Multi-Period Planning of Hydrogen Supply Network for Refuelling Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles in Urban Areas

The hydrogen economy refers to an economic and industrial structure that uses hydrogen as its main energy source, replacing traditional fossil-fuel-based energy systems. In particular, the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) is one of the key factors enabling a hydrogen economy, and aggressive investment in hydrogen refuelling infrastructure is essential to make large-scale adoption of HFCVs possible. In this study, we address the problem of effectively designing a hydrogen supply network for refuelling HFCVs in urban areas relatively far from a large hydrogen production site, such as a petrochemical complex. In these urban areas where mass supply of hydrogen is not possible, hydrogen can be supplied by reforming city gas. In this case, building distributed hydrogen production bases that extract large amounts of hydrogen from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) and then supply hydrogen to nearby hydrogen stations may be a cost-effective option for establishing a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in the early stage of the hydrogen economy. Therefore, an optimization model is proposed for effectively deciding when and where to build hydrogen production bases and hydrogen refuelling stations in an urban area. Then, a case study of the southeastern area of Seoul, known as a commercial and residential center, is discussed. A variety of scenarios for the design parameters of the hydrogen supply network are analyzed based on the target of the adoption of HFCVs in Seoul by 2030. The proposed optimization model can be effectively used for determining the time and sites for building hydrogen production bases and hydrogen refuelling stations.