This study aims to present a novel methodology to assess future potential location of hydrogen refueling stations (HRS), involving geospatial and levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH) analyses. This methodology entails five stages and was developed and applied to mainland Portugal. It can be used in other regions or countries. In this study, a total of 708 potential locations for different HRS were identified and studied for five scenarios. The results indicate that LCOH varies between a minimum of 6.5 €/kg H 2 and a maximum of 11.2 €/kg H 2 . Moreover, 3 574 routes were analyzed considering four hydrogen production sites and the five scenarios, of which 2 395, or 67% of the routes, have a LCOH of between 6 - 9 €/kg H 2 . The main conclusions of the study indicate that there are significant regional disparities in Portugal and that the adoption of hydrogen as an alternative fuel still presents challenges, especially in regions with limited hydrogen refueling infrastructure. The uneven distribution of hydrogen infrastructure and the high associated costs are likely to further exacerbate these economic and technological disparities. Addressing these imbalances requires the development of regional strategies that encourage, for example, hydrogen production in remote and underserved regions. • Novel methodology to assess future hydrogen refueling station’s locations presented. • Results indicate that LCOH varies between 6.5 and 11.2 €/kg H 2 for all supply chain. • Hydrogen costs and uneven access may worsen regional inequalities. • A new index for assessing regional vulnerability inequalities is presented.
Espinha et al. (Fri,) studied this question.