Green hydrogen, a new ally for a zero carbon future

• Integrity Education, Delhi
• 09, Sep 2021

• Fossil fuels are responsible for the production of over 830 million tons per annum of carbon dioxide.
• In order to achieve the goal of an alternative source of energy, governments are placing large bets in the hope of adopting a multifaceted practical approach to utilise ‘Green hydrogen’ as a driving source to power our industries and light our homes with the ‘zero emission’ of carbon dioxide.

Hydrogen as a fuel

• Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet, but rarely in its pure form.
• It has an energy density almost three times that of diesel.
• This phenomenon makes it a rich source of energy, but the challenge is to compress or liquify the LH2 (liquid hydrogen); it needs to be kept at a stable minus 253° C (far below the temperature of minus 163° C at which Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is stored; entailing its ‘prior to use exorbitant cost’.

Green Hydrogen

• Green Hydrogen is a zero-carbon fuel made by electrolysis using renewable power from wind and solar to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
• The ‘production cost’ of ‘Green hydrogen’ has been considered to be a prime obstacle.
• According to studies by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA), the production cost of this ‘green source of energy’ is expected to be around $1.5 per kilogram.

Why India needs Green Hydrogen ?
India is the world’s third largest energy consuming country behind China and the United States

Govt Projects
The Indian Railways have announced the country’s first experiment of a hydrogen-fuel cell technology based train by retrofitting an existing diesel engine