Hydrogen infrastructure

[3] South Korea and Japan,[4] which as of 2019 lack international electrical interconnectors, are investing in the hydrogen economy.

[6] Much of the site is occupied by a solar array; power from the grid is also used for electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen fuel.

Some firms as ITM Power are also providing solutions to make your own hydrogen (for use in the car) at home.

[12] The World Economic Forum, in December 2023, estimated that Europe had approximately 1,600 kilometers of hydrogen pipelines.

[15] As an energy buffer, hydrogen produced via water electrolysis and in combination with underground hydrogen storage or other large-scale storage technologies, could play an important role for the introduction of fluctuating renewable energy sources like wind or solar power.

Although hydrogen pipeline transport is technologically mature,[24][25] and the transport costs are similar to those of CNG,[26] most hydrogen is produced in the place of demand, with an industrial production facility every 50 to 100 miles (80 to 161 km)[27] For process metal piping at pressures up to 7,000 psi (48 MPa), high-purity stainless steel piping with a maximum hardness of 80 HRB is preferred.

[34] William Clay Ford Jr. has stated that infrastructure is one of three factors (also including costs and manufacturability in high volumes) that hold back the marketability of fuel cell cars.

[37] As of 2019, 98% of hydrogen is produced by steam methane reforming, which emits carbon dioxide.

[41] According to H2stations.org by Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik (LBST), as of the end of 2023, there were 921 hydrogen refueling stations globally,[42] although this number clearly conflicts with those published by AFDC.

[43] The distribution of these stations is highly uneven, with a concentration in East Asia, particularly in China, Japan and South Korea; Central Europe and California in the United States.

[60] Consulting firm Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik tracks global hydrogen filling stations and publishes a map.

[72][73] As of June 2021,[update] there were 2 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in Norway, both in the Oslo area.

[75] In 2023, Everfuel announced the closure of its two public hydrogen stations in Norway and cancelled the opening of a third.

[76] As of June 2020,[update] there were 11 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in the United Kingdom,[70] but as of 2023, the number decreased to 5.

[43] In 2021, the first Australian publicly available hydrogen fuel station opened in Canberra, operated by ActewAGL.

[89][90][91] The first type IV hydrogen tanks for compressed hydrogen at 700 bars (70 MPa; 10,000 psi) were demonstrated in 2001, the first fuel cell vehicles on the road with type IV tanks are the Toyota FCHV, Mercedes-Benz F-Cell and the GM HydroGen4.

Recently, the Hy-Can[92] consortium has introduced a small one liter, 10 bars (1.0 MPa; 150 psi) format.

Horizon Fuel Cells is now selling a refillable 3 megapascals (30 bar; 440 psi) metal hydride form factor for consumer use called HydroStik.

[93] In accordance with ISO/TS 15869 (revised): This specification was replaced by ISO 13985:2006 and only applies to liquid hydrogen tanks.