The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s (EEC) Office of Energy Policy (OEP) has published the results of a year-long feasibility study that could help advance Kentucky’s hydrogen economy, reduce freight emissions, and support leadership in the manufacturing and transportation sectors.
Completed by HDR, Inc. an engineering firm in Lexington, through the efforts of Kentucky’s regional Hydrogen Hub Workgroup, the Hydrogen-Powered Truck Operations in Kentucky Feasibility Study examines the potential for hydrogen powered truck operations in Kentucky, identifying opportunities, constraints, and possible funding sources.
The study considered two potential hydrogen truck refueling scenarios, including one which would connect manufacturing facilities, and possibly suppliers, along a major manufacturing corridor, and also a regional hub-and -spoke approach, in which all vehicles would depart from, and return to, the same facility.
Over the last several years, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has established a federally designated national network of Hydrogen Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). In Kentucky, the Hydrogen AFCs include the major interstates: I-64, I-65, I-71, and I-64.
The AFC designations allow Kentucky to pursue funding for public hydrogen stations along these highways. According to the study, the goal would be to construct a public hydrogen fueling station on these corridors that are no more than 150 miles apart in any direction of travel, and no more than five miles from the nearest interchange or intersection along the AFC.
The study identified both short and long-term actionable steps to advance hydrogen powered truck fueling in the state. These include building awareness, identifying funding for hydrogen research, development, and infrastructure, developing a request for partners to establish hydrogen fueling stations and future high-volume hydrogen production facilities, and developing hydrogen infrastructure standards.
The study recommended two primary options:
- A single public refueling station built as a hub for regional operations that could serve to support some combination of shipping company operations (e.g., Amazon, DHL, UPS), major manufacturing operations (e.g., Toyota or Ford), and/or transit operators (e.g., TARC, TANK, or Lextran).
- A multi-station long-distance refueling operation, which would likely involve freight shipping for one or more major manufacturing companies (e.g., Toyota, Ford, or GM), though other long-distance delivery companies may be interested in being part of it.
“This study is an excellent example of collaboration and transparency among stakeholders representing public and private sectors,” says EEC Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman. “Working together, we have created a realistic pathway to support policy and incentives for low-carbon fuel in our transportation sector.”
Hydrogen and other low-carbon renewable fuels are a key priority in Governor Beshear’s Energy Strategy, KYE3, where energy, economic development, and the environment are interconnected, Goodman said.
Freight and freight-related industries are central to Kentucky’s economy. Kentucky is within a day’s drive of 65 percent of the U.S. population. A Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 study reports that 12 percent of Kentucky jobs are in the transportation sector. Kentucky has more than 600 logistics and distribution facilities that employ more than 91,000 people.
The Hydrogen-Powered Truck Operations in Kentucky Feasibility Study is available on the EEC website.
https://eec.ky.gov/Energy/Pages/Kentucky-Hydrogen-Hub-Workgroup.aspx
For more information contact Steven Barrera, [email protected], Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Office of Energy Policy.
SOURCE: kydep
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