A transportation model approach for constructing the cost effective central hydrogen supply system in Korea

One of the major tasks in transition to a hydrogen economy is to build a cost-effective infrastructure of hydrogen supply. Building an infrastructure of hydrogen supply includes a series of logistical steps from production through delivery and storage to utilization of the hydrogen. This paper attempts to build the cost-effective central hydrogen supply system using a transportation model. As a case study, a hydrogen delivery plan for 2040 was established by dividing the Korean peninsula into two regions, northern and southern regions. Average hydrogen delivery distances for 2040 in the northern and the southern regions are estimated as 69.8 km and 85.2 km. The subsequently derived hydrogen supply network of centrally produced hydrogen in 2040 is expected to be similar to the liquefied natural gas pipeline network in 2005. The derived hydrogen supply network, delivery distances, and delivery costs are expected to provide a set of basic and indispensable information in building a cost-effective infrastructure of hydrogen supply in the Korean peninsula.