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04-09-2024
11:35 AM
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What’s in today’s article?
- Why in the News?
- About Hydrogen
- Types of Hydrogen
- India’s Green Hydrogen Production goals w.r.t. other countries
- Present Capacity
- Challenges associated with Green Hydrogen
- News Summary
- About SIGHT Program
Why in the News?
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has exempted export-oriented green hydrogen projects from its solar module shortlist of domestic manufacturers.
- This aimed at enabling green hydrogen projects to lower costs to the level of grey hydrogen.
About Hydrogen
- Hydrogen is the lightest chemical element.
- It is colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, and highly combustible.
- It is the 3rd most abundant element in the human body.
- The two most abundant elements in human body are Oxygen and Carbon.
- Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical substance in the universe, constituting roughly 75% of all normal matter.
- Hydrogen can be produced from a range of resources including fossil fuels, nuclear energy, biomass and renewable energy sources.
Types of Hydrogen
- Depending on production methods, hydrogen can be Grey, Blue or Green.
- Grey Hydrogen:
- Grey hydrogen is created from natural gas, or methane, using Steam Methane Reformation (SMR) but without capturing the greenhouse gases made in the process.
- In SMR, high-temperature steam (700°C–1,000°C) is used to produce hydrogen from a methane source, such as natural gas.
- The CO2 produced in this process is released directly into the atmosphere.
- Unfortunately this accounts from roughly 95% of the hydrogen produced in the world today.
- Blue Hydrogen:
- Hydrogen is labelled blue whenever the carbon generated from steam reforming is captured and stored underground through industrial carbon capture and storage (CSS).
- Blue hydrogen is, therefore, sometimes referred to as carbon neutral as the emissions are not dispersed in the atmosphere.
- However, some argue that “low carbon” would be a more accurate description, as 10-20% of the generated carbon cannot be captured.
- It has significant cost and emissions advantages.
- Green Hydrogen:
- Green hydrogen is produced by using clean energy from surplus renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, to split water into two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom through a process called electrolysis.
- This makes green hydrogen the cleanest option – hydrogen from renewable energy sources without CO2 as a by-product.
- It currently makes up about 0.1% of overall hydrogen production, but this is expected to rise as the cost of renewable energy continues to fall.
India’s Green Hydrogen Production goals w.r.t. other countries
- In August 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the National Hydrogen Mission as a step towards environmental security and to make India a global hub for the production and export of green hydrogen.
- India plans to manufacture 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2030.
- This would be half of the European Union’s 2030 target of 10 million tonnes.
- On the other hand, China announced a relatively shorter-term target to produce up to 2,00,000 tonnes per year of green hydrogen by 2025.
- Spain, Germany and France have announced their commitment to install 4 GW, 5GW and 6.5 GW of green hydrogen respectively, by 2030.
Present Capacity
- There are 26 hydrogen projects in India, with a total capacity of 255,000 tonnes per year.
- However, a majority of these announced projects are still in their early stages.
- Only around 8,000 tonnes per year of capacity is expected to be operational by 2024.
Challenges associated with Green Hydrogen
- Technology:
- Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- By running an electrical current through water, the membrane and electrolyte can separate the water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Green hydrogen needs electrolysers to be built on a scale larger than we've yet seen.
- Transportation & Storage:
- Either very high pressures or very high temperatures are required, both with their own technical difficulties.
- Electricity:
- Creating green hydrogen needs a huge amount of electricity, which means an exponential increase in the amount of wind and solar power to meet global targets.
News Summary
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has granted exemptions to export-oriented green hydrogen projects from its Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), which mandates the use of domestically produced solar modules.
- This exemption allows such projects to use cheaper imported modules, significantly reducing production costs and enhancing cost-competitiveness against grey hydrogen.
- This move aims to expand global demand for green hydrogen, where India has a focus on exports. India aims to produce 5 million metric tons of green hydrogen by 2030, with projects already announced for 7.5 MMT.
- MNRE has also allocated Rs 17,490 crore under its SIGHT program for electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen capacity, along with Rs 400 crore for R&D projects.
- Other incentives include the waiving of transmission charges and environmental clearance requirements for green hydrogen projects.
About SIGHT Program
- The SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition) program is an initiative by the Government of India aimed at promoting the production and adoption of green hydrogen in the country.
- Key Features Include:
- Focus on Electrolyser Manufacturing: The program aims to boost domestic manufacturing of electrolysers, which are essential for producing green hydrogen through renewable energy sources.
- Green Hydrogen Production: It also encourages the establishment of green hydrogen production facilities in India, with an emphasis on making the country a global leader in green hydrogen exports.
- Financial Allocation: The Indian government has allocated Rs 17,490 crore under the SIGHT program. This financial support is intended to incentivize investments in electrolyser manufacturing, green hydrogen projects, and other related infrastructure.
- Boosting Employment and Investment: By fostering a green hydrogen industry, the program is expected to create job opportunities and attract both domestic and international investments in clean energy technologies.
- Incentives and Policy Support: The program includes incentives such as waiving transmission charges for green hydrogen projects and providing funds for research and development (R&D).
Q1. What is green hydrogen?
Green hydrogen is defined as hydrogen produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity.
Q2. What is India's 2030 target for renewable energy?
India aims to increase renewables capacity to 500 GW by 2030, meet 50% of energy requirements from renewables, reduce cumulative emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030, and reduce the emissions intensity of India's gross domestic product (GDP) by 45% by 2030.