Comparative sustainability assessment of a hydrogen supply network for hydrogen refueling stations in Korea – a techno-economic and lifecycle assessment perspective

Hydrogen has become widely recognized as a game changer in the era of climate change and stringent carbon reduction targets. For countries with inadequate distributions of renewable energy, a comprehensive evaluation of potential national and international routes for green hydrogen supply networks is imperative. This study examines the economic and environmental aspects of green hydrogen supply routes for hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) in the Republic of Korea. Three supply routes are evaluated in this work: Case (1) hydrogen production via catalytic cracking of imported green ammonia, Case (2) domestic green hydrogen production at a centralized location in Korea, and Case (3) on-site hydrogen production via water electrolysis at HRS powered by solar electricity from the city grid. The levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH) were calculated as $9.74, $17.32, and $13.97 per kg for Cases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The results of sensitivity analysis indicate that the capital cost related to the provision of green ammonia (Case 1), solar electricity, and the electrolyzer were the main contributors to LCOH. Based on projected cost reductions, LCOHs would decrease to $8, $11.76, and $10 per kg for Cases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Life cycle assessment (LCA) shows that Case 3 is the favored environmental alternative owing to reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 44% and 12% compared with Cases 1 and 2, respectively. The results of LCA sensitivity analysis depict that by 2030, with the increase in the distance of transportation, Case 2 can show the highest increase of 58% for GHG emissions, while an increase of about 8% can be expected for Case 1. However, in Case 3, further work on policy design and infrastructure development is required to make solar electricity provisions in the city grid profitable.