Station Costs and Energy Station Analysis

Research into the cost of building a Hydrogen Station is critical for analyzing how much it will cost to deliver hydrogen. This includes capital costs for equipment such as compressors and storage tanks; noncapital costs for construction including design and permitting; and total costs such as cost per station and cost per kilogram of hydrogen produced. It also compiles actual historical cost data from existing stations and vendors. Thus, it can be used as a tool to compare existing cost estimates and to compare these estimates to real cost data.

Generating hydrogen and electricity from one power plant or station could help overcome the infrastructure and cost issues associated with the transition to a hydrogen economy. Tim Lipman has developed a model to analyze the costs and environmental impacts of an "energy station" that produces both electricity and hydrogen from a single source. While the economics of installing a hydrogen fueling station for just a few cars can be difficult to justify, the energy station economics are driven by its electricity generation; the hydrogen fuel is a side benefit. Lipman's model examines sites, electrical loads, the number of vehicles refueled, the costs of electricity and natural gas, and a variety of international inputs. .

Publications from this project:

Lipman, Timothy E. and Cameron Brooks (2006) Hydrogen Energy Stations: Poly-Production of Electricity, Hydrogen, and Thermal Energy. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-06-07

Weinert, Jonathan X., Liu Shaojun, Joan M. Ogden, Ma Jianxin (2006) Hydrogen Refueling Station Costs in Shanghai. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-06-04

Weinert, Jonathan X. and Timothy E. Lipman (2006) An Assessment of the Near-Term Costs of Hydrogen Refueling Stations and Station Components. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-06-03

Weinert, Jonathan X. (2005) A Near-Term Economic Analysis of Hydrogen Fueling Stations. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-05-04

Weinert, Jonathan X., Joan Ogden, "A Near-Term Economic Analysis of Hydrogen Fueling Stations," Proceeding of the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., March 2005.

Weinert, Jonathan, Timothy E. Lipman, Stefan Unnasch, "Bridging the Gap Between Transportation and Stationary Power: Hydrogen Energy Stations and their Implications for the Transportation Sector," Proceeding of the Transportation Research Board 2005 Annual Conference, Washington D.C., January 2005.

Weinert, Jonathan, "The LAX Hydrogen Fueling Station Development: A Historical, Technical, and Economic Overview with a Discussion of the Obstacles Encountered and Lessons Learned," Proceeding of the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) 2004 Annual Conference, April 2004.

Jonathan Weinert, "The Compendium of Hydrogen Refueling Equipment Cost (CHREC)."

Presentations from this project:

Weinert, Jonathan, Marshall Miller, "Bridging the Gap between Transportation and Stationary Power: Hydrogen Energy Stations and their Implications for the Transportation Sector," 21st Annual Electric Vehicle Symposium, Monaco, April 2 – 6, 2005.

Weinert, Jonathan, Timothy E. Lipman, Stefan Unnasch, "Hydrogen Energy Stations: Bridging the Gap Between Transportation and Stationary Power," Poster at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 2004 Annual Conference, Washington D.C., January 11 - 15, 2005.

Weinert, Jonathan, "The LAX Airport - Hydrogen Fueling Station: Lessons Learned," Presentation at the 15th National Hydrogen Association (NHA) Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA, April 26 - 30, 2004.

Research Faculty: Timothy E. Lipman, Joan Ogden
Graduate Student Researcher: Jonathan Weinert
Funding: Hydrogen Pathways Program