[Lifecycle Environmental Impact Assessment and Uncertainty Analysis of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Coach].

Abstract

The development of hydrogen fuel cell coach （HFCC） presents an ideal solution to address challenges such as energy security and air pollution. To quantify the life-cycle environmental impacts of HFCCs， a comprehensive evaluation model was established based on the life cycle assessment （LCA） methodology. This model assesses material resource consumption， fossil energy consumption， carbon emissions， and pollutant emissions throughout the HFCC lifecycle， incorporating uncertainty analysis of key influencing factors. The study investigates the environmental impacts under various scenarios， including different fuel cell degradation scenarios， electricity structures， and hydrogen pathways. The results indicate that the material resource consumption was highest during the raw material acquisition phase. During the operation and use stage， the consumption of fossil energy， carbon emissions， and pollutant emissions accounted for the largest proportion， mainly due to the large consumption of hydrogen energy by HFCCs during their lifespan and the high energy consumption in the hydrogen production process. Through photovoltaic electrolysis of water for hydrogen production technology， the energy consumption and carbon emissions of HFCCs could be significantly reduced throughout its entire lifecycle. Under a simulated fuel cell degradation scenario in which hydrogen consumption increased by 13.9%， the life cycle energy consumption of HFCCs based on photovoltaic electrolysis water increased by 12.05%， and carbon emissions increased by 9.21%. Optimizing the hydrogen path can improve environmental effects. When photovoltaic electrolysis water for hydrogen production was matched with pipeline transportation of hydrogen， the life cycle energy consumption and carbon emissions of HFCCs were the lowest. Therefore， HFCCs based on hydrogen production from renewable energy sources showed significant potential for energy saving and emission reduction in the future. In contrast， HFCCs relying on mixed power electrolysis for hydrogen production was relatively weak in terms of energy saving and emission reduction. At the same time， it is recommended to use pipeline hydrogen transportation as the main transportation mode.