Abstract

Decarbonisation has led to a strong electrification in the transport sector; and multifamily households constitute a challenging setting to accelerate electromobility. This work studies the feasibility of installing ultra-fast chargers with the support of hydrogen (H2) and rooftop solar power in residential contexts for Santiago, Chile: an apartment building with 120 units, and a condominium with 10 houses. A communal use of the chargers is evaluated in three cases: (1) charging directly from the grid, (2) adding supplied H2 and a fuel cell, and (3) adding rooftop solar, for H2 production, storage and conversion. Results indicate that H2 integration into EV charging is technically possible but economically constrained. Case 1 is viable under selling price adjustments, Case 2 can achieve the highest Net Present Value (NPV), and Case 3 has the highest costs, low conversion efficiency (~35%), and potential system underutilisation, deeming it unfeasible with a mean levelised cost of energy of 0.68 USD/kWh and of H2 of 9.55 USD/kg. Sensitivity analysis highlights the grid electricity price as the most influential factor on NPV, which must be assessed carefully under periods of uncertainty. 

Decarbonisation has led to a strong electrification in the transport sector; and multifamily households constitute a challenging setting to accelerate electromobility. This work studies the feasibility of installing ultra-fast chargers with the support of hydrogen (H2) and rooftop solar power in residential contexts for Santiago, Chile: an apartment building with 120 units, and a condominium with 10 houses. A communal use of the chargers is evaluated in three cases: (1) charging directly from the grid, (2) adding supplied H2 and a fuel cell, and (3) adding rooftop solar, for H2 production, storage and conversion. Results indicate that H2 integration into EV charging is technically possible but economically constrained. Case 1 is viable under selling price adjustments, Case 2 can achieve the highest Net Present Value (NPV), and Case 3 has the highest costs, low conversion efficiency (~35%), and potential system underutilisation, deeming it unfeasible with a mean levelised cost of energy of 0.68 USD/kWh and of H2 of 9.55 USD/kg. Sensitivity analysis highlights the grid electricity price as the most influential factor on NPV, which must be assessed carefully under periods of uncertainty.