India’s first pure green hydrogen plant commissioned in Jorhat

What is the News?

Oil India Limited(OIL) has commissioned India’s First pure Green Hydrogen pilot plant at its Jorhat Pump Station in Assam.

About India’s First pure Green Hydrogen plant

Located at: Jorhat Pump Station in Assam

Process: The plant produces Green Hydrogen from the electricity generated by the existing 500kW Solar plant using a 100 kW Anion Exchange Membrane(AEM) Electrolyser array. The use of AEM technology is being used for the first time in India.

What is Green Hydrogen?

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What is the importance of Anion Exchange Membrane(AEM) Technology?

Electrolysis is the process of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, and when powered by renewable energy, it’s shaping up to be a key step in the production of green hydrogen.

Typically, electrolyzers use proton exchange membranes(PEMs) to produce hydrogen. But the problem with this method is that it needs expensive metals like platinum, and ruthenium to remain in an acidic environment.

An alternative to this method is anion exchange membranes(AEMs). This method can operate under alkaline conditions, so they don’t need expensive metals. Hence, the materials involved are thus some 3,000 times less expensive. 

However, AEMs have not found commercial success in hydrogen electrolysis because they don’t perform as well, and they don’t last as long.

Source: This post is based on the article “India’s first pure green hydrogen plant commissioned in Jorhat” published in PIB on 20th April 2022.