National Green Hydrogen Mission launched in January 2023 with an outlay of ₹19,744 Crore up to 2029. The mission aims to make India a global hub for producing, utilizing and exporting Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.
India is taking decisive steps for transitioning from fossil fuels to green hydrogen. It is responding to escalating demands.
What is National Green Hydrogen Mission?
The National Green Hydrogen Mission is a collaborative effort of the government in which the government is supporting public private partnership framework for research, development and pilot projects fostering innovation and creating an ecosystem for development of green hydrogen in the country.
What are the Objectives of the Mission?
- Mission envisions a 5 million metric tonnes annual green hydrogen production capacity with an additional renewable energy capacity of approximately 125 GW. That can help India to become energy independent by 2047.
- It would reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels worth 1 lakh crore by 2030.
- In fact, annual allocation for Green Ammonia production has been increased from 5,50,000 tonnes per annum to 7,50,000 tonnes per annum.
- The mission includes Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) program which will have incentives for manufacturing of electrolysers and production of green hydrogen.
- There will be development of Green Hydrogen Hubs in all over India.
- It would avert nearly 50 million metric tonnes per annum of CO2 emissions by 2030. That propels India’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2070.
- The projected investments exceeding 8 lakh Crore which has the potential of creating over 6 lakh new jobs across the entire green hydrogen industry.
Why There is a Need of Green Hydrogen?
- It is the lightest and the most abundant element in the universe.
- It is a clean fuel which has potential to revolutionize the energy sector
- It is a game changer as it is produced using renewable energy. That makes it a sustainable and clean alternative to the fossil fuels
Types of the Hydrogen
There are 3 types of the Hydrogen based on their extraction methods
Green Hydrogen:
It is produced using electrolysis of water with electricity generated by renewable energy. The carbon intensity ultimately dependents on the carbon neutrality of the source of electricity.
For Instance: The more renewable energy there is in the electricity fuel mix, the ‘greener’ the hydrogen produced.
Blue Hydrogen:
It is produced via natural gas or coal gasification combined with carbon capture storage (CCS) or carbon capture use (CCU) technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
Grey Hydrogen:
It is produced via coal or lignite gasification (black or brown), or via a process called steam methane reformation (SMR) of natural gas or methane (grey). These tend to be mostly carbon-intensive processes.