Green Hydrogen
Government Policies & Interventions
Environmental Pollution & Degradation
Growth & Development
Conservation
Why in News
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), hydrogen will make up 12% of the energy mix by 2050.
The agency also suggested that about 66% of this hydrogen used must come from water instead of natural gas.
Recently, IRENA has released the 'World Energy Transitions Outlook' Report.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements on earth for a cleaner alternative fuel option.
Type of hydrogen depend up on the process of its formation:
Green hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy (like Solar, Wind) and has a lower carbon footprint.
Electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.
By Products : Water, Water Vapor.
Brown hydrogen is produced using coalwhere the emissions are released to the air.
Grey hydrogen is produced from natural gas where the associated emissions are released to the air.
Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas, where the emissions are capturedusing carbon capture and storage.
Uses:
Hydrogen is an energy carrier, not an energy source and can deliver or store a tremendous amount of energy.
It can be used in fuel cells to generate electricity, or power and heat.
Today, hydrogen is most commonly used in petroleum refining and fertilizer production, while transportation and utilities are emerging markets.
Hydrogen and fuel cells can provide energy for use in diverse applications, including distributed or combined-heat-and-power; backup power; systems for storing and enabling renewable energy; portable power etc.
Due to their high efficiency and zero-or near zero-emissions operation, hydrogen and fuel cells have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emission in many applications
Current Status Worldwide:
Less than 1% of hydrogen produced is green hydrogen.
Manufacturing and deployment of electrolysers will have to increase at an unprecedented rate by 2050 from the current capacity of 0.3 gigawatts to almost 5,000 gigawatts.
Indian Scenario:
Consumption of Hydrogen: India consumes about six million tonnes of hydrogen every year for the production of ammonia and methanol in industrial sectors, including fertilisers and refineries.
This could increase to 28 million tonnes by 2050, principally due to the rising demand from the industry, but also due to the expansion of transport and power sectors.
Cost of Green Hydrogen: By 2030, the cost of green hydrogen is expected to compete with that of hydrocarbon fuels (coal, Crude Oil, natural gas).
The price will decrease further as production and sales increase. It is also projected that India's hydrogen demand will increase five-fold by 2050, with 80% of it being green.
Exporter of Green Hydrogen: India will become a net exporter of green hydrogen by 2030 due to its cheap renewable energy tariffs.
Benefits of Using Green Hydrogen for India:
Green hydrogen can drive India’s transition to clean energy, combat climate change.
Under the Paris Climate Agreement, India pledged to reduce the emission intensity of its economy by 33-35% from 2005 levels by 2030.
It will reduce import dependency on fossil fuels.
The localisation of electrolyser production and the development of green hydrogen projects can create a new green technologies market in India worth $18-20 billion and thousands of jobs.
Potential:
India has a favourable geographic locationand abundance of sunlight and wind for the production of green hydrogen.
Challenges
High Costs and Lack of Supporting Infrastructure:
Fuel cells which convert hydrogen fuel to usable energy for cars, are still expensive.
The hydrogen station infrastructure needed to refuel hydrogen fuel cell cars is still widely underdeveloped.
Step Taken:
The Union Budget for 2021-22 has announced a National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHM)that will draw up a road map for using hydrogen as an energy source.
Indian Initiatives for Renewable Energy:
0 Comments