The objective of the California Hydrogen Highway is to provide clean hydrogen transportation in California, reducing dependence on foreign oil and protecting its citizens’ health by reducing harmful vehicle emissions. One of the critical factors driving the California Hydrogen Highway is the air quality in the non-attainment areas covering much of the State. Likewise, states along the Interstate 95 (I-95) corridor (Washington DC through Boston, Massachusetts) experience similar air quality issues. Since the corridor crosses several state lines, regional air quality initiatives are challenging. One concept potentially easing these air quality issues is the development of a hydrogen highway along I-95.
This paper focuses on the major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) along the I-95 corridor for hydrogen infrastructure needs, including Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and the many urban areas linking these cities. One of the key challenge areas evaluated is the initial transition scenario, where non-transportation demands for hydrogen are used to help justify early investments in a hydrogen infrastructure. This paper examines power parks (hydrogen and electrical power production), small stationary industrial users, and early adopters such as forklift fleets to justify early investment in refueling options. This effort does not limit itself to state or city boundaries, recognizing that regional planning should incorporate all neighboring population centers having prospects for a substantial hydrogen infrastructure.
The approach for investigating the I-95 corridor emulates the approach used to develop the Pennsylvania Hydrogen Delivery Tradeoff Study published in 2006. In the demand scenarios, prominent demand centers are identified within the major metropolitan areas and are used to define volume and distance relationships. These values are subsequently used as input into a robust life cycle cost analysis using the Department of Energy’s (DOE) (H2A) model to compare a multitude of hydrogen production and transportation options. In the Pennsylvania analysis, the results indicated that hydrogen produced via coal gasification emerged relatively early in the transition to a hydrogen economy when central plants were placed to serve the State’s two major metropolitan areas. Along the I‑95 corridor, coal resources are not as prominent as they are in Pennsylvania, and the most economical production choices of hydrogen feedstock are more varied.
The analytic techniques employ a novel approach, which enables portions of the delivery infrastructure (e.g. liquefaction terminals) to be evaluated within the H2A model as central components at or near production locations and serve multiple population centers to improve economies of scale. This analysis determined which portfolio of production and delivery investments lead to the lowest delivered cost of hydrogen and the path of most conservative investment. This project also reveals the implications for the energy sources and technologies needed to fuel the I-95 hydrogen economy.
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