Hydrogenization of road transport in Poland, now and in the future

Abstract

The advantages of hydrogen as an automotive fuel is the lack of pollutants emission from motor vehicles (with fuel cells) which is especially important in crowded city centers and with the possibilities of its local production. The use of hydrogen fuel in the road transport to a large degree brings about independence from the import of crude oil and crude oil derived fuels. In the case of producing hydrogen by water electrolysis using electricity from renewable energy sources, the result is the use of "clean" energy. As a result of verification, under Polish conditions, of the original method developed for determining the initial location of the hydrogen refueling station in Poland, in the pre-commercial phase (2020 - 2030), the said location has been indicated along TEN-T Corridors with the order of investment, taking into account above all the freedom to move around Poland of cars powered by hydrogen visiting Poland and transiting our country between other EU countries. Despite the strategic importance of developing hydrogen filling stations infrastructure, in the available materials, including various national programs for hydrogen propulsion technology developments, the explicitly formulated programming methodology for the development of these stations, has not been encountered. The methodology developed is of multi-stage character. Individual steps leading to the designation of the location of hydrogen refuelling stations in Poland (as the methodology alone seems to be of universal character) are as follows: Stage I: Method allowing to identify regions in which the hydrogen refuelling stations should be located in the first place. Stage II: Method allowing to identify urban centres, in which should be located the said stations. Stage III: Method for determining the area of the station location. With the above criteria, the order the construction of a hydrogen refuelling stations in Poland: 1 - Poznan, 2 - Warsaw, 3 - Bialystok, 4 - Szczecin, 5 - the Lodz region, 6 - the Tri-City region, 7 - Wroclaw, 8 - the Katowice region, 9 - Krakow.