Green hydrogen

Context

• According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), hydrogen will make up 12% of the energy mix by 2050.

About Hydrogen

• There are no natural hydrogen deposits on earth, it has to be extracted from other compounds by a chemical process.
• The vast majority of industrial hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas through a process known as steam methane reforming or SMR.
• Producing hydrogen in this way is sometimes referred to as brown or grey or even blue hydrogen.

Green hydrogen production

• Hydrogen can also be produced by the electrolysis of water (using an electric current to break water, H2O, into its component elements of hydrogen and oxygen).
• If this electric current is produced by a renewable source (g. Solar PV or a wind turbine), the clean hydrogen produced is known as green hydrogen.

Green hydrogen Status

• Less than 1% of hydrogen produced in the world is green hydrogen.
• India consumes about six million tonnes of hydrogen every year. This could increase to 28 million tonnes by 2050.
• India has favorable geographic location and abundance of sunlight and wind for the production of green hydrogen.
• India will become a net exporter of green hydrogen by 2030 due to its cheap renewable energy tariffs, according to the Global Hydrogen Council.
• Green hydrogen currently costs or Rs 371-446, which is nearly triple the cost of grey hydrogen.
• The price will decrease further as production and sales increase.

Significance

• Under the Paris Climate Agreement, India pledged to reduce the emission intensity of its economy by 33-35 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.
• Our ability to produce large quantities of green hydrogen will play a major role in providing an alternative to fossil fuels as we transition to low emissions and work towards a clean, healthy environment.
• Through the use of green hydrogen, we can foresee a sustainable future in handling increased demand of clean energy.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/pollution/green-hydrogen-can-drive-india-s-transition-to-clean-energy-combat-climate-change-77685#:~:text=Hydrogen%20will%20make%20up%2012,natural%20gas%2C%20the%20agency%20suggested.