Green hydrogen: Is it fuel of the future- UPSC Daily Important Topic | 1 June 2022
Green hydrogen: Is it fuel of the future?
✓At the World Economic
Forum, MoPNG said India will emerge as the leader of green hydrogen by taking advantage of the current energy crisis across the globe.
● What is green hydrogen?
✓A colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic and highly combustible gaseous substance.
✓Hydrogen is the lightest, simplest and most abundant chemical element in the universe.
✓But green prefixed to it makes hydrogen the “fuel of the future”.
✓Green depends on how the electricity is generated to obtain the hydrogen, which does not emit greenhouse gas when burned.
✓Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis using renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind or hydel power.
✓Grey hydrogen: generated through fossil fuels such as coal and gas and currently accounts for 95% of the total production in South Asia.
✓Blue hydrogen: produced using electricity generated by burning fossil fuels but with technologies to prevent carbon released in the process from entering the atmosphere.
● Why is India pursuing green hydrogen?
✓Under Paris Agreement India is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 33-35% from the 2005 levels.
✓At the 2021 CoP in Glasgow, India reiterated its commitment to move from a fossil and import-dependent economy to a net-zero economy by 2070.
✓India’s average annual energy import bill is more than $100 billion and increased consumption of fossil fuel has made it a high carbon dioxide (CO2) emitter, accounting for nearly 7% of the global CO2 burden.
✓To become energy independent by 2047, government stressed the need to introduce green hydrogen as an alternative fuel that can make India the global hub and a major exporter of hydrogen.
✓National Hydrogen Mission – launched on August 15, 2021, to cut down carbon emissions and increase the use of renewable sources of energy.
● How much green hydrogen is India producing?
✓India has just begun to generate green hydrogen with objective of raising non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030.
✓OIL set up India’s first 99.99% pure green hydrogen pilot plant.
✓Goal: making India ready for pilot-scale production of hydrogen and its use in various applications. Research and development efforts are ongoing for reduction in the cost of production, storage and the transportation” of hydrogen.
✓Plant was set up at petroleum exploration major’s Jorhat pump station, also in eastern Assam.
✓Powered by 500 KW solar plant, it has an installed capacity to produce 10 kg of hydrogen per day and scale it up to 30 kg per day.
✓Specialised blender has also been installed for blending green hydrogen produced from the unit with natural gas supplied by the Assam Gas Corporation Limited and supplying blended gas to the Jorhat area for domestic and industrial use.
✓OIL has engaged experts from IIT-Guwahati to assess impact of the blended gas on the existing facility.
● Advantages of hydrogen as a fuel:
✓Storage: Green hydrogen can be stored for long periods of time.
✓The stored hydrogen can be used to produce electricity using fuel cells.
✓Hydrogen gas reacts with oxygen to produce electricity and water vapour.
✓So, it can act as an energy storage device and contribute to grid stability.
✓Oxygen produced as a by-product can be monetised by using it for industrial and medical applications or for enriching the environment.
✓Possibilities of hydrogen have made many countries pledge investment.