What is Green Hydrogen

• A colorless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic and highly combustible gaseous substance, hydrogen is the lightest, simplest and most abundant member of the family of chemical elements.
• The ‘green’ depends on how the electricity is generated to obtain the hydrogen, which does not emit greenhouse gas when burned.
• Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis using renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind or hydel power.

Why is India pursuing Green Hydrogen?

• Under the Paris Agreement (a legally binding international treaty on climate change with the goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels) of 2015, India is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 33-35% from the 2005 levels. 
• At the 2021 Conference of Parties in Glasgow, India reiterated its commitment to move from a fossil and import-dependent economy to a net-zero economy by 2070.
•  India’s average annual energy import bill is more than $100 billion and the increased consumption of fossil fuel has made the country a high carbon dioxide (CO2) emitter, accounting for nearly 7% of the global CO2 burden.
• In order to become energy independent by 2047, the government stressed the need to introduce green hydrogen as an alternative fuel that can make India the global hub and a major exporter of hydrogen.
• The National Hydrogen Mission was launched on August 15, 2021, with a view to cutting down carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable sources of energy.

How is India producing Green Hydrogen?

• India has just begun to generate green hydrogen with the objective of raising non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030.
• It was on April 20, 2022 that the public sector OIL, which is headquartered in eastern Assam’s Duliajan, set up India’s first 99.99% pure green hydrogen pilot plant in keeping with the goal of “making the country ready for the pilot-scale production of hydrogen and its use in various applications while “research and development efforts are ongoing for a reduction in the cost of production, storage and the transportation” of hydrogen.
• The plant was set up at the petroleum exploration major’s Jorhat pump station in eastern Assam.
• Powered by a 500 KW solar plant, the green hydrogen unit has an installed capacity to produce 10 kg of hydrogen per day and scale it up to 30 kg per day.
• A specialized blender has also been installed for blending green hydrogen produced from the unit with the natural gas supplied by the Assam Gas Corporation Limited and supplying the blended gas to the Jorhat area for domestic and industrial use.

What are the advantages of Hydrogen as a Fuel?

• The intermittent nature of renewable energy, especially wind, leads to grid instability. Green hydrogen can be stored for long periods of time and the stored hydrogen can be used to produce electricity using fuel cells. 
• Hydrogen, thus, can act as an energy storage device and contribute to grid stability as hydrogen gas reacts with oxygen to produce electricity and water vapour.
• Experts say the oxygen, produced as a by-product (8 kg of oxygen is produced per 1 kg of hydrogen), can also be monetised by using it for industrial and medical applications or for enriching the environment.
• Renewable developers see green hydrogen as an emerging market and some have targeted the transport sector.

Why in news?

• At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas emphasized that India will emerge as the leader of green hydrogen by taking advantage of the current energy crisis across the globe.

Reference:

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/green-hydrogen-fuel-of-the-future/article65463098.ece