Given the climate change concerns, hydrogen is the answer argues, Dr. K. Naga Mahesh, Cofounder & CEO of Nanosol Energy Private Limited
To address climate change concerns and the impending catastrophe due to Greenhouse gases (GHG), major global economies like the UK, the US, the UAE and others have pledged to decarbonise their existing energy infrastructure in due course of time. To decarbonise the existing energy infrastructure (which is currently dominated by fossil fuels) with alternative sources, the most reliable and affordable alternative is ‘Hydrogen’. As per International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Hydrogen can make 6% of the total energy consumption by 2050.
Hydrogen is considered an energy carrier and delivers the required energy in useful forms. It is often considered a fuel of future and a leading contender among other fuel resources. The advantage of using hydrogen is itshigh potential to create limitless, emission-free and efficient energy. For many decades, hydrogen is being produced for industrial applications and several production technologies are now available that use a range of fuels including fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal etc., This diversity of potential supply sources is an important reason why hydrogen is such a promising energy carrier.
It can be used in many ways for devices that use carbon-based fuels like Internal combustion engines (ICE) and Fuel cells. Moreover, the existing infrastructure can be used to store and transport the hydrogen through the country if needed. Governments all over the world have taken up challenges to reach net-zero emissions in years to come. To achieve this goal the quick uptake of ‘hydrogen economy’ is the need of the hour. Oil majors like British Petroleum (BP) and Shell plan to turn netzero by 2050 by switching over to hydrogen economy.
In addition to this, the main advantage of hydrogen is that it slows global warming; it can be served as a ‘decarbonising agent’ for industries like chemicals, iron, steel, fertilizer and refining, transport, heat and power.
Hydrogen economy
The hydrogen economy can be defined as the use of hydrogen as an energy resource (fuel) in various sectors like, industrial, transportation, and power etc., to decarbonise the existing infrastructure which is nearly hard to switch to other alternative sources, Hydrogen can be one such alternative for them. Unlike Fossil fuels, hydrogen ensures clean energy with no carbon emissions. The Aviation, Shipping, Vehicular transportation, Utility and heating sectors can largely benefitfromthe use of hydrogen.
The ultimate goal for the hydrogen economy is to produce green hydrogen at an affordable cost and accessible for every sector to replace carbon-based energy systems.
ChallengesÂ
Free Hydrogen is not readily available in nature; hence it needs to be produced, from either water or fossil fuels as a source. It is the lightest element on the earth which is usually found in water and hydrocarbons. The development of the reliable ecosystem of Hydrogen production, transportation, and storage infrastructure at a large scale, is the most paralysing setback to the hydrogen economy. Table 1 represents the types of hydrogen produced from various sources.
Electrolysis is one such process that is considered the cleanest way to produce hydrogen from electricity (derived from renewable energy sources). The hydrogen produced by this process is known as ‘Green Hydrogen’. In countries with a lot of waterfalls, hydroelectricity can be used as the energy source for water electrolysis. Other renewable sources that could be used for supplying electricity for electrolysis are solar, wind and geothermal etc.,
India: Hydrogen roadmap
India currently is spending billions of dollars on fuel and energy. Currently, Hydrogen is being produced entirely from fossil fuels. India has aimed to change this scenario by switching to green hydrogen to achieve net-zero emissions. During United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) 2021, India voiced its keenness to initiate the green hydrogen economy and mandated all carbon emission industries to adopt hydrogen policy. For decades, India has studied the viability and economic advantages of switching to a hydrogen-based economy.
The launch of the National Hydrogen Mission (NHM) by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of 75th India’s Independence, aims to make the country a global hub for the production and export of Hydrogen. This initiative can be a game-changer for India to become Atma Nirbhar (Selfreliant) in the world’s energy arena. The NHM would enable faster adaptation and accelerate for creationof hydrogen infrastructure in India. The generation of Hydrogen (from green power sources), which allows it to be utilized in transportation, power generation and industrial sectors.
The Government of India (GoI) has mandated to the oil refineries that green hydrogen should make up 10% of Overall hydrogen in their refineries for the next 3 years and subsequently increase to 25% by the end of this decade. By 2050,India is aiming to produce ¾ of its Hydrogen from Renewable sources. The ultimate aim of the government is to bring down the cost of green hydrogen to $1 per kg and have five million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) green hydrogen capacity by 2030 in India.
The Foreign and Indian companies that are involved in Hydrogen production, storage and delivery, companies like, RIL, BPCL, Ohmium, INOX (Indo-US JV), H2 Scan, ITM Power (UK), Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd, Aditya Birla etc.,
Initiatives
- The GoI has allotted 25 crores in the union budget (2021– 2022) for the Research and Development in Hydrogen Energy.
- For the next three years, the MNRE has proposed a financial outlay of Rs. 800 crores for the Hydrogen Infrastructure, Supply chain, R&D, Pilot projects, Regulations and Public outreach
- India’s ambitious plans of installing 450 GW of renewable energy capacity will only fuel its drive to become the global hub of green hydrogen manufacturing
- Production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme worth Rs. 15,000 crores are being worked on to push for electrolyser manufacturing in India. The scheme is expected to run for five years, starting from FY24. Sources also added that the government was also looking at setting goods and services tax (GST) at nil for domestically manufactured electrolysers for the five years.
- Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has recently announced that to build an electrolyser and Fuel cell facility (Energy Giga complex) at an investment of Rs. 75,000 crores. RIL is aimed to become net-zero emissions by 2035.
- Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) is keen on building a 20 MW electrolyser plant at its refinery in Bina, Madhya Pradesh, which would be the largest green hydrogen plant in India. BPCL aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.  Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) has been building a 10 MW electrolyser plant.  The US-based company, Ohmium, through its Indian subsidiary, has established a hydrogen electrolyser GW factory at Bengaluru, Karnataka. Ohmium is aimed to produce 0.5 GW of electrolyser per year and subsequently increase to 2GW in the coming years.