Economic analysis of compressed gaseous hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, and cryo-compressed hydrogen storage methods for large-scale storage and transportation
Le Fang, Xueqiang Dong, Haocheng Wang, Maoqiong Gong
Abstract
The inherently low density of hydrogen severely limits its efficiency in storage and transportation, thus constraining its large-scale application. In response, high-density hydrogen storage and transport technologies—such as compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH 2 ), liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ), and cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH 2 )—have emerged as viable solutions. Despite the increasing technical maturity of these methods, there remains a lack of systematic techno-economic analyses comparing CGH 2 , LH 2 , and the emerging CcH 2 across varying transport distances and operational conditions. This study presents a comprehensive economic analysis of these large-scale physical hydrogen storage technologies to clarify their application scenarios. The analysis reveals distinct preferences in terms of economics and operations: CGH 2 storage is optimal for short-distance transport (≤50 km) owing to its low infrastructure costs; LH 2 storage demonstrates advantages for long-distance, large-scale transport (≥700 km) due to its high energy density, though challenges persist with its high liquefaction energy demand and significant initial capital investment; CcH 2 storage serves as a transitional solution for medium-to-long distances (200–1100 km), balancing the trade-offs of CGH 2 and LH 2 and offering unique cost-effectiveness in specific operational contexts. This work underscores the scenario-dependent feasibility of each method, providing critical insights for hydrogen infrastructure planning.