Optimizing hydrogen transportation system for mobility by minimizing the cost of transportation via compressed gas truck in North Rhine-Westphalia

Abstract This study develops a method to identify the minimum cost of establishing hydrogen infrastructure using a mono-objective linear optimization. It focuses on minimizing both the capital and operation costs of hydrogen transportation. This includes costs associated with the establishment of storage and compression facilities as well as transportation links. The overarching goal of the study is therefore to build a cost-efficient transportation network using compressed gas trucks for mobility and to apply it to the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia by 2050. It is assumed that hydrogen production will be established by 2050 and, based on excess electricity from wind energy in North Rhine-Westphalia and the surrounding areas, limited by the projected installed wind installed capacity by 2050. Hydrogen is then distributed as a compressed gas, depending on the hydrogen demand of a given year, for each NUTS 3 district of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2030 and 2050. The results show that the hydrogen demand on the region, which increases from 2030 to 2050, has an impact on how and at which flow hydrogen demand is transported from the production nodes to the different distribution hubs. In 2050, hydrogen is predominantly transported and stored between the storage nodes and the distribution hubs at a high-pressure level of 500 and 540 bar, whilst it is mainly transported at 250 and 350 bar in 2030. Production is predominantly found to be transported at high pressure for both years and located in the region in 2030, whereas imports from the south and north are required in 2050.