Techno-economic analysis of hydrogen transportation infrastructure using ammonia and methanol

The transformation from a fossil fuels economy to a low carbon economy reshapes how energy is transmitted. Since most renewable energy is harvested in the form of electricity, hydrogen obtained from water electrolysis using green electricity is considered a promising energy vector. However, the storage and transportation of hydrogen at large scales pose challenges to the existing energy infrastructures, both regarding technological and eco-nomic aspects. To facilitate the distribution of renewable energy, a set of candidate hydrogen transportation infrastructures using methanol and ammonia as hydrogen car-riers were proposed. A systematical analysis reveals that the levelized costs of transporting hydrogen using methanol and ammonia in the best cases are $1879/t-H2 and $1479/t-H2, respectively. The levelized cost of energy transportation using proposed infrastructures in the best case is $10.09/GJ. A benchmark for hydrogen transportation infrastructure design is provided in this study.(c) 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.