CONTEXT   

• India will soon join 15 other countries in the hydrogen club as it prepares to launch the National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHEM). 
• The global target is to produce 1.45 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2023. 

HYDROGEN 

• Hydrogen does not occur freely in nature, but it can be made from natural gas or by passing electric current through water.
• When burned, it emits only water vapour (no carbon dioxide is not produced). 
• Although hydrogen is a clean molecule, the process of extracting it is energy-intensive. 

The sources and processes by which hydrogen is derived, are categorised as: 

• Grey Hydrogen: is produced from fossil fuels.
• Blue Hydrogen: is generated from fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage options.
• Green Hydrogen: is generated entirely from renewable power sources, which split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

HYDROGEN USAGE STATUS IN INDIA

• Currently, India consumes around 5.5 million tonnes of hydrogen, primarily produced from imported fossil fuels.
• According to an analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), by 2030 the demand for green hydrogen could be up to 1 million tonnes in India across application in sectors such as ammonia, steel, methanol, transport and energy storage. 

CHALLENGES AND WAYFORWARD

There exists several challenges in scaling up to commercial-scale operations:

1. Renewable energy resources can produce low-cost electricity. But currently, most renewable energy resources that can produce low-cost electricity are situated far from potential demand centres.

• Hence, there is a need to promote decentralised hydrogen production through open access of renewable power to an electrolyser.
• If hydrogen were to be shipped, it would significantly erode the economics of it. 
• A more viable option would be wheeling electricity directly from the solar plant, rather than shipping it. 

2. We need mechanisms to ensure access to round-the-clock renewable power for decentralised hydrogen production. 

• This can be done, as we scale up to the target of having 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030.
• Thus, aligning hydrogen production needs with broader electricity demand in the economy would be critical.

3. We must take steps to blend green hydrogen in existing processes, especially the industrial sector. 

• Improving the reliability of hydrogen supply by augmenting green hydrogen with conventionally produced hydrogen will significantly improve the economics of the fuel. 
• This will also help build a technical understanding of the processes involved in handling hydrogen on a large scale.

4. Policymakers must facilitate investments in early-stage piloting and the research and development needed to advance the technology for use in India. 

• The growing interest in hydrogen is triggered by the anticipated steep decline in electrolyser costs. 
• Hence, India should not be a mere witness to this. Public funding will have to lead the way, along the private sector, and secure the nation’s energy future.

5. India must learn from the experience of the National Solar Mission and focus on domestic manufacturing. 

• Establishing an end-to-end electrolyser manufacturing facility would require measures like- secure supply of raw materials.
• Further, there is a need for a manufacturing strategy that can leverage the existing strengths and mitigate threats by integrating with the global value chain.

Hydrogen may be lighter than air, but it will take some heavy lifting to get the ecosystem in place.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-fresh-push-for-green-hydrogen/article34379481.ece