Site planning and selection of hydrogen refueling stations considering the life cycle and demand uncertainty

The construction of hydrogen refueling station (HRS) infrastructure is crucial for enabling the utilization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for long-distance transportation. In this study, the life cycle cost of an expressway HRS is divided into two stages: the construction investment stage and the operation stage. The analysis takes into account the impact of the entire hydrogen life cycle on HRS costs, including hydrogen production, transportation, storage, usage, carbon dioxide treatment, and carbon tax. By considering all these factors, the total life-cycle cost of the HRS is calculated. Additionally, considering the uncertainty of the hydrogenation demand on expressways, a demand uncertainty parameter is introduced. This parameter allows for the selection of the best approach based on the level of preference for uncertain risks. On these grounds, a mathematical model of HRS siting optimization was established. The model takes into account the cost of the entire life cycle of the HRS, demand uncertainty, supply radius of the hydrogen source station, hydrogen source productivity, and geographic information constraints. This model improves the applicability and accuracy of planning hydrogen energy expressways. To illustrate the application of the model, the Beijing–Shanghai expressway (G2 expressway, China) is taken as an example. The number and location of HRSs, selection of hydrogen sources, and modes of transportation and storage are optimized using the proposed parasitic–predation algorithm (PPA). The effects of the uncertainty parameters on the entire life cycle cost and site selection of the HRSs were analyzed, providing valuable insights for decision-making processes.