Shore hydrogen deployment problem in green ports

Abstract

In the context of carbon neutrality and peak carbon, research on emerging technologies for the clean, efficient, safe, and sustainable development of green ports and green shipping is crucial. The application of carbon-free hydrogen fuel cell technology to vessels and ports is seen as an effective solution. This study investigates the deployment of shore hydrogen in a green port, aiming to optimize a hydrogen energy retrofit and subsidy scheme to maximize the port’s profit and the hydrogen energy consumption given a limited government subsidy. A mixed integer linear programming model is constructed to take into account the reconstruction of the port and the retrofitting of the vessels calling at the port. We develop a tailored branch-and-cut algorithm to solve the problem. Extensive numerical experiments are carried out, and the results demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of the algorithm in solving the problem. The solution to the problem provided by our algorithm could promote the use of hydrogen energy while maintaining port profits, thereby effectively reducing carbon emissions from vessels calling at port.