Optimizing Clean Hydrogen Infrastructure for U.S. Transportation Decarbonization
Key Ideas
  • The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) utilizes the Scenario Evaluation and Regionalization Analysis (SERA) model to strategically plan the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure for transportation.
  • SERA model aids in forecasting hydrogen demand, minimizing infrastructure costs, and optimizing production, transmission, delivery, and dispensing technology and locations.
  • The versatile SERA model can be adapted for various fuel types, including carbon dioxide, and has been refined through a decade of development with funding from the U.S. DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office.
  • SERA supports DOE programs and informs investment decisions, serving as a vital tool in assessing hydrogen infrastructure costs and facilitating partnerships with academic institutions and corporations for licensing opportunities.
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is focusing on the role of clean hydrogen and fuel cells in decarbonizing transportation in the United States. The use of clean hydrogen is seen as a vital part of the solution to reduce carbon emissions, especially in medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. However, the successful adoption of clean hydrogen as a transportation fuel requires the widespread deployment of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. To address the challenges associated with infrastructure investment decisions, the NREL utilizes the Scenario Evaluation and Regionalization Analysis (SERA) model. This model helps in determining the least-cost deployment strategy for hydrogen infrastructure to meet the growing demands of the market. By optimizing production, transmission, delivery, and dispensing technology and locations, SERA assists in minimizing costs and accelerating the adoption of hydrogen as a transportation fuel. Moreover, the SERA model is not limited to transportation applications but can also be used for non-transportation scenarios, such as quantifying the cost of alternative vehicle adoption and assessing hydrogen production technologies. The model's flexibility allows for custom scenario configurations to address regional and national market dynamics over time. Recent upgrades to the SERA model, including a transition to the Julia programming language, have improved its computational efficiency. Additionally, the model's unique capability to accommodate any fuel or material, including carbon dioxide, adds to its versatility. Funded by the U.S. DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, the development of the SERA model is part of a suite of tools aimed at analyzing hydrogen infrastructure. SERA supports various DOE programs and helps in informing investment decisions, infrastructure cost assessments, and licensing opportunities. Overall, SERA plays a crucial role in advancing the strategic planning and optimization of clean hydrogen infrastructure for transportation decarbonization in the United States.
ADVANCEH2

Our vision is to be the world's leading online platform for advancing the use of hydrogen as a critical piece needed to deliver net-zero initiatives and the promise of a clean H2 energy future.

© 2024 AdvanceH2, LLC. All rights reserved.