On India’s 75th Independence Day (15th August 2021) the Prime Minister announced the National Hydrogen Mission. It aims to cut down carbon emissions and increase the use of renewable sources of energy while aligning India’s efforts with global best practices in technology, policy, and regulation. The Government of India has allotted Rs 25 crore in the Union Budget 2021–22 for the research and development of hydrogen energy and intends to produce three-fourths of its hydrogen from renewable resources by 2050.
About Hydrogen
- Hydrogen is the lightest and first element on the periodic table. Since the weight of hydrogen is less than air, it rises in the atmosphere and is therefore rarely found in its pure form, H2.
- At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a nontoxic, nonmetallic, odorless, tasteless, colorless, and highly combustible diatomic gas.
- Hydrogen fuel is a zero-emission fuel burned with oxygen. It can be used in fuel cells or internal combustion engines. It is also used as a fuel for spacecraft propulsion.
There are 6 types of Hydrogen
Grey Hydrogen-extracted from hydrocarbon like fossil fuels, and natural gas.
Blue Hydrogen-extracted from fossil fuels
Brown Hydrogen-extracted from coal.
Pink Hydrogen-made from the electrolysis of water, powered by nuclear energy.
White Hydrogen-naturally occurring found in underground deposits.
Green Hydrogen-Generated from renewable energy (like Solar, Wind).
Hydrogen Energy
Hydrogen is emerging as an important source of energy since it has zero carbon content and is a non-polluting source of energy and is expected to reduce carbon emissions that are set to jump by 1.5 billion tons in 2021.
As per International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Hydrogen shall make up 6 percent of total energy consumption by 2050.
Hydrogen Production
Hydrogen can be produced from hydrocarbons including natural gas, oil, and coal through processes like steam methane reforming, partial oxidation, and coal gasification; as well as from renewables like water, sunlight, and wind through electrolysis and photolysis and other thermo-chemical processes.
The current global demand for hydrogen is 70 million metric tonnes per year, with natural gas accounting for more than 76%, coal accounting for 23%, and water electrolysis accounting for the remainder.
Hydrogen is currently mostly employed in industries such as oil refining, ammonia manufacturing, methanol production, and steel manufacturing. It has enormous promise as a direct replacement for fossil fuels in the transportation industry.
Hydrogen Energy in INDIA
As early as in 2003, National Hydrogen Energy Board was formed and in 2006 the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy laid out the National Hydrogen Energy Road Map identifying transport and power generation as two major green energy initiatives. But it is still in a very early stage.
India is taking part in the Mission Innovation Challenge for Clean Hydrogen, with the goal of accelerating the establishment of a global hydrogen market by identifying and overcoming significant technological barriers to gigawatt-scale hydrogen production, distribution, storage, and usage.
Presently, more than 100 research groups are focusing on fuel cell technology. There are a number of foreign and Indian companies that are involved in hydrogen production, storage, or delivery in India, including Praxair (USA), Linde (global member of hydrogen council), Inox (Indo-US joint venture), Air Liquide (France), SAGIM (France), Air Products (USA), Fuel Cell Energy (USA), H2Scan (USA), ITM Power (UK), Heliocentris (Germany), Aditya Birla, Bhoruka Gases Ltd, Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd, Air Science Technologies and Sukan Engineering Private Limited.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
Rich in hydrocarbon resources, currently the GCC countries consume around 7 percent of the grey hydrogen sourced from natural gas. Qatar is the largest consumer of hydrogen in the region followed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, and Bahrain.
GCC countries are at the forefront of cost reductions in renewables and in shaping the energy transformation within as well as outside the region. According to an IRENA( International Renewable Energy Agency ) analysis, the accelerated deployment of renewable energy in the GCC region can reduce emissions of CO2 by 136 million tons.
Factors Facilitating GCC(Gulf Cooperation Council)
- Huge existing industrial capacity and required capital to invest in the initial infrastructure.
- It has an abundance of inexpensive land and water along with solar and wind resources that can help in the production of Green Hydrogen.
- These countries are situated in geographical proximity to the emerging and future markets for cleaner fuel.
- GCC countries can easily be producers of Blue Hydrogen due to the availability of hydrocarbons and the carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) capacity.
INDIA AND GCC
- In 2017–18 India imported nearly 53 percent of its energy from the Persian Gulf, and UAE and Saudi Arabia were the third and fourth-largest trading partners of India.
- India has signed MoUs on renewable energy with most of the GCC countries.
- Acme Solar Holdings Ltd, India’s largest pure-play solar platform, has inked an MoU with the Oman Company for the Development of the Special Economic Zone to spend US$ 2.5 billion in Duqm to make green ammonia and green hydrogen. Green ammonia will be supplied to Europe, America, and Asia from the factory, which will produce 2,200 metric tonnes (mt) of green ammonia per day.
- India also organized Hydrogen Roundtable titled’ The Hydrogen Economy-New Delhi Dialogue 2021 and Invited many countries.
- In 2019, India signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia about cooperation in renewable energy including hydrogen.
Challenges
One of the major challenges faced by GCC countries in the production of hydrogen fuel is the incompatibility of electrolyzers with saltwater. Seawater needs to be desalinized before it becomes feasible for electrolysis. There is a potential for collaboration between India and these countries on this issue.
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