Systematic Selection and Siting of Vehicle Fueling Infrastructure to Synergistically Meet Future Demands for Alternative Fuels

In order to meet the increasing demand for low carbon and renewable transportation fuels, a methodology for systematically establishing build-out scenarios is desirable. In an effort to minimize initial investment costs associated with the development of fueling infrastructure, the Analytical Hierarch Process (AHP) has been developed and applied, as an illustration, to the case of hydrogen fueling infrastructure deployment in the State of California. In this study, five parameters are selected in order to rank hydrogen transportation fuel generation locations within the State. The weighting parameters include: 1) Proximity to Power Generation Facilities, 2) Lowest Land Cost, 3) Least Populous, 4) Proximity to Existing Energy Infrastructure, and 5) Water Infrastructure Proximity. These parameters are selected to maximize land availability and minimize cost. In order to utilize meaningful weighting factors within the AHP, expert inputs were gathered and employed in the exercising of the models suite of weighting parameters. The analysis uses statewide geographic information obtained from the California Energy Commission and identifies both key energy infrastructure expansion locations and critical criteria that make the largest impact in the location of selected sites.