National Green Hydrogen Mission: Catching the bus

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The Union Cabinet approved a ?19,744 crore National Green Hydrogen mission.

National Green Hydrogen Mission

• The Mission will “facilitate demand creation, production, utilisation and export of Green Hydrogen,”
• It aims to make India a ‘global hub’ for using, producing and exporting green hydrogen.
• It aims to incentivise the commercial production of green hydrogen and make India a net exporter of the fuel. 
• The mission has laid out a target to develop green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum. 
  • This is alongside adding renewable energy capacity of about 125 GW (gigawatt) in the country. 

Submissions

• There are two umbrella sub-missions under the program. 
  • the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT), which will fund the domestic manufacturing of electrolyzers and produce green hydrogen. 
  • Support pilot projects in emerging end-use sectors and production pathways.
    • States and regions capable of supporting large-scale production and/or utilisation of hydrogen will be identified and developed as Green Hydrogen Hubs. 

Significance 

• It can be used to generate electricity or as fuel in industries or vehicles.
• It will entail the decarbonisation of the industrial, mobility and energy sectors;
  • reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels and feedstock;
  • developing indigenous manufacturing capabilities; 
  • creating employment opportunities; and developing new technologies such as efficient fuel cells.

 Challenges

• Green hydrogen development is still in the nascent stages globally and while India can take the lead in being a major producer, it doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure yet.
  • Optimizing plant designs and end-to-end green hydrogen systems can be costly and incredibly complex. 
• Limited specialized workforce.
• Green hydrogen is also incredibly challenging to store and transport. 
  • It is a highly flammable gas with a low volumetric density, requiring investment in specialized pipelines and carriers.
• High energy losses. Green hydrogen loses a considerable amount of energy at every point in the supply chain
• Reduced knowledge on optimum design and return on investment, thus limiting bankability.

Suggestions and Way Ahead 

• Green hydrogen, produced through a clean process, is rightly seen as the most dependable source of energy of the future. 
•  For India to realise ambitions, it must strengthen its small manufacturing and allied enterprises infrastructure along with large industries.
• India needs to announce incentives to convince enough users of industrial hydrogen to adopt green hydrogen.
•  It needs to develop supply chains in the form of pipelines, tankers, intermediate storage and last-leg distribution networks as well as put in place an effective skill development programme to ensure that lakhs of workers can be suitably trained to adapt to a viable green hydrogen economy