicles. Any change in these regulations usually results in an increased interest in electric or hybrid cars. This, in turn, entails the need to develop appropriate infrastructure for alternative fuels. Aim: The aim of this paper is to present the legal regulations in force in Poland related to the support of electromobility, which is particularly important in the context of the European Union policy aiming to reduce environmental pollution through, among others, the use of alternative fuels. Results: The article presents the basic concepts of electromobility included in national and European legislation along with their adoption with regard to the increasing interest in electromobility in Poland. This entails the need to introduce changes, both in legal regulations and road infrastructure.

Catalyst Development for the Electrochemical Oxidation of Isopropanol in LOHC Fuel Cells

The transportation sector is certainly one of the largest contributors to energy consumption worldwide and its further growth is still expected. To keep up with this huge energy demand from the mobility, it is inevitable for the whole sector to undergo the transition towards renewable energy resources as soon as possible. There are several approaches that can be considered; as in fuel cell research, hydrogen fuel cells are the most studied, and current focus lies on optimization of different parts starting from the actual catalytic material towards the whole engineering design to increase their efficiency. The current infrastructure for liquid fuels cannot be used for hydrogen and its long-term storage is problematic due to safety concerns. An alternative could be the use of a liquid fuel possessing the benefits of hydrogen oxidation such as high selectivity and comparably fast oxidation, simultaneously tackling the mentioned disadvantages. The electrocatalytic oxidation of isopropanol on PtRu offers a viable solution due to its low overpotential and nearly 100 % selectivity towards acetone under fuel cell operation conditions.1 This opens the possibility of the zero-emission operation of the fuel cell where the formed acetone can be recycled to isopropanol when the fuel cell is coupled to a transfer hydrogenation unit. 1 Still, there are several challenges yet to be overcome : first, restricting only to the catalyst, PtRu-based materials seem to be the most promising due to the oxidation of isopropanol at low overpotentials attributed to Pt-Ru sites.1, 2 However, PtRu itself suffers from surface poisoning by acetone leading to a gradual loss of activity3. Therefore, to overcome these limitations there is an urgent need to develop new materials or explore modified electrocatalyst surfaces that could lead to improved direct isopropanol fuel cell (DIFC) efficiencies.In this work, we present our recent findings on catalyst development for the electrochemical oxidation of isopropanol. Firstly, the electrocatalytic activity towards isopropanol oxidation of PtRu-based, ternary alloys was studied where the Pt:Ru:X (X= Ir, Au, Ni, Cu, Co, Mo, Ti, Pd) ratio was fixed to 45:45:10 at%. Among these, PtRuIr proven to be the best-performing candidate. As a next step, the composition-dependent activity of PtRuIr was mapped by means of cyclic voltammetry using a magnetron sputtered thin-film library. All measurements were performed in a scanning flow cell in acidic conditions (0.1 M HClO4) both in the absence and presence of isopropanol (0.1 M). Besides the assessment of activity, the effect of cycling in a wider potential window on the electrocatalytic behavior was also studied. To see if the observed trends can be translated to systems that are closer to real applications, compositions showing the highest activity were synthesized in the form of carbon-supported nanoparticles. Rotating disk electrode and scanning-flow cell measurements confirmed the behavior experienced in the case of the thin-film library. Looking at cyclic voltammograms, the beneficial role of Ir can be clearly identified: in addition to the observed low onset potential of isopropanol oxidation (0.05 VRHE) for the PtRu catalysts, Ir seems to help keeping the current between two oxidation peaks (Pt-Ru and Pt-Pt sides) constant. In order to see the benefit of Ir in real application, these catalysts are planned to be further tested in DIFC. Khanipour, P.; et. al., ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2020, 12 (30), 33670-33678.Mangoufis-Giasin, I.; et. al., Journal of Catalysis 2021, 400, 166-172.Kormanyos, A.; et. al., Journal of Catalysis 2021, 396.

Electrochemically Rechargeable Liquids in Highly Flexible Energy Storage Systems

Hydrogen and electricity are expected to be the two major energy carriers of the future. Unfortunately, neither can be stored as an ambient-temperature liquid, which is the ideal energy-carrier medium. H2 can be used in a wide variety of both stationary and transportation applications, as envisioned by DOE’s H2@Scale program [1]. Although DOE has not yet established targets for stationary H2 storage, the key metrics for an “ideal hydrogen carrier” are [2]: liquid at all operating temperatures, high energy density, efficient conversions at relatively benign conditions, long cycle life, compatible with existing infrastructure for fuels, low cost, and safety (toxicological and eco-toxicological). Relative to thermal conversions, electrochemistry can enable relatively efficient conversions at more benign conditions. While electrochemically-rechargeable liquids (ERLs) are not a new idea, the focus of this talk will be on innovative conversion options, which includes combinations of the cell configurations shown in Fig. 1. In particular, it will be shown that ERLs that can be charged using either electrical and/or hydrogen energy, and which can also produce H2 or electricity on demand can enable highly flexible energy-storage systems that can potentially be used for both stationary and transportation applications. In short, an ERL can provide essential “energy-banker services” by simultaneously converting and storing these two major “energy currencies” of the future in a single aqueous liquid. These systems can be readily scaled up or scaled down. This talk will also present a very brief overview of potentially attractive ERL options, which can include conventional liquid-organic hydrogen carriers (i.e., LOHCs, such as organics that are liquids at room temperature, like methylcyclohexane), as well as aqueous solutions (e.g., diluted alcohols) or dissolved solids (e.g., redox-flow-battery electrolytes) [3]. The current status of this technology will be briefly reviewed, including a summary the key technical barriers, as well as some enabling concepts to potentially address each of these challenges.The goal will be to provide the audience with a sufficient overview of these ERL-conversion system concepts, such that a productive discussion can occur on additional improvements, potential end uses, and future collaborations. [1] B. Pivovar, N. Rustagi, and S. Satyapal, ECS Interface, 27 (2018) 47. [2] T. Autry and M. Bowden, “HyMARC; H2 Carriers for Bulk H2 Storage & Transport,” AMR slides, ST204 (2020). [3] M. L. Perry & Z. Yang, J. Electrochem. Soc., 166 (2019) A3045. Figure 1

Collaborative governance platforms and outcomes: An analysis of Clean Cities coalitions

AbstractCollaborative efforts across sectors, scales, and government levels have been effective in addressing the goals to reduce petroleum use and mitigate environmental issues in the U.S. While community contexts shape local collaborative governance, diverse local interests do not necessarily translate into collaborations without proper facilitating efforts. This study expands the theoretical discussion on the concept of collaborative platforms, which is understudied despite their wide use as a governance instrument to catalyze local collaboration. Specifically, the way platforms mediate to create local collaborations among diverse local‐level interests and improve outcomes has not been studied much to date. Using data on the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Cities program to promote local collaborative governance related to alternative fuels, this paper examines the way collaborative platforms create, scale, and affect the outcome of supplying alternative fueling infrastructure. The results of multi‐level mixed‐effects models indicate that the collaborative platform integrates local interests to create and scale local collaboration, and achieves better outcomes leveraging local interests.