Context:- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced a Rs-496- crore (until 2025-26) scheme. To support pilot projects that either test the viability of green hydrogen as a vehicle fuel or develop secure supporting infrastructure such as refueling stations.
Background:
Big Indian commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Volvo Eicher, and Ashok Leyland are doubling down on efforts. This is to develop hydrogen powered trucks and buses by ramping up research and development, and building manufacturing capacities.
About Green Hydrogen:
- Hydrogen is colourless, and green hydrogen is ‘green’ only by virtue of the way it is produced, and the source of the energy used to manufacture it.
- Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen that is produced from the electrolysis of water — splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen — using an electrolyser powered by renewable energy.
- This is considered to be a virtually emission-free pathway for hydrogen production. It is ‘end-to-end’ green because it is powered by green energy, uses water as feedstock, and emits no carbon on consumption.
- Currently, most hydrogen produced for industrial consumption and applications is ‘grey’ hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas through energy-intensive processes, and has high carbon emissions.
- Except for a difference in the production pathway and emissions, green hydrogen is essentially the same as grey — or hydrogen categorised by any other colour.
Challenges to the large-scale use of green hydrogen in the transportation sector:
- The foremost among challenges is the prohibitive cost of production, followed by challenges of storage and transportation at scale.
- Green hydrogen-powered vehicles are not yet seen as a suitable alternative to four-wheel battery electric vehicles (BEVs) due to challenges arising from fuel costs and building supporting infrastructure.
- Hydrogen is extremely flammable, which means that special care would be needed in handling the fuel at retail stations compared to diesel, petrol, or even CNG. Robust and fool-proof handling and safety standards need to be developed before pushing large-scale adoption.
- Currently, most cylinders manufactured in India are designed to carry compressed natural gas (CNG). But hydrogen is stored at a much higher pressure, and CNG cylinders cannot carry hydrogen. For cylinders to carry a high mass of hydrogen, the carbon fibre needs to be stronger, which makes high-pressure hydrogen cylinders expensive. This is a key barrier to the adoption of hydrogen as a transport fuel. For the same reason, the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure is also not seen as viable.
Read also Green Hydrogen and its issue
