Green Hydrogen:
India, being a tropical country, has a significant edge in green hydrogen production due to its favourable geographic conditions and abundant natural resources.
- Producing hydrogen from renewables in India is likely to be cheaper than producing it from natural gas.
- The vast majority of industrial hydrogen, about 70 metric tonnes (MT), is currently produced from natural gas through a conventional process known as steam methane reforming (SMR) with large quantities of by product CO2.
- The dependence on natural gas and coal means that hydrogen production today generates significant CO2 emissions.
- With the world seeking ways to accelerate the pace of transformation in the energy sector, India with the right policy support is in a unique position to not only become self-sufficient in green hydrogen but also produce green hydrogen for export markets.
- The focus on producing clean energy through green hydrogen is in line with the government’s goal of producing 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030 and, in the process, achieve emission goals under the Paris Agreement and reduce import dependency on fossil fuels.
- The Centre is planning to use the green hydrogen fuel from wastewater by using solar energy. It is possible by using electrolyzers.
- By segregation of solid waste management using the rooftop solar, we can make green hydrogen with the help of electrolysers.
- The power and water cost of producing it would be negligible. We can use this fuel even in railway engines along with cement and chemical companies instead of coal.
Green Hydrogen:
- Hydrogen when produced by electrolysis using renewable energy is known as Green Hydrogen which has no carbon footprint.
- Green hydrogen energy is vital for India to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) Targets and ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.
- Green Hydrogen can act as an energy storage option, which would be essential to meet intermittencies (of renewable energy) in the future.
- In terms of mobility, for long distance mobilisations for either urban freight movement within cities and states or for passengers, Green Hydrogen can be used in railways, large ships, buses or trucks, etc.
