GIS-based Modelling of Hydrogen Integration in Urban Energy Systems – a Systematic Review

Cities are crucial for an effective energy transition, yet national transition exercises often overlook local urban conditions. This paper reviews the assessment of hydrogen integration in urban energy system models and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to facilitate high spatial resolution modelling.

Embedded GIS frameworks can unmask local conditions crucial for energy transition planning, providing valuable insights to support informed decision-making. We found a gap in holistic modelling of the hydrogen supply chain and sector coupling. Furthermore, most studies lack future cost projections, and GIS is often underutilised. We also detected a general lack of transparency and low temporal resolution.

This review assesses urban hydrogen integration, highlighting how geospatial approaches are used to addresses the lack of local information in recent energy system modelling, Future research should enhance GIS use, integrate sector coupling, and improve transparency and temporal resolution to better understand the optimal integration of hydrogen.