A method to determine optimal hydrogen supply chain infrastructure for heavy-duty trucking in the southwestern United States

Abstract

Hydrogen fuel cell trucks could deliver fueling time and range that competes with diesel while also reducing emissions. Widespread adoption requires planning and development of hydrogen supply chain infrastructure, particularly given the dispersed nature of fueling stations compared to centralized industrial demand. This study enhances the Hydrogen Optimization with Deployment of Infrastructure (HOwDI) model, a mixed integer linear programming framework that quantifies least cost hydrogen infrastructure and provides estimates of location-specific hydrogen costs to meet given demands. Eight scenarios were evaluated to assess hydrogen infrastructure needs to support a transportation corridor connecting Texas and California. Results show that feedstock and capital costs strongly influence delivered hydrogen costs, which range from $4/kgH2 to $16/kgH2[jls-end-space/]. Texas consistently exhibits the lowest cost while California has the highest. Steam methane reformation production dominates hydrogen production portfolios. The results also show that first-movers should prioritize regionalized hubs in Houston, TX and San Francisco, CA.