A region-specific analysis of technology implementation of hydrogen energy in Japan

A new energy system using adequate energy carriers such as hydrogen is needed for filling out the spatial and temporal gaps in energy supply and demand to promote renewable derived energy systems. The environmental implementation effects of technologies associated with energy carriers should be carefully examined because the conditions of the supply chain depend on region-specific characteristics. In this study, an approach of analyzing the implementation effects considering regional characteristics with energy balance simulation model is proposed. As a case study, the potential mitigation of life-cycle greenhouse gas emission by substituting fuel cell vehicles and stationary fuel cell cogeneration systems in households for conventional vehicles and energy supply systems was visualized for two kinds of regions with different classification policies; i.e., prefectures and urban employment areas in Japan. The case study indicated that regional characteristics such as the annual travel distance per car, number of cars, and the power and heat demand strongly affect the implementation effects. Our proposed approach can effectively match technologies with regions, which can be useful for decision-makers. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.