Characterization and sustainability assessment of Canada's Hydrogen Highway™.

This paper presents the characterization and sustainability assessment of an integrated scenario describing a number of demonstration projects currently planned along the proposed Hydrogen Highway™ in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The characterization reveals a large gap between the current activity and the projections of the Canadian National Energy Board Techno-Vert scenario for British Columbia in 2010. Insights from the technology diffusion literature are also discussed as it pertains to the diffusion of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The sustainability assessment reveals that the BC hydrogen energy scenario as a whole is more sustainable in terms of its CO₂(eq) emissions, air pollutant emissions and energy efficiency than a more conventional scenario, but costly in terms of its CO₂(eq) reduction potential. The paper discusses the limitations of the cost-effectiveness calculations as well as the sustainability assessment, and suggestions are made for future improvements in this area. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]