Flexible Grid-Based Electrolysis Hydrogen Production for Fuel Cell Vehicles Reduces Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Zhang, Cong; Greenblatt, Jeffery B.; Wei, Max; Eichman, Joshua; Saxena, Samveg; Muratori, Matteo; Guerra Fernandez, Omar Jose

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115651

Flexible Grid-Based Electrolysis Hydrogen Production for Fuel Cell Vehicles Reduces Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Journal Article · Fri Aug 28 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Applied Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115651· OSTI ID:1660262

Zhang, Cong ^[1]; Greenblatt, Jeffery B. ^[2]; Wei, Max ^[1]; ^[3]; Saxena, Samveg ^[4]; ^[3]; Guerra Fernandez, Omar Jose ^[3]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Emerging Futures, LLC, Portland, OR (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); GreenLight Labs, LLC, San Jose, CA (United States)

Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have been proposed as an option for lowering carbon dioxide (CO₂) and pollutants emissions from the transportation sector, when implemented in combination with green hydrogen production methods such as water electrolysis powered by renewable electricity. FCEVs also have the added advantages of high specific energy density and rapid refueling, two important challenges that battery electric vehicles have not yet fully overcome. Moreover, flexible operation of electrolysis could support the grid and lower electricity costs. In this paper, we simulate time-varying FCEV hydrogen refueling demand for light, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles met using electrolysis systems distributed throughout the Western U.S. power system. We find that by oversizing electrolyzers the resulting load flexibility results in different hydrogen generation temporal profiles, average electricity costs, renewable curtailment levels, and CO2 emissions. Our results indicate that increasing hydrogen production flexibility lowers hydrogen and electricity generation cost and CO₂ emissions, but there is a tradeoff between lowering operational cost and increasing electrolyzer capital cost, yielding a minimum total system cost at a size corresponding to between 80% and 90% annual capacity factor assuming a future electrolyzer cost of $300/kW.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (EE-3F)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1660262

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1809534

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5400-75772; MainId:6581; UUID:90bbf027-8231-ea11-9c2f-ac162d87dfe5; MainAdminID:17422

Journal Information:: Applied Energy, Journal Name: Applied Energy Vol. 278; ISSN 0306-2619

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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