The government is organizing to use 2,000 mega-watt (MW) solar and wind energy capacity for hydrogen production. It will also hold green hydrogen auctions as component of a broader program to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Apart from industrial use, hydrogen technologies can also be used to shop electrical energy and potentially to run cars.
Sources stated plans have been also afoot to make it mandatory for user industries like fertilisers and petroleum refineries to buy 10% of their hydrogen specifications from domestic green hydrogen sources.
The nation presently consumes about 5-6 million tonne of hydrogen annually. The Union ministry of new and renewable power (MNRE) is presently charting the ‘National Hydrogen Energy Mission’ to make a hydrogen worth-chain in the nation and bring down the expenses of hydrogen production.
Solar and wind plants can generate green hydrogen via electrolysis, a method wherein the electrical energy generated is place in water to make hydrogen and oxygen. However, offered the existing higher expenses and lack of supporting infrastructure, specialists noted that the government has to overcome a quantity to challenges to create a sustainable eco-technique for this new type of power.
Analysts, having said that, point out that mandatory green hydrogen buy could be a burden on the user industries. For instance, imported ammonia now expenses about $327 per tonne, whilst ammonia made from green hydrogen may possibly price about $600 per tonne for fertiliser plants. “The government should conduct a detailed study on the impact of mandatory green hydrogen purchase obligations for various types of industries,” Somesh Kumar, national leader – energy and utilities at EY India, told FE.
“The hydrogen mission document to be released son will provide clarity on the government’s target on long-term production of green hydrogen, priority sectors and fiscal and non-fiscal support, and will also help in understanding how much renewable energy capacity will be needed for green hydrogen output,” stated Hemant Mallya, senior programme lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
“We should be looking at niche applications such as sustainable aviation fuels from green hydrogen where the market, mostly international, is able to absorb the premium costs,” Mallya stated, adding that “With the rising pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on developed countries, export markets such Japan and Korea, where renewable energy resources are limited, can be early markets for green hydrogen offtake”.
State-run energy generator NTPC has signed an MoU with Siemens for production of green hydrogen from the company’s renewable power plants. Indian Oil Corporation is also in the method of setting up a one tonne per day capacity pilot hydrogen production plants, and operate 15 hydrogen fuel cell buses in Delhi NCR area. Reliance Industries has stated it will create complete stack electrolyser and fuel cell options in India which will be necessary to run hydrogen fuel celled cars.