Comparative life cycle assessment for PEMFC stack including fuel storage materials in UAE

The assessment of fuel cell stacks is crucial for the development of fuel cells as renewable energy sources. This development is triggered by the search for cleaner, environmentally friendly and more efficient energy generation. The goal is to provide sustainable energy requirements of the present without compromising the availability of energy resources for future generations. In this paper, a life cycle assessment for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack with different materials for hydrogen storage tanks is carried out. To the knowledge of the authors, few studies have been reported in this area. This assessment analyzes the materials used, the amount of energy, carbon footprint, and the cost of PEMFC stack. It is also aimed at reducing the impacts of the preceding factors by the proper selection of the material that maximizes the efficiency of the fuel cell stack at a minimum cost. In addition, the objective is to select the manufacturing process that has less emission production without compromising the fuel cell stack efficiency. Furthermore, a study on the hydrogen storage tank material is proposed. A comparison between stainless steel, aluminum and three-layer material based on polymer liner, carbon fiber reinforced polymer, and glass fiber reinforced polymer layers for hydrogen storage tank is presented. The stack consists of four cells with a lifetime of at least 2 years and 17 W power. The results show that the usage of PEMFC stack with a stainless steel hydrogen storage tank appears to be a safer option for the environment.