Constructing an evaluation model for hydrogen application pathways

This study aims to explore the indicators that can be used by decision-makers to assess the effectiveness of energy conservation and carbon reduction for specific hydrogen application pathways. Evaluation indicators for a hydrogen application value chain were constructed, and they were divided into four categories: energy efficiency, energy intensity, CO2 emission, and renewability. Based on the index structure proposed in this study, the author analyzed three different hydrogen application pathways; namely, central natural gas reforming, central wind power electrolysis, and distribution biomass fermentation. The results indicated that all hydrogen application pathways lead to positive effects on carbon emission reduction when the final application involves fuel cell vehicles. However, if the final application involves fuel cell generators, the carbon reduction effect will not necessarily be positive. This indicates that decision-makers need to be careful with the analysis of carbon reduction effects resulting from different hydrogen application pathways.