The use of hydrogen as a fuel for automotive applications has been identified by the U.S. government and governments around the world as a clear path towards helping achieve energy independence and improving the environment through the reduction of fossil fuel-related emissions. A number of hydrogen production, delivery, and storage options are being investigated that could eventually meet the demands of future hydrogen vehicles. Hydrogen production options include natural gas steam methane reforming, coal gasification, high-temperature nuclear, and renewable options (e.g., biomass gasification, solar- and wind-based water electrolysis). This paper investigates the potential use of U.S. renewable resources to generate hydrogen by evaluating the net economic, emissions, and energy security impacts of a transition to renewable-based hydrogen in the automotive sector.

Renewable-based hydrogen production has tremendous potential to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum use in the automotive sector. However, the most cost-effective conversion of renewables to hydrogen will be at large (>100 kg H2/day), central hydrogen production facilities that might be far removed from the future hydrogen demand centers. Therefore, an efficient and cost effective hydrogen delivery infrastructure will be necessary to transport the renewable-based hydrogen long distances to the points of use, especially during the hydrogen transition period when hydrogen demand will most likely start in and around the major U.S. metro regions. The most cost-effective delivery modes will be compressed hydrogen tube trailers and “mobile fuelers” for the smallest capacity fueling stations (<300 kg H2/day). Liquid hydrogen trucks and compressed hydrogen pipelines will be most cost-effective for larger fueling stations (300 – 3,000 kg H2/day) and for long-distance delivery from the central plant to the city gate.

The potential use of renewable-based hydrogen is investigated by developing likely scenarios for future supply and demand for hydrogen in the U.S. automotive sector. We have used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data for U.S. population and renewable resource availability combined with inputs on hydrogen production and delivery costs to determine the amount, type, and location of economically attractive renewable resources and future hydrogen production and delivery infrastructure using the TIAX Hydrogen Demand Model. Assumptions and results from the DOE H2A effort as well as results from previous assessments of renewable potential for wind, solar, and biomass (e.g. agricultural and forest residues, energy crops) are reflected in the scenario development. These future scenarios are then used to determine the net economic, emissions, and energy security impacts of a transition to renewables-based hydrogen for the U.S. automotive sector using a net present value (NPV) infrastructure transition model (i.e., NPV Model previously developed by TIAX.