India's First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus

India’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus
Source: PIB
GS III: Science and Technology

What is discussed under India’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus?

Union Minister of State launched India’s first truly indigenously developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus developed by KPIT-CSIR in Pune.
Union Minister also inaugurated the Bisphenol-A pilot plant in CSIR-NCL, an important feedstock for the production of epoxy resins, polycarbonate and other engineering plastics.

A fuel cell is a device that produces electrical energy through a chemical reaction.
A positively charged ion (hydrogen) and an oxidising agent (oxygen) are used in fuel cells.
Through carbon electrodes, hydrogen and oxygen are transferred into a concentrated sodium hydroxide solution to function fuel cell.
The cathode, the anode, and the electrolyte that permits the movement of positively charged (hydrogen) ions between the fuel cell’s two sides are the same in all types of fuel cells.
Fuel cells generate electricity with negligible pollution since the majority of the hydrogen and oxygen eventually combine to make water as byproduct.

Hydrogen as a fuel is a zero-emission fuel when it is burned with oxygen.
Photo by Tommy Krombacher on Unsplash
Also, it is non-toxic, readily available, has high applicability, powerful and renewable.
The fuel cells fueled by hydrogen are called Hydrogen Fuel Cell.
Among fuel cells, hydrogen-fueled fuel cells have the best performance and the lowest environmental impact.
Hydrogen fuel cells can produce more energy than diesel or gasoline.
They are nearly three times more efficient than petrol.
Compared to using petrol, this fuel produces fewer pollutants when burned.

HFCVs are fuel cell vehicles with hydrogen-powered electric motor.
Fuel cell cars and trucks mix hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity, which powers a motor.
Fuel cell cars are regarded as electric vehicles since they are totally powered by electricity.
Their range and refuelling procedures are in line with those of regular automobiles and trucks.

Over the past few years, India has vigorously promoted greener transportation.
Eco-friendly technology is receiving support from the government through programmes like FAME (faster adoption and manufacturing of (hybrid) and electric vehicles), FAME II, and a number of additional tax breaks, including decreased GST.
The hydrogen fuel cell represents progress in this field.
The application of such technology in vehicles would significantly reduce pollution as India is now the second-largest producer of tractors, lorries, and buses in the world.

This bus has zero emissions compared to a diesel bus plying on long-distance routes which usually emits 100 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Fuel cell buses and trucks have lower operating costs per kilometre than diesel-powered vehicles thanks to their great fuel economy and the high energy density of hydrogen, which might revolutionise India’s freight industry.
Fuel Cell vehicles also give zero green-house gas emissions.
Heavy commercial diesel vehicles are responsible for 12–14% of the nation’s CO2 and particle emissions, which are decentralised and hence challenging to measure.
However, vehicles powered by hydrogen offer a great way to get rid of the on-road pollutants from this industry.
By becoming a significant producer of green hydrogen and a supplier of green hydrogen equipment, India may leapfrog from being a net importer of fossil fuel energy to a net exporter of clean hydrogen energy, giving India worldwide leadership in the hydrogen sector.

It serves as a crucial raw material in the manufacture of technical plastics including polycarbonate and epoxy resins.
The global market for bisphenol-A is expected to increase at a CAGR of 2% from 2020 to 2027, reaching 7.1 million tonnes.
The entire estimated annual demand of 1, 35,000 tons in India is imported today.
The Minister believed that the technology developed by CSIR-NCL will make it possible to replace imports of this crucial raw material and support India’s Atmanirbhar project.
The uniqueness of the process developed by CSIR-NCL is a novel downstream process technology, which makes this indigenous technology competitive with global benchmarks.
The process is ready for technology transfer and further co-development to a commercial scale.

Green hydrogen

Green hydrogen is hydrogen generated by renewable energy or from low-carbon power.
It has significantly lower carbon emissions than grey hydrogen, which is produced by steam reforming of natural gas, which makes up the bulk of the hydrogen market.
It may be used to decarbonize sectors which are hard to electrify, such as steel and cement production, and thus help to limit climate change.
In February 2022, the Ministry of Power notified Green Hydrogen/Green Ammonia Policy for the production of Green Hydrogen or Green Ammonia using renewable sources of energy.

National Green Hydrogen Mission

The mission aims to aid the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a green hydrogen hub.
This will help in meeting the target of production of 5 million tonnes of Green hydrogen by 2030 and the related development of renewable energy capacity.
The fuels of the future are expected to replace fossil fuels, including hydrogen and ammonia.
One of the key criteria for ensuring the country’s energy security in an ecologically acceptable manner is the production of these fuels using energy from renewable sources, also known as “green hydrogen” and “green ammonia.”
The Indian government is taking a number of steps to ease the switch from fossil fuels and fuel-based feedstocks to green hydrogen and green ammonia.
One of the key measures in this endeavour is the notification of the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

IAS Current Affairs