A green promise – National Green Hydrogen (NGH) mission | 6th January 2023 | UPSC Daily Editorial Analysis

January, 2023 UPSC
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What's the article about?

  • It talks about the National Green Hydrogen (NGH) Mission, which aims to make India energy-independent, decarbonize major sectors of the economy, and turn the country into a global hub to produce, utilise, and export alternative fuel and its derivatives..

Relevance:

  • GS3: Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life;
  • Environment;
  • Indian Economy;
  • Prelims

Context:

  • The Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which is aimed at making India the global hub for the production of green hydrogen.
  • The total outlay for the mission is ₹19,744 crore, out of which the government has allocated ₹17,490 crore for the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) programme, ₹1,466 crore for the upcoming pilot projects, ₹400 crore for R&D, and ₹388 crore towards other mission components.

What is the National Green Hydrogen Mission?

  • It  was launched on August 15, 2021, with a view to cutting down carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable sources of energy.
  • The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will formulate the scheme guidelines for implementation.
  • It seeks to promote the development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonnes) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country by 2030.
  • It envisages an investment of over ₹8 lakh crore and creation of over 6 lakh jobs by 2030.
  • It will also result in a cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports of over ₹1 lakh crore and abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Different types of hydrogen?

  • Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. But pure, or the elemental hydrogen, is very scarce. It almost always exists in compounds like with oxygen to form H2O, or water.



  • Hydrogen is an essential industrial fuel that has a range of uses from producing ammonia, making steel and cement, to powering fuel cells that can run buses and cars.
  • Based on the manufacturing process followed and methods to deal with the resultant CO2 emissions, the hydrogen is classified as follows:
    • Blue hydrogen is when natural gas is split into hydrogen and CO2 either by Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) or AutoThermal Reforming (ATR), but the CO2 is captured and then stored.
      • As the greenhouse gases are captured, this mitigates the environmental impacts on the planet.
      • The ‘capturing’ is done through a process called Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS).
    • Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced by splitting water by electrolysis. This produces only hydrogen and oxygen. We can use the hydrogen and vent the oxygen to the atmosphere with no negative impact.
      • To achieve electrolysis we need electricity, we need power. This process to make green hydrogen is powered by renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar. That makes green hydrogen the cleanest option – hydrogen from renewable energy sources without CO2 as a by-product.
    • Grey (‘black or brown’) hydrogen has been produced for many years. It is a similar process to blue hydrogen – SMR or ATR are used to split natural gas into Hydrogen and CO2. But the CO2 is not being captured and is released into the atmosphere.
    • Similar to green hydrogen, pink hydrogen is made via electrolysis, but using nuclear energy as its source of power.
    • Another type of hydrogen made by electrolysis is yellow, where electrolysis is achieved solely through solar power (unlike green which could use a combination of renewable energy sources such as wind or solar).

Analysis:

  • All of the hydrogen manufactured now is the so-called ‘black or brown’ hydrogen because they are produced from coal. At present this is the cheapest hydrogen.
  • However, this produces carbon emissions. The concerns over global warming and the gradual but steady embrace of alternative fuels have stoked the world’s interest in producing hydrogen from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy.
  • This, however, is relatively expensive.
  • The NGH mission aims to create an enabling environment for the Indian industry to develop the infrastructure to produce and transport green hydrogen from certain nerve centres to production hubs where they can be used in various industrial applications.
  • The NGH mission has committed to finance the manufacturing of electrolysers, which use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
  • By 2030, the goal is to have at least 5 million metric tonnes of annual green hydrogen production, electrolyser capacity of 60-100 gigawatt and a 125-gigawatt renewable energy capacity for green hydrogen and its associated transmission network.

Way Forward:

  • Green hydrogen, because of the entailed expenses, currently accounts for less than 1% of global hydrogen production and India’s aim is to become a global, industrial hub and exporter of such hydrogen.
  • Despite policies, India has not managed to be a net exporter of solar cells, semiconductors or wind power components.
  • This is because India’s underlying manufacturing base continues to be weak and unable to efficiently absorb and utilise global capital.
  • For India to realise ambitions, it must strengthen its small manufacturing and allied enterprises infrastructure which, rather than large industries, will be the mainstay of any green economy.



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