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4.4.1 A System‐of‐Systems Framework for the Future Hydrogen‐Based Transportation Economy
Author(s) -
Duffy Michael,
Sandor Debra
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
incose international symposium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-5837
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-5837.2008.tb00823.x
Subject(s) - hydrogen economy , petroleum , business , national security , energy security , economy , environmental economics , economics , engineering , hydrogen fuel , fuel cells , renewable energy , political science , electrical engineering , paleontology , chemical engineering , law , biology
Today, almost 60% of the petroleum consumed in the United States is imported. The nation's current transportation system of systems (SoS) relies almost exclusively on refined petroleum products, accounting for over two‐thirds of the oil used in the United States each day. As a nation, we must work to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil in a manner that is affordable, ensures national energy security, and preserves environmental quality. In the long term, a potential solution to the nation's transportation energy problems is an operational hydrogen‐based transportation economy. Transitioning to any alternative transportation fuel on a national scale will require the creation of a robust and cost‐effective system of systems that operates in concert with the dynamics of today's mature and highly‐networked transportation infrastructure. Using a supply‐chain point of view to trace the flow of transportation fuels through the necessary SoS, this paper addresses the current petroleum‐based economy for transportation, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) vision for a future hydrogen‐based transportation economy, and the significant challenges associated with such a massive market and infrastructure transformation.