Lowering Emissions at Liquid Storage Tank Facilities Through Hydrogen

As mentioned in previous editions of this newsletter, capitalizing on the growth of the hydrogen economy as a key part of the energy transition may require investment by the liquid terminal industry store hydrogen or ammonia (a common hydrogen energy carrier). However, liquid terminal facilities will not only act as integral pieces of the hydrogen supply chain but may also become hydrogen customers.

Storage tank facilities rely on both heavy-duty machinery and vehicles for their daily activities. Most of these currently run on fossil fuels. However, as pressure to reduce operational emissions intensifies, liquid terminals will have to evaluate options for updating their equipment to lower-emission alternatives. While electrification of light-duty and some medium-duty vehicles is on track, heavy-duty vehicles pose more of a challenge. Given the high energy requirements this type of equipment has, hydrogen fuel cells are being considered as complements to electrification across operations. Already, new hydrogen fuel cell-based forklifts and other material handling equipment have hit the market, with multiple other companies having announced plans to develop new hydrogen fueled industrial equipment. Last month, PACCAR and Toyota Motor North America announced plans to produce zero emission, hydrogen fuel cell Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks later this year. As technology advances, more vehicles and machinery used in terminal operations will be available to be electrified or decarbonized using hydrogen fuel. An example of how vehicles and machinery may be decarbonized in waves is displayed in the graphic below.