Hydrogen refueling stations are critical infrastructure for supporting vehicles running on hydrogen fuel. These stations provide hydrogen to power vehicles. They offer a refueling process similar to gasoline but with zero emissions at the point of use. When hydrogen is dispensed as a gas, it is usually stored under high pressure and dispensed into vehicles in just a few minutes. It is threfore a fast and convenient alternative to battery electric vehicles. With expanding networks, particularly in regions like California, China, Japan, and parts of Europe, hydrogen refueling stations may play an important role in the transition to clean transportation.
History #
Hydrogen vehicles have been around for quite some time, the first one attributed to Francois Isaac de Rivaz in 1806. After that, numerous hydrogen car prototypes had been built and used in the 19th and 20th centuries. So, widely speaking, hydrogen refueling stations have been around for many decades. The first modern hydrogen refueling station was claimed to be built by Royal Dutch/Shell in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2003 and was used to fuel three DaimlerChrysler buses. The project was funded by the European Union.
Subsequently, various countries have started building larger networks of stations within different programs. There are different initiatives to map all of these stations, one of them by h2stations.org, as is shown in the image below:
Types of stations #
Hydrogen refueling stations come in various types, designed to meet different needs based on location, usage, and scale. The design and capacity of these stations are tailored to serve varying demands, from individual vehicles to public transit fleets, supporting the growing hydrogen-powered vehicle ecosystem. A key differentiation is whether liquid or pressurized hydrogen is dispeonsed. For pressurized gas, two maximum tank pressure levels are dominant, 350 bar and 700 bar. The dispensal of liquid hydrogen is so far not widely distributed.
On-site production stations generate hydrogen directly at the refueling site, typically through electrolysis, using renewable energy like solar or wind to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. These stations reduce transportation costs but require a power source on site. Off-site production stations receive hydrogen produced elsewhere and delivered by truck or pipeline. They are ideal for locations without space for on-site production. Mobile hydrogen stations are flexible units that provide temporary refueling services. They are often used in remote areas or for testing and development projects.
Recent developments #
Very recently, some of the ambitious plans to expans the hydrogen refueling station network have been rolled back, for example by Everfuel in 2023. The company has then announced to restructure its hydrogen station network due to the immature hydrogen mobility market and technology delays. They plan to close several unprofitable stations in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, while focusing future efforts on heavy-duty vehicles. Certain stations in Germany and the Netherlands will continue operations. Future expansions will depend on vehicle availability, station hardware, and financial backing.
Hydrogen mobility and, consequently, refueling stations, are most likely an indispensable part of a fully decarbonized transportation system. Therefore, the quest to identify the most promising applications and to eventually reach cost parity with fossil-fuel-based solutions does continue.
GRZ’s HyCo compression technology is an essential technology for advancing the hydrogen mobility further. It works without moving parts and threfore eliminates noise, vibration, and reliability issues. When waste heat is available, it can be used to drive the compression of the hydrogen. Since the technology combines the storage and compression functionality in a single system, it can be used to build compact, containerized, plug and play refueling solutions excellently suited for commercial hydrogen devices.
