Particle Swarm Optimization for Hydrogen Refueling Station Location Problem to Minimize Emissions

In attempt to achieve net-zero emission, Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS) are indispensable as supporting infrastructure for hydrogen-powered vehicles. However, the substantial capital investment required for developing a hydrogen infrastructure often poses a significant challenge. One effort to minimize development costs is by employing existing infrastructure. In this study, the initial development of Hydrogen ecosystem for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) is carried out using existing Power Plant with hydrogen by-products and existing fuel stations as alternative locations for HRS. The model is developed for the case of Jakarta Raya, Indonesia. It poses challenges where there are only limited numbers in non-strategic-scattered locations of these hydrogen power plants combined with the varying emissions resulted from different hydrogen production technologies. In addition, the numerous and dispersed potential of HRS creating additional complexities. To optimize emission reduction from the hydrogen economy, this research proposed a clustering-based approach to allocate supply points to demand clusters, considering both production and distribution emission from hydrogen ecosystem for transportation sector. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is employed to determine the optimal location and allocation of HRS within these clusters, while ensuring that each supply point serves at least one demand point. The parameter influence of cognitive and social weights on the optimization process is investigated. Python simulations were conducted to evaluate the performance of different parameter combinations in a series of experiments. The results indicate that cognitive weights of 0.4 and 0.6 yield the most consistent and minimum emissions with 7 clusters. The finding of this study is expected to provide useful information for policymakers in making informed decisions regarding HRS siting, thereby facilitating the adoption of hydrogen vehicles and contributing to carbon emission reduction.