India’s Green Hydrogen Move
Source: PIB
GS II: Environment
Overview
- News in Brief
- How it helps
Why in the News?
India’s plans to produce so-called green hydrogen where the gas is produced without resulting in fossil fuel emissions may end up worsening pollution if proper checks and balances are not in place, according to a study by Environmental and Energy thinktank, Climate Risk Horizons (CRH).
News in Brief
- The MNRE has defined green hydrogen as hydrogen produced in a way that emits no more than two kg of carbon dioxide per kg of such hydrogen.
- Producing one kg of grey hydrogen as it is known ends up emitting nine kg of carbon dioxide.
- While a detailed methodology is awaited, the definition as it stands leaves a lot to interpretation.
- The main concern is that if electrolysers were run 24×7, they would be expected to operate even at night when no solar power is available.
- If electricity comes from India’s coal-powered grid in general, it will in fact increase carbon emissions.
- Since about 70% of the electricity on the grid is coal-generated — more in non-daylight hours when solar generation is nil
- The vast majority of projects have not disclosed their source of electricity.
- It is also not clear if those few projects have committed to meeting 100% of their requirement from these sources.
India’s Green Hydrogen Move and Renewable Capacity
- Piloted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), expects to manufacture five million tonnes by 2030.
- This would require the installation of renewable energy capacity worth 125 GW and the use of 250,000 gigawatt-hour units of power, equivalent to about 13% of India’s present electricity generation.
- Supported by a newly released ₹400 crore research and development program green hydrogen mission aims to produce 5 million metric tons (MMT) of green hydrogen annually by 2030.
- This is over and above the 500 GW of RE capacity that India has committed to install by 2030 as part of the Paris Agreement.
- As of August 2023, India’s total renewable energy (RE) capacity stood at 131 GW.
- The 2030 green hydrogen plan envisages adding an equivalent RE capacity by 2030.
- India installed only 15 GW of new solar and wind capacity in 2023, against the 45 GW per year needed to reach the 2030 target.
What are the Challenges in Green Hydrogen Move?
- Grid-powered electrolysis
- Green hydrogen, generated through grid-powered electrolysis, might possess embodied carbon emissions higher than that of traditional grey hydrogen made from fossil fuels.
- 70% of India’s electricity is coal-based, any fraction of this requirement sourced from the coal-powered grid will substantially increase emissions.
- Achieving the 2030 target would necessitate approximately 250 TWh of electricity or about 13% of India’s current electricity generation.
- Source Not Disclosed
- The majority of projects have not disclosed their electricity sources.
- Future demand for green hydrogen is not guaranteed
- The majority of countries around the world still do not have a specific hydrogen development strategy.
- This type of hydrogen is not yet in real demand for practical application.
Daily Current Affairs: Click Here