Green hydrogen: Fuel of the future?

What is the News?

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, India has said that India will emerge as the leader of green hydrogen by taking advantage of the current energy crisis across the globe.

Note: Recently, Oil India Limited (OIL) commissioned India’s first 99.99% pure green hydrogen plant in eastern Assam’s Jorhat.

What is Green Hydrogen?

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Why is India pursuing green hydrogen?

Under the Paris Agreement, India is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 33-35% from the 2005 levels. At the 2021 Conference of Parties in Glasgow, India reiterated its commitment to move from a fossil and import-dependent economy to a net-zero economy by 2070.

To fulfil those commitments, India launched the National Hydrogen Mission in 2021. The mission aims 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 the objective of raising non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030. India’s first 99.99% pure green hydrogen plant in eastern Assam’s Jorhat unit has an installed capacity to produce 10 kg of hydrogen per day and scale it up to 30 kg per day.

What are the advantages of hydrogen as a fuel?

a) Green hydrogen can be stored for long periods of time, b) The stored hydrogen can be used to produce electricity using fuel cells. In a fuel cell, hydrogen gas reacts with oxygen to produce electricity and water vapour. Hydrogen, thus, can act as an energy storage device and contribute to grid stability.

c) The oxygen, produced as a by-product (8 kg of oxygen is produced per 1 kg of hydrogen), can also be monetised by using it for industrial and medical applications or for enriching the environment.

Source: The post is based on the article “Green hydrogen: Fuel of the future?” published in The Hindu on 27th May 2022.