Design a nationwide hydrogen grid: A GIS-based and iterative optimization model integrating pathfinding and dispatch

Abstract

Large-scale, long-distance hydrogen transport infrastructure is essential to address the geographical mismatch between renewable energy resources and hydrogen demand centers in China. However, most previous studies typically focus on hydrogen transport infrastructure planning at a micro-level or within snapshot scenarios. This paper proposes a novel nationwide hydrogen grid optimization model aimed at minimizing total costs along the hydrogen supply chain (HSC) up to 2060, when carbon neutrality is targeted. The model integrates inter-provincial hydrogen dispatch with GIS-based fine-grained pipeline pathfinding. Multiple transport methods—dedicated hydrogen pipelines (DHP), natural gas pipeline (NGP), and indirect power grid (PG) transmission are included. The model is iteratively optimized in stages, reflecting real-world engineering practices. The results indicate that over 3000 km of DHP are required. Incorporating NGP and PG into the network reduces the total cost by approximately 15 % compared to the highest-cost scenario, which relies solely on DHP. Key hydrogen-exporting provinces are identified as Gansu and Inner Mongolia, with sensitivity analysis highlighting future provincial electricity prices as the most influential factor. This study lays a foundation for long-term, long-distance hydrogen infrastructure planning, with future work focusing on adopting different optimization strategies and uncertainty analysis.