Hydrogen Road Transport Analysis in the Energy System: A Case Study for Germany through 2050

Markus Reuß, Paris Dimos, Aline Léon, Thomas Grube, Martin Robinius and Detlef Stolten
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Markus Reuß: Institute of Techno-Economic Systems Analysis (IEK-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, D-52428 Jülich, Germany
Paris Dimos: Institute of Techno-Economic Systems Analysis (IEK-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, D-52428 Jülich, Germany
Aline Léon: European Institute for Energy Research, Emmy-Noether-Strasse 11, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Thomas Grube: Institute of Techno-Economic Systems Analysis (IEK-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, D-52428 Jülich, Germany
Martin Robinius: Institute of Techno-Economic Systems Analysis (IEK-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, D-52428 Jülich, Germany
Detlef Stolten: Institute of Techno-Economic Systems Analysis (IEK-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, D-52428 Jülich, Germany

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-17

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 €/kg H2 , 0.73 €/kg H2 for liquid hydrogen, and 0.99 €/kg H2 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.

Keywords: hydrogen transport; hydrogen infrastructure; truck routing; compressed gaseous hydrogen; liquid hydrogen; liquid organic hydrogen carriers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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