Development of Oshawa hydrogen hub in Canada: A case study

Abstract

Consumption of fossil fuels, which makes an immense contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, must be reduced. Hydrogen emerges as a unique solution to serve as fuel, energy carrier and feedstock because it is a clean, abundant, environmentally friendly and energy intensive gas. This study aims to investigate the development of a potential hydrogen hub located in Oshawa, Canada, which is aimed to provide a hydrogen infra-structure for future hydrogen economy. Numerous life cycle assessment and cost assessment studies are conducted to investigate what benefits such a hydrogen will bring to the city. The results show that fuel cell electric buses emit 89% fewer pollutants. Also, 60% of overall CO2 reduction is possible with a gradual transition to fuel cell technology within 20 years. However, in order for hydrogen infrastructure and costs to compete with fossil fuels, high-scale projects need to be developed with governmental incentives. (C) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.