Integration of renewables for transportation and storage in hydrogen supply chains

The greatest impediment in the evolution of Hydrogen economy is the development of a new fuel supply chain. One of the most significant infrastructural requirements in the supply chain is the distribution and delivery network. The paper studies the use of biomass resources primarily for facilitating the transportation of renewable hydrogen generated through solar/wind powered electrolyzers. It thus addresses a means for tapping the large chunk of renewable resources that are otherwise un-tappable because of geographical remoteness. The methods proposed are by conversion of biomass into methane and/or methanol and then using the existing infrastructural elements such as the Natural gas pipelines and liquid tankers for its onward delivery to end consumers. A segment of Pakistan's NG pipelines namely the Mardan-Mingora segment has been evaluated as a case study and it has been found that the solar, wind and biomass resources available in the geographical surroundings can effectively fulfill the natural gas demand of the segment. © Sila Science.