India’s green hydrogen project has kickstarted

This year began on a high note for climate activists. The government of India finally launched the first phase of the long-awaited National Hydrogen Policy, as part of its National Hydrogen Mission. The goal was quite simple—to emerge as a global leader in green hydrogen production. And why exactly is green hydrogen so popular these days? Well, it’s largely considered an environmentally sustainable alternative to grey hydrogen, which releases high quantities of carbon footprints.  

In this way, green hydrogen, being a clean energy source, could be pivotal in helping India achieve its aim of becoming a zero-carbon nation. Increased green hydrogen production could also potentially save the country’s capital and funds as they would no longer be spent on oil and gas imports. To this effect, the government has introduced several incentives to encourage companies to begin their own green hydrogen programmes. 

Several Indian corporate giants, including Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited, have stepped up to the plate. In fact, Ambani recently announced that Reliance is experimenting with various technologies to devise electrolysers that will help boost local green hydrogen production at economical rates. Reliance has also expressed an interest in bidding for government-backed incentives that will push other companies to pursue similar clean energy projects. 

Let’s learn more about all things hydrogen! 

How is hydrogen produced?
Before diving into the topic of green hydrogen, let’s first understand how hydrogen is produced. Studies reveal that 96% of the world’s hydrogen is procured from fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum and natural gas through the process of reforming. The International Energy Agency (IEA) describes reforming as a process wherein fossil fuels are mixed with steam, and subsequently warmed to a temperature of nearly 800 ℃. In this way, hydrogen is separated from the carbon dioxide present in the mixture. While the carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, the hydrogen is extracted, preserved and ultimately used as a fuel. However, this fuel still contains trace amounts of carbon, which adds to the carbon footprint, and as a result, impacts the environment negatively. This is where green hydrogen comes to the rescue. 

Green hydrogen: A blessing
How is green hydrogen generated? A device called ‘electrolyser’ is used to divide water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. This device is powered by renewable energy sources, such as the sun and the wind. So, the resulting hydrogen produced, known as green hydrogen, is essentially carbon-neutral.  

Experts estimate that green hydrogen will most likely become central to India’s clean energy initiative. That’s because although hydrogen emits fossil fuels while burned, its by-product is water. And water is the most environmentally friendly by-product there can be! This makes green hydrogen a clean and sustainable fuel; the only drawback is its high production cost.  

There’s good news though. Investments have doubled and trebled since the launch of the National Hydrogen Policy. Industry rivals Adani and Ambani have also stepped forward and promised $14 billion dollars in green investments. India’s future certainly looks green, doesn’t it!?