GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Environment Conservation
Source: DTE
Context: The article discusses the role of biohydrogen in India’s green hydrogen pathway. It also discusses the industrial interest in biogas reforming, which converts biogas into environmentally friendly chemicals like syngas or bio-hydrogen.
The key difference between biohydrogen and green hydrogen is in their sources of production:
- Biohydrogen: Derived from biological sources such as biogas, and often considered a form of renewable hydrogen due to its environmentally friendly conversion process.
- Biohydrogen is hydrogen produced from biological sources, typically through biogas reforming. It converts biogas (CH4 and CO2) into hydrogen, often referred to as syngas or bio-hydrogen
- Green Hydrogen: Produced through the electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, and is considered the purest form of clean hydrogen.
In August 2023, the Union Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, provided a definition for green hydrogen, specifying it as having a well-to-gate emission (encompassing water treatment, electrolysis, gas purification, drying and compression of hydrogen) not exceeding 2 kg CO2 equivalent per kg H2. In contrast, grey hydrogen, on average, emits 10 kg of CO2 per kg of H2 produced.
Nodal Agency: The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) (under the Union Ministry of Power) is the nodal authority responsible for accrediting agencies for monitoring, verifying and certifying green hydrogen production projects.
Challenges in Green Hydrogen Production:
| Not Sufficient | Green hydrogen constitutes less than 1 per cent of the world’s hydrogen production and usage (as per the Global Hydrogen Review 2023 by the International Energy Agency (IEA)) |
| Green hydrogen production needs to grow significantly to align with Net Zero Emissions goals. | |
| Energy inefficient | 30% of renewable energy is lost while producing hydrogen |
| Carbon emissions. | Existing methods involve fossil fuels with high carbon emissions. |
| Low Adoption | Low-emission hydrogen adoption in various sectors is slow. |
| Economic Sustainability | Low economic sustainability of extracting green hydrogen.
For transportation fuel cells, hydrogen must be cost-competitive with conventional fuels and technologies on a per-mile basis |
| Access to critical minerals | Access to critical minerals such as nickel, platinum group metals and rare earth metals such as lanthanum, yttrium and zirconium could hinder scaling up electrolyser manufacturing capability in India |
Biohydrogen as a Promising Solution:
| Challenge | How Biohydrogen Addresses It |
| Source Diversity | Utilizes biogas as a readily available source, offering diversity in raw materials for hydrogen production. |
| Environmental Benefits | Converts methane and CO2 in biogas into hydrogen, reducing harmful emissions and promoting a more sustainable process. |
| Cost-Effective | Biogas-based hydrogen production is often cost-effective, making it a practical solution for green hydrogen. |
| It is cost-effective mainly due to the similarity between biogas and natural gas | |
| Carbon Capture | The biohydrogen process inherently captures carbon from biogas, contributing to carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative outcomes. |
| Biogas reforming can help reduce carbon deposition through the use of excess steam | |
| Infrastructure Compatibility | Biohydrogen production methods can be integrated with existing natural gas infrastructure, minimizing the need for new infrastructure development. |
| Research and Development | Attracts significant research interest and investment, driving innovation in the field of biohydrogen production. |
Government Initiatives for Bio and Green Hydrogen:
| Initiative | Key Points |
| Global Biofuel Alliance | Leading efforts to establish global standards for hydrogen from biomass. |
| National Hydrogen Mission | Targeting a production increase to 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) by 2030, meeting 40% of domestic requirements. |
| Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme | Proposing a Rs 15,000-crore PLI scheme for electrolysers. |
| Green Hydrogen Mission | Development of Green Hydrogen Production Capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum; Renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country by 2030 |
| Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT): Funding domestic electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen production. | |
| Green Hydrogen Hubs: Identifying and developing states/regions for large-scale hydrogen production/utilization. | |
| Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership (SHIP): Under this Public-private partnership framework R&D will be facilitated under the mission. | |
| International Collaboration | Actively partnering with other countries, research institutions, and private entities for expertise and technology development. |
| Renewable Energy Integration | Integrating green hydrogen production with India's expanding renewable energy capacity for improved efficiency and sustainability. |
India’s status for Green Hydrogen:
- Oil India Limited (OIL) recently commissioned India’s first 99% pure green hydrogen plant in eastern Assam’s Jorhat
- NTPC (in Kawas, Surat)has started India’s 1st Green Hydrogen Blending operation in the Piped Natural gas (PNG) Network.
- The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has given approval for a 5% blending of green hydrogen with PNG (later to be scaled to 20%)
- Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has collaborated with business management consultant
- The Green Billions (TGBL)to manage its waste and generate it into useable green hydrogen (under the waste-to-hydrogen project)
- Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP)to mobilise finance and speed up green energy development
Way forward
- Investment in R&D on green Hydrogen technology is required.
- There is a need to announce incentives to convince enough users of industrial hydrogen to adopt green hydrogen.
- India needs to develop supply chains in the form of pipelines, tankers, intermediate storage and last-leg distribution networks.
- Need to establish an end-to-end electrolyser manufacturing facility.
- Need a manufacturing strategy that integrates with the global value chain and can maximize existing strengths.
Conclusion
Bio-hydrogen will be a critical industrial fuel of the 21st century. India is well-positioned to show leadership, which is in India’s and the planet’s collective interest.
Insta Links:
India’s green hydrogen challenge
Mains Links:
What are the key features of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) initiated by the Government of India? (UPSC 2020)
