Palestinian Authority
Future of Electric and Hydrogen Cars and Trucks: An Overview
Apr 2023
Publication
The negative consequences of toxic emissions from internal combustion engines energy security climate change and energy costs have led to a growing demand for clean power sources in the automotive industry. The development of eco-friendly vehicle technologies such as electric and hydrogen vehicles has increased. This article investigates whether hydrogen vehicles will replace electric vehicles in the future. The results showed that fuel-cell cars are unlikely to compete with electric cars. This is due to the advancements in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure which are becoming more cost-effective and efficient. Additionally the technical progress in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is expected to reduce the market share of fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in passenger vehicles. However significant investments have been made in hydrogen cars. Many ongoing investments seem to follow the sunk cost fallacy where decision-makers continue to invest in an unprofitable project due to their already invested resources. Furthermore even with megawatt charging fuel-cell trucks cost more than battery-powered electric trucks. The use cases for fuel-cell electric trucks are also much more limited as their running expenses are higher compared to electric cars. Hydrogen vehicles may be beneficial for heavy transport in remote areas. However it remains to be seen if niche markets are large enough to support fuel-cell electric truck commercialization and economies of scale. In summary we believe that hydrogen vehicles will not replace electric cars and trucks at least before 2050.
Potential of Producing Green Hydrogen in Jordan
Nov 2022
Publication
Green hydrogen is becoming an increasingly important energy supply source worldwide. The great potential for the use of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source makes it an attractive energy carrier. In this paper we discuss the potential of producing green hydrogen in Jordan. Aqaba located in the south of Jordan was selected to study the potential for producing green hydrogen due to its proximity to a water source (i.e. the Red Sea). Two models were created for two electrolyzer types using MATLAB. The investigated electrolyzers were alkaline water (ALK) and polymeric electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. The first model was used to compare the required capacity of the PV solar system using ALK and PEM from 2022 to 2025 depending on the learning curves for the development of these technologies. In addition this model was used to predict the total investment costs for the investigated electrolyzers. Then a techno-economic model was constructed to predict the feasibility of using this technology by comparing the use of a PV system and grid electricity as sources for the production of hydrogen. The net present value (NPV) and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) were used as indicators for both models. The environmental effect according to the reduction of CO2 emissions was also taken into account. The annual production of hydrogen was 70.956 million kg. The rate of hydrogen production was 19.3 kg/s and 1783 kg/s for ALK and PEM electrolyzers respectively. The LCOH was 4.42 USD/kg and 3.13 USD/kg when applying electricity from the grid and generated by the PV system respectively. The payback period to cover the capital cost of the PV system was 11 years of the project life with a NPV of USD 441.95 million. Moreover CO2 emissions can be reduced by 3042 tons/year by using the PV as a generation source instead of fossil fuels to generate electricity. The annual savings with respect to the reduction of CO2 emissions was USD 120135.
Economic Prospects of Taxis Powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Palestine
Feb 2024
Publication
Recently major problems related to fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have arisen in the transportation sector. Therefore developing transportation modes powered by alternative fuels has become one of the main targets for car manufacturers and governments around the world. This study aimed to investigate the economic prospects of using hydrogen fuel cell technology in taxi fleets in Westbank. For this purpose a model that could predict the number of taxis was developed and the expected economic implications of using hydrogen fuel cell technology in taxi fleets were determined based on the expected future fuel consumption and future fuel cost. After analysis of the results it was concluded that a slight annual increase in the number of taxis in Palestine is expected in the future due to the government restrictions on issuing new taxi permits in order to get this sector organized. Furthermore using hydrogen fuel cells in taxi fleets is expected to become more and more feasible over time due to the expected future increase in oil price and the expected significant reduction in hydrogen cost as a result of the new technologies that are expected to be used in the production and handling of hydrogen.
The Environmental Impacts of Future Global Sales of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
Oct 2024
Publication
During the last decade developing more sustainable transportation modes has become a primary objective for car manufacturers and governments around the world to mitigate environmental issues such as climate change the continuous increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy depletion. The use of hydrogen fuel cell technology as a source of energy in electric vehicles is considered an emerging and promising technology that could contribute significantly to addressing these environmental issues. In this study the effects of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Battery Electric Vehicles (HFCBEVs) on global GHG emissions compared to other technologies such as BEVs were determined based on different relevant factors such as predicted sales for 2050 (the result of the developed prediction model) estimated daily traveling distance estimated future average global electricity emission factors future average Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) emission factors future global hydrogen production emission factors and future average HFCBEV emission factors. As a result the annual GHG emissions produced by passenger cars that are expected to be sold in 2050 were determined by considering BEV sales in the first scenario and HFCBEV replacement in the second scenario. The results indicate that the environmental benefits of HFCBEVs are expected to increase over time compared to those of BEVs due to the eco-friendly methods that are expected to be used in hydrogen production in the future. For instance in 2021 HFCBEVs could produce more GHG emissions than BEVs by 54.9% per km of travel whereas in 2050 BEVs could produce more GHG emissions than HFCBEVs by 225% per km of travel.
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