Sizing, Optimization, and Financial Analysis of a Green Hydrogen Refueling Station in Remote Regions

Hydrogen (H2) can be a promising energy carrier for decarbonizing the economy and especially the transport sector, which is considered as one of the sectors with high carbon emissions due to the extensive use of fossil fuels. H2 is a nontoxic energy carrier that could replace fossil fuels. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) can decrease air pollution and reduce greenhouse gases when H2 is produced from Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and at the same time being accessible through a widespread network of Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRSs). In this study, both the sizing of the equipment and financial analysis were performed for an HRS supplied with H2 from the excess electrical energy of a 10 MW wind park. The aim was to determine the optimum configuration of an HRS under the investigation of six different scenarios with various numbers of FCEVs and monthly demands, as well as ascertaining the economic viability of each examined scenario. The effect of the number of vehicles that the installation can refuel to balance the initial cost of the investment and the fuel cost in remote regions was investigated. The results showed that a wind-powered HRS could be a viable solution when sized appropriately and H2 can be used as a storage mean for the rejected wind energy. It was concluded that scenarios with low FCEVs penetration have low economic performance since the payback period presented significantly high values.

An Energy Management Strategy and Parameter Optimization of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

This study involved a detailed analysis of an energy distribution strategy and the parameters of key components of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). In order to better utilize the advantages of multiple energy sources, the wavelet-fuzzy energy management method was used to adjust the demand power allocation among multiple energy sources, and particle swarm optimization (PSO) was used to solve highly nonlinear optimization problems under multi-dimensional and multi-condition constraints. The multi-objective optimization problem of predefined driving cycle powertrain parameters about fuel economy and system durability was studied. The parameters of the key components of the system were optimized, including the size parameters of the air com-pressor and the number of batteries and ultra-capacitors. Furthermore, the driving state under specific working conditions was analyzed, and a nonlinear model with system durability and fuel economy as the optimization objectives were established, which greatly reduced the costs, reduced the fuel consumption rate and extended the battery life. The simulation results showed that for a UDDS cycle, the FCS’s maximal net output power of 83 kW was optimal for the fuel economy and system durability of a fuel cell city bus.

Overview of the main powertrain architectures for hybrid and electric vehicles

The research for alternative solutions to assist the propulsion, fuel converters and energy storage systems (ESS) in vehicular applications has become the focus of many institutions and mainly in the automotive industry, aiming to reduce the impacts caused by the emission of gases in the exhaust pipe and to improve energy efficiency in the worldwide vehicle fleet. Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) are currently a reality and meet this requirement to build a greener and less polluting society. In this context, this paper describes the operational characteristics of the different powertrain architectures employed in hybrid electric vehicles, including series, parallel and series-parallel topologies, as well as battery-powered and fuel cell electric vehicles. Finally, some of the elementary issues facing these advanced vehicular technologies, including the challenges for market penetration are highlighted.