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Source: The post is based on the article “India’s green hydrogen move may worsen pollution if steps are not in place, says study” published in “The Hindu” on 27th October 2023
Why in the News?
A study by Climate Risk Horizons(CRH) has said that India’s plans to produce ‘green hydrogen’ could lead to increased pollution without proper oversight.
Can India achieve the target setup under the National Green Hydrogen Mission?
The National Green Hydrogen Mission aims to make five million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030.
To do this, India needs to set up renewable energy sources with a capacity of 125 gigawatts and use 250,000 gigawatt-hour units of power which is around 13% of what India currently uses for electricity.
However, as of August 2023, India’s renewable energy capacity was 131 gigawatts.
To meet this 2030 green hydrogen goal, India needs to add a similar amount of renewable energy by 2030.
This is on top of the commitment to add 500 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030, which is part of the Paris Agreement.
In 2023, India added only 15 gigawatts of new solar and wind energy capacity, falling short of the 45 gigawatts they need to add each year to reach their 2030 target.
What are the concerns related to production of Green Hydrogen?
| Specification | Details |
| Definition of Green Hydrogen | Green hydrogen has been defined as hydrogen with emissions of no more than two kg of carbon dioxide per kg of hydrogen.This definition leaves room for interpretation. |
| Source of electricity for Green Hydrogen production | Running electrolysers 24×7 could lead to reliance on coal-based power, especially during nighttime when solar power is unavailable.This would lead to increase in carbon emissions. |
UPSC Syllabus Topic: Renewable Energy
