Hydrogen Refueling Station Siting and Development Planning in the Delivery Industry

Hydrogen can play a vital role in energy transition as the world works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and promote energy security. Recent research has looked at the siting of hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell vehicles based on top-down blueprints or roadmaps, but low market penetration and uncertainty in the household vehicle market mean insufficient demand to make hydrogen infrastructure viable. Instead, this chapter looks at the viability of installing refueling stations at logistics service centers and converting delivery fleets to hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks, using one company in Kanagawa Prefecture as a case study. Potential hydrogen consumption is estimated based on population data, service area, and usage of delivery services. Candidate locations are selected based on break-even analysis, zoning, and parking space criteria. Finally, environmental impacts, including GHG emission reductions, are evaluated based on well-to-wheel analysis. Hydrogen refueling stations were found to be viable at six of the company’s 24 logistics centers. Relative to gasoline trucks, annual GHG emissions would be reduced by 48.3% by introducing hydrogen fuel cell trucks and hydrogen refueling stations at those centers. Future research could delve deeper into practical business models based on these findings.