JNS: India has committed to being carbon neutral by the year 2070. As the nation’s energy and resource needs grow, a switch to renewable energy is crucial.
Green hydrogen (GH2) could help India achieve a low-carbon, self-sufficient economy.
Renewable energy electrolyzes water to make green hydrogen. Green hydrogen, unlike grey hydrogen, is renewable and carbon-free. Green hydrogen, produced from renewable energy sources without carbon emissions, is the cleanest hydrogen.
GH2 can be burned or used in industrial processes. Fuel cells can convert it back into electricity.
It is easier to store and transfer than grid renewable electricity for usage far from the source. Green ammonia and green methanol store extra renewable electricity during low demand.
India imports 40% of its primary energy, worth approximately USD 90 billion annually. Mobility and industry depend heavily on imported fossil fuels. Green hydrogen, created using renewable energy, can use domestically plentiful renewable energy resources across locations, seasons, and industries as a fuel or industrial feedstock.
The National Green Hydrogen Mission aspires to make India the global leader in green hydrogen and its derivatives production, use, and export. The mission will create capabilities to manufacture at least 5 Million Metric Tons (MMT) of green hydrogen per year by 2030, potentially reaching 10 MMT with export market expansion. India will also lead electrolyser technology and manufacture of green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen requires electrolysers, renewable energy, money, water supply and treatment, storage and distribution, hydrogen derivative conversion, and supporting infrastructure. Green hydrogen production costs should fall as the sector develops.
Green hydrogen can help India establish a low-carbon, self-sufficient economy. India can scale up green hydrogen production and use across many industries and align with global technology, applications, policy, and regulation under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.