Applications & Pathways

In recent years the growing concern for air quality has led to the development of sustainable vehicles to replace conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Currently the most widespread technology in Europe and Portugal is that of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) or plug‐in HEV (PHEV) electric cars but hydrogen‐based transport has also shown significant growth in the commercialization of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) and in the development of new infrastructural schemes. In the current panorama of EV particular attention should be paid to hydrogen technology i.e. FCEVs which is potentially a valid alternative to BEVs and can also be hybrid (FCHEV) and plug‐in hybrid (FCPHEV). Several sources cited show a positive trend of hydrogen in the transport sector identifying a growing trend in the expansion of hydrogen infrastructure although at this time it is still at an early stage of development. At the moment the cost of building the infrastructure is still high but on the basis of medium/long‐term scenarios it is clear that investments in hydrogen refueling stations will be profitable if the number of Fuel Cell vehicles increases. Conversely the Fuel Cell vehicle market is hampered if there is no adequate infrastructure for hydrogen development. The opportunity to use Fuel Cells to store electrical energy is quite fascinating and bypasses some obstacles encountered with BEVs. The advantages are clear since the charging times are reduced compared to charging from an electric charging post and the long‐distance voyage is made easier as the autonomy is much larger i.e. the psycho‐ sociological anxiety is avoided. Therefore the first part of the paper provides an overview of the current state of electric mobility in Portugal and the strategies adopted by the country. This is necessary to have a clear vision of how a new technology is accepted by the population and develops on the territory that is the propensity of citizens to technological change. Subsequently using current data on EV development and comparing information from recent years this work aims to investigate the future prospects of FCEVs in Portugal by adopting a dynamic model called SERA (Scenario Evaluation and Regionalization Analysis) with which it is possible to identify the Portuguese districts and cities where an FC charging infrastructure is expected to be most beneficial. From the results obtained the districts of Lisbon Porto and Aveiro seem to be the most interested in adopting FC technology. This analysis aims to ensure a measured view of the credible development of this market segment.

The aeroderivative gas turbine is widely used as it demonstrates many advantages. Adding hydrogen to natural gas fuels can improve the performance of combustion. Following this the effects of hydrogen enrichment on combustion characteristics were analyzed in an aeroderivative gas turbine combustor using CFD simulations. The numerical model was validated with experimental results. The conditions of the constant mass flow rate and the constant energy input were studied. The results indicate that adding hydrogen reduced the fuel residues significantly (fuel mass at the combustion chamber outlet was reduced up to 60.9%). In addition the discharge of C2H2 and other pollutants was reduced. Increasing the volume fraction of hydrogen in the fuel also reduced CO emissions at the constant energy input while increasing CO emissions at the constant fuel mass flow rate. An excess in the volume fraction of added hydrogen changed the combustion mode in the combustion chamber resulting in fuel-rich combustion (at constant mass flow rate) and diffusion combustion (at constant input power). Hydrogen addition increased the pattern factor and NOx emissions at the outlet of the combustion chamber.

This study reports on an innovative press-loaded blister hybrid system equipped with gas-chromatography (PBS-GC) that is designed to evaluate the mechanical fatigue of two representative types of commercial Nafion membranes under relevant PEMFC operating conditions (e.g. simultaneously controlling temperature and humidity). The influences of various applied pressures (50 kPa 100 kPa etc.) and blistering gas types (hydrogen oxygen etc.) on the mechanical resistance loss are systematically investigated. The results evidently indicate that hydrogen gas is a more effective blistering gas for inducing dynamic mechanical losses of PEM. The changes in proton conductivity are also measured before and after hydrogen gas pressure-loaded blistering. After performing the mechanical aging test a decrease in proton conductivity was confirmed which was also interpreted using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis. Finally an accelerated dynamic mechanical aging test is performed using the homemade PBS-GC system where the hydrogen permeability rate increases significantly when the membrane is pressure-loaded blistering for 10 min suggesting notable mechanical fatigue of the PEM. In summary this PBS-GC system developed in-house clearly demonstrates its capability of screening and characterizing various membrane candidates in a relatively short period of time (<1.5 h at 50 kPa versus 200 h).

Considering the imperative reduction in CO2 emissions both from household heating and hot water producing facilities one of the mainstream directions is to reduce hydrocarbons in combustibles by replacing them with hydrogen. The authors analyze condensing boilers operating when hydrogen is mixed with standard gaseous fuel (CH4 ). The hydrogen (H2 ) volumetric participation in the mixture is considered to vary in the range of 0 to 20%. The operation of the condensing boilers will be numerically modeled by computational programs and prior validated by experimental studies concluded in a European Certified Laboratory. The study concluded that an increase in the combustible flow with 16% will compensate the maximum H2 concentration situation with no other implications on the boiler’s thermal efficiency together with a decrease in CO2 emissions by approximately 7%. By assuming 0.9 (to/year/boiler) the value of CO2 emissions reduction for the condensing boiler determined in the paper and extrapolating it for the estimated number of boilers to be sold for the period 2019–2024 a 254700-ton CO2/year reduction resulted.

The concept of sector coupling has been gaining increased momentum in political discourses during 18 the past few years but it has only recently received the attention of international academics. The 19 private sector is particularly relevant to foster sector coupling through entrepreneurial action – 20 specifically innovative business models for more sustainable technologies are needed to promote a 21 transition towards more sustainability. So far however the literature on business models from a 22 sector coupling perspective is scarce yet strongly emerging. To address the identified research gaps 23 and enhance the current knowledge on the emerging hydrogen vehicle industry and sector coupling 24 this study adopts a qualitative and exploratory research approach and builds on information gained 25 in 103 semi-structured interviews to discuss emerging business models in Germany. In particular 33 26 business cases have been analyzed. Anchoring business model theory to the concept of sector 27 coupling this study identifies 12 business model archetypes in the emerging hydrogen vehicle 28 industry and its value chain. It can be shown that while the market is still emerging and the market 29 players are not defined and are evolving companies are currently engaged in finding their position 30 along the value chain fostering vertical integration and promoting cooperation between the 31 different sectors. While this study is relevant for both the academia and the industry it is particularly 2 32 interesting for policy makers shaping the future of sustainable development specifically considering 33 integrated energy systems.

This review paper examines the key barriers to using green ammonia as an alternative fuel in maritime industry. A literature survey is performed based on research articles and grey literature with the aim of discussing the technoeconomic problems with and benefits of ammonia and the relevant technologies. The limitations of ammonia as a maritime fuel and its supply chain the expected percentage demand by 2030 and 2050 its economic performance compared to other shipping fuels such as hydrogen and the current regulations that may impact ammonia as a maritime fuel are discussed. There are several key barriers to ammonia’s wide adoption: (1) High production costs due to the high capital costs associated with ammonia’s supply chain; (2) availability specifically the limited geographical locations available for ammonia bunkering; (3) the challenge of ramping up current ammonia production; and (4) the development of ammonia-specific regulations addressing issues such as toxicity safety and storage. The general challenges involved with blue ammonia are the large energy penalty and associated operational costs and a lack of technical expertise on its use. Regardless of the origin for ammonia to be truly zero-carbon its whole lifecycle must be considered—a key challenge that will aid in the debate about whether ammonia holds promise as a zero-carbon maritime fuel.

To limit global temperature increase below +2°C societies need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions radically within the next few decades. Amongst other mitigation measures this requires transforming process-emission intensive industries towards emission neutrality. One way to this end is the renewables-based electrification of industries. We present results of a recent coproduction process which brought together stakeholders from industry policy administration and science to co-create climate-neutral transition pathways for the steel and electricity sectors in Austria. The results summarized here are the definition of reliable pathways and the identification of associated risks pertaining to pathway implementation including a macro-economic quantification. We find that risks to implementation (barriers) are at least as important as risks of implementation (negative consequences). From the quantitative analysis we find that provided that barriers can be reduced macroeconomic costs of the transition are only moderate and that stakeholders might overestimate risks when neglecting economy-wide feedbacks.

Collectively the UK investment in transport decarbonisation is greater than £27B from government for incentivising zero-emission vehicles as part of an urgent response to decarbonise the transport sector. The investments made must facilitate a transition to a long-term solution. The success relies on coordinating and testing the evolution of both the energy and transport systems this avoids the risk of unforeseen consequences in both systems and therefore de-risks investment Here we present a semiquantitative energy and transport system analysis for UK road freight focusing on two primary investment areas for nation-wide decarbonisation namely electrification and hydrogen propulsion. Our study assembles and assesses the potential roadblocks of these energy systems into a concise record and considers the infrastructure in relation to all other components within the energy system. It highlights that for system-wide success and resilience a hydrogen system must overcome hydrogen production and distribution barriers whereas an electric system needs to optimise storage solutions and charging facilities. Without cohesive co-evolving energy networks the planning and operational modelling of transport decarbonisation may fall short of meaningful real-world results. A developed understanding of the dependencies between the energy and transport systems is a necessary step in the development of meaningful operational transport models that could de-risk investment in both the energy and transport systems.

In this third episode Steffan Eldred and Hannah Abson from Innovate UK KTN are exploring the scale of the opportunity that hydrogen and aviation present alongside their special guest Katy Milne Head of Industrial Strategy at FlyZero.

The podcast can be found on their website

Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 will require accelerated efforts that include decarbonizing long-haul truck transportation. In this difficult-to-decarbonize low-margin industry economic transparency on technology options is vital for decision makers seeking to eliminate emissions. Battery electric (BET) and hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks (FCET) can represent emission-free alternatives to diesel-powered trucks (DT). Previous studies focus on cost competitiveness in weight-constrained transportation even though logistics research shows that significant shares of transportation are constrained by volume and analyze cost only for selected technologies hence impeding a differentiated market segmentation of future emission-free trucks. In this study the perspective of a rational investor is taken and it is shown that under current conditions in the U.S. BETs outperform FCETs in various long-haul use cases despite charging times and cargo deficits and will further increase their technological competitiveness to DTs. While future energy and fueling prices are decisive for BET competitiveness the analysis reveals that autonomous driving may change the picture in favor of FCETs.