Assessment of Hydrogen and Fuel Reliability

Existing energy infrastructures in the United States, such as the electrical grid and oil and gas pipelines, tend toward highly integrated, monolithic systems that can catastrophically fail at many links. Advocates offer that a switch to hydrogen as an energy carrier can relieve the reliability problems posed by current energy systems. A systematic assessment of the reliability of various hydrogen pathways is needed to verify claims that hydrogen systems will improve the reliability of energy supply and to guide the development of a widespread hydrogen infrastructure that rightfully accounts for reliability. This work intends to develop a preliminary method to assess hydrogen pathway reliability.

Publications from this project:

McCarthy, Ryan W., Joan M. Ogden, Daniel Sperling, "Assessing reliability in energy supply systems," International Journal of Energy Policy Volume 35, Issue 4, April 2007, Pages 2151-2162.

McCarthy, Ryan W. and Joan M. Ogden (2005) Assessing Reliability in Transportation Energy Supply Pathways: A Hydrogen Case Study. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-05-20

McCarthy, Ryan W., Joan Ogden, "Assessing Reliability in Hydrogen Supply Pathways," Proceeding of the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., March 2005, Publication No. UCD-ITS-RP-05-05.

McCarthy, Ryan W. (2004) A Methodology to Assess the Reliability of Hydrogen-based Transportation Energy Systems. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-04-36

Presentation from this project:

McCarthy, Ryan W., Joan Ogden, "Assessing the Reliability of Hydrogen-based Transportation Energy Systems," Poster at the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., March 29 – April 1, 2005.

Research Faculty: Joan Ogden, Daniel Sperling
Graduate Student Researcher: Ryan W. McCarthy
Funding: Hydrogen Pathways Program