India needs $ 500 b of investments for making the transition to hydrogen: BJP

 A spokesman of the ruling BJP Party has said that India would need $ 500 billion to make the energy transition from fossil fuels to hydrogen. 

Speaking at a webinar organized by the Trade Promotion Council of India on "Hydrogen: The key to a carbon-free future?", the keynote speaker, Gopal Krishna Agarwal, National Spokesperson-Economic Affairs, BJP, said: “India’s per capita energy consumption is 30% lower than the world average. This is likely to double in the coming years as India industrialises and becomes an attractive destination for setting up of manufacturing industries. Though there are numerous challenges at present related to the deployment of hydrogen energy, it has huge scope for private investment and can bring great rewards for the country such as ushering in energy security and decarbonisation. An investment of US$ 500 billion is required (emphasis added) to make this transition to hydrogen energy.

The government is coming out with a new Industrial Policy and a new Logistics Policy. These policies can have a clause on hydrogen. With these policies, many concerns such as those related to transportation and raw materials will be addressed, he added.

Sturle Pedersen, Chairman of the Board, Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt Ltd. noted, “The International Energy Agency in 2050 predicted that green hydrogen will be more than 20% of the energy mix. It means India will produce a lot of renewable energy, but you cannot put it on the grid as the grid is almost exhausted and we have to find new ways and build new infrastructure. The Indian government can learn from other countries. Norway and other countries, which are doing well in the renewable sector, realise that the public and private sector have to work in collaboration with their research institutes and universities."

 

Shirish S. Garud, Director, Renewable Energy Technologies, TERI said, “Currently, India uses 6.9 million tonnes of hydrogen, particularly in fertilizers (44% consumption) and refineries (53% consumption) sector. If 10% of this comes from green hydrogen, that is going to create a huge market for India. Apart from these two sectors, hydrogen can be used in the steel industry (350-400 MT production by 2050 is estimated, double the current amount) and electric vehicles industry.

 

Representing the voice of industry, Umesh Sahdev, Executive Chairman, Hydrogenium Resources Pvt Ltd, said, “The International Solar Alliance created a totally different place for India in the renewable scenario. That model can be duplicated in hydrogen too. If we are able to create the Hydrogen alliance, where there will be sharing of technology and resources in the complete value chain of hydrogen, I think that is where the whole solution will come very handy.” 

Over 44% of India’s energy composition is based on coal – a fossil fuel causing climate hazard. Oil constitutes more than 25% in this composition. Currently, the oil prices are skyrocketing and India’s import dependence for crude oil is quite high, which is hurting its economy. Bioenergy accounts for 21% of this share, CNG is 5.8%, hydro-energy (where India has a large potential), nuclear and solar energy are very low in the country presently. This shows that we have a lot of scope for renewable energy sources like hydrogen & it will be a game changer for the energy sector.

--ends--

Bangalore International airport wants airport buses to run on fuel cells

The Kempegowda international airport of Bangalore wants its airport buses to run on fuel cells. According to sources in Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), the company that runs the airport, a hydrogen supplier has been identified and a formal accouncement of a tie-up would come by the end of this year.

It is also learnt that the hydrogen would be produced from biomass. The plant could be at some place not far from the airport, perhaps just a couple of kilometers, so that the gas could be easily piped.

The Kempegowda international airport already has the distinction of being entirely solar-powered; the solar based electricity is delivered to by CleanMax Solar, a Bangalore-based company that puts up solar plants at its cost and sells only energy (or, the 'opex model').

BIAL is jointly owned by the government and the private sector. US-headquartered investor, Fairfax Financial owns 54 per cent of BIAL; Siemens Projects own another 20 per cent. The rest is owned by various government bodies.

Apraava Energy (aka CLP India till today) wants a foot in green hydrogen

 CLP India (formerly, China Light and Power) today took a new avataar, renaming itself Apraava Energy. The rebranding is meant to shed its image as a thermal power player and show itself as a green energy company.

The company's Managing Director, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, told the Business Line newspaper today that the company was interested in getting into 'green hydrogen'. However, he gave no further details, saying that there were many options under consideration.

"We have no specific plans at the moment, but it is an area we are deeply interested," Mishra said. 

Apraava Energy has 1,024 MW of operating wind assets and 250 MW under construction, apart from 250 MW of solar, under renewable energy. It also has 1,320 MW of coal-fired power plants and 655 MW of natural gas fired plant, (which is currently lying unused for want of gas).

Therefore, production of hydrogen using its own renewable energy is a natural fit for the company. 

IIT Guwahati researchers develop cost-efficient materials to generate hydrogen from water using Sunlight

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, have developed catalysts that help splitting of water directly using sunlight, without electricity. 

Researchers Professor Mohammad Qureshi said in a press release issued today, “We have developed a ternary catalyst that comprises cobalt-tin layered-double hydroxides (LDH) and bismuth vanadate, which forms a p-n junction semiconductor with graphene bridges, and have shown that the catalyst, when used as a photoanode, is able to split water easily to produce hydrogen and oxygen.”

When light falls on the anode of a PEC cell, negatively charged electrons and positively charged holes are generated (excitons).  In the absence of a catalyst, the thermodynamic barrier will be very high to overcome, hence cannot split the water into hydrogen and oxygen. 

In order to split water, the holes must be prevented from recombining with the electrons, or in other words they should efficiency separate and get transported to the surface of the semiconductor. In the ternary catalyst system developed by the IIT Guwahati team, the bismuth vanadate generates electrons and holes in response to sunlight. 

Graphene siphons the holes away from the vanadate and transports them into the cobalt-tin LDH, thus preventing their recombination with the electrons. The holes and the electrons are now available to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen.

The photocurrent density of the ternary photoanode is three-fold higher than when using the bismuth vanadate by itself because of the extraction and transportation of the holes by graphene. These researchers believe that their findings would help us understand the mechanism of hetero-structured photoanodes and inspire the design of cheaper photoelectrode systems for improved water oxidations.

The researchers are now in the process of developing a prototype device to test their photoanode in practical PEC cells.

--ends--

Hydrogen comes with a "hefty price tag", says Methanol Institute

The Methanol Institute, in a White Paper that makes a pitch for methanol, has highlighted several problems with hydrogen, saying that costs of storage and transportation combined "present a hefty price tag on the supply chain" needed to support the delivery of hydrogen to its end user.

The paper hightlights several problems with hydrogen, leaving the reader sceptical about the future of the gas. 

"Given the current maturity of electrolyzer technologies, the cost of producing green hydrogen is high. These costs are expected to decrease over time, but India’s hydrogen economy vision will be constrained by the speed at which these costs diminish," the report says.

"As a highly volatile gas, hydrogen requires capital-intensive infrastructure and equipment to support its safe handling. This entails a storage and distribution network with either high-pressure or cryogenic capabilities, both will come at a significant cost as they are not widely prevalent in the Indian market. The need for high-pressure or cryogenic technology for hydrogen storage also renders it energy intensive, where it is estimated that 15% of the energy content of the hydrogen stored will be required for its safe storage (emphasis added). Beyond high-pressure and cryogenic technology, the materials and components used to construct hydrogen tanks and pipes are also more expensive with a limited lifetime of 1500 cycles," the White Paper says.  

Trailers fitted with adequate equipment to transport hydrogen will also be needed to deliver hydrogen to regions without access to pipelines. These factors combine to present a hefty price tag on the supply chain required to support the delivery of hydrogen to its end user. • Safety Concerns: Hydrogen is a highly volatile gas which requires adequate handling that can be more challenging than other liquid and gaseous fuels. It requires capital-intensive infrastructure and equipment to support its safe production, storage, and transport. Globally, instances of hydrogen leaks and explosions have proven to result in serious consequences. Strict safety protocols and standards will be required in India to ensure that mishaps do not occur. It will also be necessary to locate hydrogen production and storage in regions with low population density or away from residential areas to avoid significant loss of lives or damage to property. It is expected that the cost of hydrogen will reduce with greater technological maturity and economies of scale achieved when the demand increases. However, these challenges will delay the realization of India’s hydrogen economy vision. 

                                            Image Credit: Plug Power

The lack of durability will result in wear and tear and constant need for maintenance (emphasis added) to ensure that storage and transport systems are adequate. Last mile delivery to end users will also have to be considered as end users currently rely on liquid fuels which are much easier to handle. Underground pipes, storage tanks, and filling stations will have  to be constructed across the country to support a wide-scale adoption of hydrogen. Trucks and  trailers fitted with adequate equipment to transport hydrogen will also be needed to deliver hydrogen to regions without access to pipelines. These factors combine to present a hefty price tag on the supply chain required to support the delivery of hydrogen to its end user. 

Safety Concerns: Hydrogen is a highly volatile gas which requires adequate handling that can be more challenging than other liquid and gaseous fuels. It requires capital-intensive infrastructure and equipment to support its safe production, storage, and transport. Globally, instances of hydrogen leaks and explosions have proven to result in serious consequences. Strict safety protocols and standards will be required in India to ensure that mishaps do not occur. It will also be necessary to locate hydrogen production and storage in regions with low population density or away from residential areas to avoid significant loss of lives or damage to property. It is expected that the cost of hydrogen will reduce with greater technological maturity and economies of scale achieved when the demand increases. However, these challenges will delay the realization of India’s hydrogen economy vision.

The report pitches for methanol, calling it a "superior hdyrogen carrier". 

"With the highest hydrogen to carbon ratio of any liquid fuel, methanol circumvents the common challenges associated with storing, transporting, and utilizing hydrogen and support faster adoption of hydrogen,” says Prakriti Sethi, India Representative, Methanol Institute. 

“To achieve realistic goals it is important for India to focus on adopting a progressive roadmap which involves practical solutions that can lead to the ultimate realization of the country’s hydrogen aspirations,” says  Sethi. 

Investments in methanol production, utilization, and infrastructure supporting its logistic are investments made for a future hydrogen economy that deliver immediate economic returns today. This report presents the potential of methanol as a hydrogen carrier, addresses policy gaps in the Indian context, and proposes recommendations to promote faster adoption of methanol and hydrogen. 

Some of the key policy recommendations include: 1. Acknowledge methanol as a hydrogen carrier. Methanol and hydrogen are complementary energy products, and methanol offers roadmap to a future hydrogen economy by enabling hydrogen utilization today. 2. Develop a supportive policy landscape that creates commercial opportunities for the increased adoption of methanol as a hydrogen carrier for different applications such as mobility and power generation. 3. Encourage investments in R&D and pilot activities to promote the adoption of methanol as a hydrogen carrier. 4. Promote the development of methanol supply chains in India to ensure seamless storage and delivery of methanol as a hydrogen carrier to end-users.

L&T studying feasibility of getting into electrolyser manufacture

India's largest engineering and construction company, L&T, is evaluating the feasibility of getting into electrolyser manufacture, reports the Business Line newspaper. 

L&T is a builder--it has built hundreds of roads, buildings, bridges and stadia both in India and abroad. It is also an equipment manufacturer, which produces boilers and turbines for power plants, electrical equipment and even nuclear components. 

L&T, according to its Whole-time director, Subramanian Sarma, is looking deep into the various electrolyser technologies. It is in talks with global players for licensing technology. However, it is as yet undecided as to whether or not to get into this business.

Asked at a press conference on Thursday when there could be an announcement, Sarma said, "If we decide to go ahead, there could be an announcement this financial year."

However, he also did say that an electrolyser venture "is very much on the cards".

How could it miss the opportunity to get into the manufacture of electrolysers, which are going to be in great demand pretty soon? India today produces 6 million tons of grey hydrogen and if all of this were to be converted into green hydrogen, it would call for electrolyser capacity of about 130 GW. Of course, not all will be converted to green hydrogen. Green hydrogen would likely be 1 million tons by 2030. But even that calls for a good 25 GW of electrolyser capacity. 

Today, in India, there is only one electrolyser manufacturer -- Ohmium, a US-based company.

Thus, it appears that L&T is just being cautious in not rushing to make an announcement. There is little doubt that the company will get into this emerging business.

GAIL to build India's largest green hydrogen plant

State-owned GAIL (India) Ltd will build India's largest green hydrogen plant in the next 12-14 months, as it looks to supplement its natural gas business with carbon-free fuel, according to media reports. 

The company, which owns pipelines and provides bulk and retail supplies of natural gas, has floated a tender for a 10 MW electrolyser that can produce 4 - 5 tons of green hydrogen daily. 

It is learnt that the project, which could take a year to complete, could come up at Vijaipur, Madhya Pradesh, where GAIL has a unit.

If it fructifies, GAIL's could be the biggest green hydrogen plant in India. 

"We have on a pilot basis started mixing hydrogen in natural gas in one of the cities," the report quotes GAIL's Chairman, Manoj Jain as saying.

GAIL will sell the hydrogen to its customers, who shall be soon mandated by the government to make a certain prescribed percentage of their energy consumption green hydrogen. 

GAIL is then the latet public sector undertaking to announce its plans to get into hydrogen. Earlier, Indian Oil Corporation and NTPC had announced that they would get into the manufacture of green hydrogen. Thermal power major, NTPC, has awarded the contract for electrolyser supply to Technip.

Viewpoint:

State-owned companies are working in individual silos, which is rather silly. Presumably, other PSUs too would want to get into green hydrogen and would therefore need electrolysers. It would be cheaper and easier to aggregate all their demand and go in for a joint purchase of electrolysers, preferably standardized. This only calls for co-ordinated action. Why such a simple task could not be achieved begs an answer.

NTPC wades into hydrogen, awards electrolyser contract to Technip Energies

India's biggest power generator, the state-owned NTPC Ltd, has jumped into the hydrogen bandwagon, and has awarded a contract to Technip Energies, for Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) of a 5MW PEM electrolyser, to be set up at Vindhyachal, Madhya Pradesh, India.

It is learnt from NTPC sources that this is only the first; several more pilot projects are to follow.

The EPCC contract covers the delivery of a 5 MW Hydrogen Generation Plant using Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Electrolysis technology at a Super Thermal Power station. This project is suited for a large scale green hydrogen production facility as power to Electrolyzer can be replaced with renewable electricity in the future.

NTPC is setting up this plant along with two other units – the first, a CO2 capture facility that captures CO2 from flue gas stream of the coal fired power plant and the second being a Methanol unit that uses the captured CO2 and the Hydrogen through PEM Electrolyzer being supplied by Technip Energies to convert it into green Methanol.

Davendra Kumar, Senior Vice President India Business Unit at Technip Energies commented: “We are pleased to have been awarded this PEM based hydrogen project by NTPC. This award illustrates our commitment to Energy Transition and our strong project management capabilities in carbon-free energies. It is an honor to be part of one of the first ever PEM based hydrogen project in India of this scale in the country, marking a significant step towards decarbonization of the Indian energy sector.”

To know more about Technip Energies’ capabilities in green hydrogen:
Technip Energies is ready to lead the hydrogen wave in both decarbonized and carbon-free applications. With our 50-year track record in the sector, we are leveraging our expertise, proprietary technologies, wide-ranging partnerships and execution excellence to accelerate the energy transition and our commitment to a low-carbon society.
Learn more on: https://www.technipenergies.com/markets/hydrogen

India needs to do a lot more to emerge winner in the global hydrogen race

India needs to do a lot more to move from its 'laggard' status and emerge ahead of other countries in the hydrogen race, says a report in CarbonCopy.

"Intentions aside, there are a series of issues that the country must urgently resolve in order to have a real chance of becoming a global hub for green hydrogen," the report says.

Discussing the economics of hydrogen production in India, the report says that to bring down the price of hydrogen to $ 2/ kg, India must effect a 76 per cent reduction in manufacturing costs.

Another point the report makes is that hydrogen research in India is grossly underfunded, with just Rs 25 crore coming from the Budget.

The report further says: "Within India, unless transmission charges are waived, distributed facilities might be more competitive than large, centralised hydrogen plants. Hefty entrants in the space, like Reliance, as CarbonCopy wrote in August, might set up renewable and hydrogen arrays near big and small consumption centres and reprise its actions in telecom. There, the group had given phones away for free and charged for airtime. In energy, it might set up renewable energy infrastructure (local grids for colonies and industrial areas) at no cost and charge for the power."

1 m tons of green hydrogen production in by 2030, says Minister

India will produce 1 million ton of green hydrogen annually by 2030, the Swarajya magazine reports, quoting an Indian minister. 

According to the report, the Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Bhagwanth Khuba, said this at the Climate and Biodiversity Week at Expo 2020, Dubai.

                                                             Bhagwanth Khuba
         

The Minister is quoted as saying, “Green hydrogen is going to play an important role in decarbonising our economy especially in the hard-to-decarbonise sectors. India is developing the National Green Hydrogen Energy Mission to scale up green hydrogen production and utilisation across multiple sectors.”

He has further said that India’s ambitious target of 450 GW opens up investment opportunities to the tune of USD 221 billion by 2030.

IOC has an option for using up its grey hydrogen

Indian Oil Corporation (like any refiner) produces tons of hydrogen--from fossil sources. The company, both out of its own volition and by government's fiat, intends to shift at least 10 per cent of its self-consumption of hydrogen to 'green' hydrogen, which today is basically produced by splitting water using solar power. 

The question before IOC is, therefore, what the deuce to do with the grey hydrogen it produces. The company, according to its Director-R&D Dr SSV Ramakumar, has an option--use it to make ethanol, reports the Business Line newspaper.

Usually, hydrogen is produced by steam reforming of ethanol, but here the process is the reverse. 

The calculation goes like this. The government of India has mandated "20 per cent blending" of ethanol with gasoline (petrol) by 2023. This will create a demand for ethanol of about 1,000 crore (100 million) litres of ethanol; the current Indian production is 35 m litres. The yawning gap of 65 m litres needs capacity to be created. Using the grey hydrogen is one such (easy) way for IOC.

IOC, the biggest oil refiner in India, which is also state-owned, produces about half of the country's grey hydrogen production of 6 million tons annually. 

IOC's plan, according to Dr Ramakumar, is to produce biogas for use in aviation from the ethanol, following the global movement towards ATJ (alcohol to jet) fuels.

Reliance Industries joins hands with Danish company, Stiesdal, for making electrolysers in India

 Reliance Industries Ltd has signed an MoU with Denmark’s Stiesdal Fuel Technologies for development, manufacture and deployment of hydrogen electrolysers in India.

This MoU among others was announced on Saturday post the bilateral talks between the visiting Danish Prime Minister, reports the Business Line newspaper. 

Welspun joins global H2Pipe Joint Industry Project for operation of hydrogen pipelines

Welspun Corp (WCL), one of India's leading pipeline manufacturers, has joined a global H2Pipe Joint Industry Project (JIP) on the design and operation of hydrogen pipelines launched by DNV AS Energy Systems Pipeline Technology. Welspun Corp will help develop a recommended practice (RP) for design, re-qualification, construction and operation of pipelines for hydrogen gas transportation in offshore pipelines and complement existing standards such as DNVGL ST F101 (submarine pipeline systems).

This industry-first project will provide guidance to the global energy sector as it shifts towards clean energy using alternative sources, with hydrogen emerging as an important pillar for energy transition.

As a steering committee member, Welspun Corp will collaborate with 24 of the world’s premier energy companies, which also include Shell, BP, Total Energies, Equinor, Wood, Orsted, Gassco, Wintershall Dea, Intecsea, Subsea7, TechnipFMC and Saipem, to provide technical expertise in the project aimed at laying the foundation of hydrogen infrastructure.

Welspun Corp Ltd. (WCL) is a one-stop service provider offering end-to-end pipe solutions ranging from 1½ inches to 140 inches. The business also offers specialized coating, double jointing and bending as some of its core strengths. With a current capacity of over 2.5 million MTPA in Dahej, Anjar, Mandya and Bhopal in India, Little Rock in the USA, and Dammam in Saudi Arabia; WCL takes pride in being a preferred supplier to most of the Fortune 100 Oil & Gas companies, globally.  

A press release from the company quotes the company's Chairman, Balkrishan Goenka, as saying, "Our participation in this international initiative will allow us to be at the forefront of creating a smarter and a more sustainable world, while charting the course for the development of a futuristic hydrogen pipeline across markets, including India.”

Vipul Mathur, MD & CEO, Welspun Corp, says in the release, “As energy demands across the world rapidly evolve, Welspun Corp is confident about undertaking strategic interventions in new opportunities and new segments. Through this JIP, not only are we leveraging our technical expertise and enhancing our global focus, we are also playing an active role in creating both economic value and sustainable gains for the industry.”

The H2Pipe project will be executed in multiple phases. The first phase will focus on the assessment of existing standards, including the offshore standard DNVGL-ST-F101, to identify the scope and additional considerations for hydrogen transportation. This will be captured in an industry guideline and will include preliminary experimental activities. The subsequent phases will be experimental to define the requirements and acceptance criteria for offshore hydrogen pipelines.

IOC - IIT Kharagpur develop special type of cylinder to store hydrogen in vehicles

Hydrogen is a very reactive element, which is why you'd never find it by itself in Nature. When you put it in a cylinder, in order to store it, it causes "embrittlement".

To overcome embrittlement, Indian Oil Corporation, India's largest, state-owned refinery, has been working with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, to develop a special type of cylinder material.

The research has yielded success and the material is currently undergoing tests. 

The cylinders that will be producing using the material will be used for automotive applications--store vehicles in buses and trucks to feed fuel cells.

The prototypes have been developed. The idea is to be able to produce either type-III (carbon composite with metal liner) or a type-IV (carbon composite with polymer liner) cylinder that can withstand hydrogen at 650 bars pressure. 

Since the currently permitted pressure is 300 bars, IOC has applied to the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), of the government of India, to make cylinders for 650 bars, according to sources in IOC.

IOC open to setting up its own electrolyser to produce green hydrogen

Indian Oil Corporation, India's largest, state-owned refinery, is not averse to setting up its own electrolyser manufacturing capacity, if the economics are "compelling enough". 

This was stated by the company's Director--R&D and Business Development, Dr SSV Ramakumar, at a press conference in Chennai on October 6, in response to a question as to whether IOC would financially support electrolyser manufacture.

"We have not given it any serious thought, but why not," Dr Ramakumar said, but "directionally" the company is open to the idea. "If we find it compelling enough, who knows, we might set up a plant by ourselves," he said.

The government of India is gearing up to mandating a "10 per cent obligation" on producers and consumers of hydrogen--which means that 10 per cent of the hydrogen they produce or consume, as the case may be, should come from green sources--which today is by electrolysis of water using renewable energy.

IOC is both a consumer and producer of grey hydrogen--its refineries produce the gas which is also self consumed in operations, such as desulphurization of diesel. India produces about 6 million tons of (grey) hydrogen, and IOC roughly accounts for half of it.

Ramakumar said that IOC intends to "go beyond 10 per cent" and as such the refiner by itself would engender setting up of substantial electrolyser capacity in the country.

Indian Oil in talks with Kerala, UP and Gujarat for running hydrogen buses

India's largest, state-owned refinery, Indian Oil Corporation, has been in talks with the state government of Kerala for setting up a hydrogen production unit at Kochi, to supply the gas to run buses from the Cochin Internationa Airport to the capital city of Trivandrum. The airport already is fully powered by solar, having set up 40 MW of solar capacity. Now, Kerala wants to be the pioneer to run fuel-cell powered buses and wants IOC to set up hydrogen production unit. This was revealed at a press conference in Chennai on Wednesday by IOC's Director (R&D), Dr SSV Ramakumar.

                                                    Dr S S V Ramakumar                                                

     

                                       

Following Kerala, the state governments of UP and Gujarat are also interested.For Uttar Pradesh, IOC will supply hydrogen from the Mathura refinery, where it is building a large-scale green hydrogen plant. Similarly for Gujarat, IOC has a refinery in Baroda; it might set up a green hydrogen plant there too.

Business Standard reports that IOC has also set a target of converting 10 per cent of its hydrogen usage at refineries to green sources soon. As a first step towards this, 10 per cent of the usage in the Mathura refinery will be converted to green sources by 2024. The company had announced in its annual general meeting held in August that it may soon build the nation's first 'Green Hydrogen' plant at Mathura Refinery. The unit is likely to have a capacity of around 160,000 barrels per day.

This comes at a time when the country is looking a proposal to make it mandatory for fertilizer plants, oil refineries and steel plants to use green hydrogen as part of its plan to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. The government is reportedly planning to make it mandatory for these selected areas to use green hydrogen to meet 0.15 per cent of their total hydrogen requirements by 2024. Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced using renewable energy through electrolysis. This method uses an electrical current to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in water.

India had launched the National Hydrogen Mission on the country’s 75th Independence Day on August 15, 2021. The mission is expected to help the country meet the climate targets and also in converting India to a green hydrogen hub. At present, the country’s entire production of hydrogen is coming from fossil fuels. “We expect the hydrogen production to increase from 6 million metric tonne (MMT) now to around 12 MMT by 2030,” Ramakumar added.

Many industry majors including Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, Adani Group and power sector major NTPC have already announced their plans to come out with hydrogen projects. Ambani had said that India is likely to be the leader in hydrogen technology by becoming the first country to produce it below $1 per kilo gram. 

Govt asks oil & gas companies to present a detailed plan for Hydrogen by month-end, reports Economic Times

The government of India has asked the three major public sector oil marketing companies, Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation to submit a detailed plan, by the month end, as to how they intend to procure, produce and consume green hydrogen, reports Economic Times.

The government is putting together a large plan to adopt green hydrogen as part of the energy transition and expects oil and fertiliser companies to lead it, the report says.

To read the full report, click here.

Background: The government of India intends to bring in '10 per cent mandatory consumption of green hydrogen' (i.e., ten per cent of consumption of hydrogen should come from green sources), somewhat similar to the 'renewable purchase obligation', (RPO) that is in vogue for renewable energy. 

The government was to start with the petroleum refining and fertiliser sector, followed by steel, and then gradually extend the rule to other industries.

India produces and consumes 6 million tons of hydrogen a year, almost all of them from the oil refineries. Another 1.6 m t of hydrogen is embedded in the methanol that fertiliser companies import today. If India should replace all of this hydrogen with green hydrogen, it would require 130-140 GW of electrolyser capacity, according to the energy think-tank, Council for Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

15 GW of electrolyser capacity in 5 years is the aim, says Minister Singh

"I am thinking of something in the range of about 15,000 MW over five years. In fact we want at least 10,000 MW in the next two years or three years because without that we will not be able to start, India's power minister, R K Singh, has told the Indian Express, in an interview. "One green hydrogen plant has been set up (by a private player). That is just about 1 mega watt. That electrolyser had to be imported. For them the cost was I think $350 or $300 per kilowatt," the Minister has said.

In response to a question, he said, "We are going to put up a mandate for blending of PNG and LNG with green hydrogen. You can blend up to 15 per cent without any change in the chemistry of the pipes. For fertilisers, the total grey ammonia which is used is 15 million tonnes, which has to be replaced. What is imported is 2.6 million tonnes. So the total which has to be replaced is 17.6 million tonnes. As far as grey hydrogen is concerned, it comes to 5.2 million tonnes which has to be gradually replaced."

For the full interview, read on....

Aviation, shipping will be initial adopters of hydrogen, says Siddharth Mayur, CEO, H2E Power

Aviaion and shipping will be the immediate adopters of hydrogen, passenger cars will take longer, Siddharth Mayur, CEO of H2E Power, has said in an interview to The Economic Times.

He recommends that the government could help by setting up clear goals and identifying specific industries where hydrogen adoption could be mandated. "On the production side, (the government should) become technology agnostic and focus only on the production of green hydrogen and the costs. One important suggestion is to start putting INR value to GH2 and not a $ value. Like petro $, let us not create a GH2 $. Why cannot INR be the dominant currency?" Mayur asks.

In the kitchen, Hydrogen is being tested, but there is no commercial application in the market yet. But I definitely see a market for distributed cooking appliances on Hydrogen, while the connected kitchens, which already have LPG lines, will go for blended LPG.

For the full interview, read on....

Ohmium begins production of electrolysers at Bangalore

Ohmium, the US-based company, has begun producing PEM electrolysers in its new plant at Bengaluru, India, according to company sources. For starters, the company is producing 300 kW systems capable of delivering 6 kg of hydrogen per hour.

The plant is structured to be modular, so that when demand picks up, the capacity can be easily scaled up, according to Pashupathy Gopalan, who along with Ahmad Chatila, are the principal shareholders of Ohmium. 

Gopalan and Chatila were colleagues in SunEdison, the solar company, which went bust in 2016. Chatila was the CEO of SunEdison and Gopalan headed the Asia-Pacific operations.

It is learnt that Ohmium has anchor orders from the US, so the initial shipments from Bengaluru will go to the US. However, the company is pitching for sales in India; it says it is seeing a lot of interest from potential customers.

The Indian public sector power major, NTPC, could be one. NTPC's coal-fired thermal plants produce a lot of carbon dioxide; with green hydrogen from electrolysers the company could use the carbon dioxide to make methanol, a fuel. That is one way to wash the carbon sins of thermal plants and also give a filip to hydrogen in India.

Ohmium is also expected to make its pitch to oil refiners who currently use hydrogen to de-sulphurize diesel. This hydrogen could well come from electrolysis--any additional costs could be loaded on to the diesel price, for it will be too small for diesel buyers to worry about. 

Ohmium believes that PEM is the way to go for hydrogen. AEM is a decade away. SOFC (solid oxide fuel cells), may delivery more hydrogen, but it needs to operate at 850 degrees C, with expensive equipment, so the economics of it are still a suspect.

Hydrogen from agri-residues--new technology from Agharkar Research Institute

A team of researchers from Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), GOI, in collaboration with Sentient labs of KPIT Technologies, have developed this technology at lab-scale to extract hydrogen from agricultural residues.

"Our technology is 25% more efficient as compared with conventional anaerobic digestion processes used today. The two-stage process eliminates the pre-treatment of biomass, thus making the process economical and environment friendly. This process generates a digestate that is rich in nutrients which can be used as an organic fertilizer,” said Dr. Prashant Dhakephalkar, Director of the ARI.

                                    Anaerobic digesters for two-stage biohydrogen and biomethane production

                                            

A team of scientists, Dr. S.S. Dagar and Pranav Kshirsagar from MACS-ARI and Sri Kaustubh Pathak from KPIT-Sentient, contributed significantly towards the development of the process. The developers of the technology explained that the hydrogen fuel generation process comprises the use of a specially developed microbial consortium that facilitates biodegradation of cellulose- and hemicellulose-rich agricultural residues, such as biomass of paddy, wheat, or maize, without thermo-chemical or enzymatic pre-treatment. The process generates Hydrogen in the first stage and Methane in the second. The methane generated in the process can also be used to generate additional hydrogen, they added.

“This breakthrough of generating hydrogen from unutilized agricultural residue will help us to become self-reliant on energy resources. It will also add a major stream of revenue to the farmer community,” said Ravi Pandit, Chairman, Sentient Labs.  An Indian Patent application has been filed to protect the IPR.

Govt looking for prospects about green hydrogen as transport fuel, says Minister Gadkari

In this article, The Times of India reports that the Union Transport Ministry is looking at the prospects of using green hydrogen as transport fuel.

                                             Minister Nitin Gadkari

The Minister has been quoted as saying" "We are looking for prospects of green hydrogen as potential transport fuel. What ever concessions we are offering for electric vehicles, we can offer the same concessions for green hydrogen also."

India must make 'green' hydrogen a priority, writes Somit Dasgupta

In this article of Indian Express, Somit Dasgupta says India must make green hydrogen a priority.

He says: Unless we adopt these new technologies, we will not be able to take care of “hard-to-abate” sectors like the industrial sector, buildings, aviation, and shipping. When we say hydrogen, we mean “green” hydrogen which is derived through electrolysis of water using renewable sources like solar, wind and biomass for generating electricity.

Is Hydrogen hope or hype, asks Economic Times in a podcast

In this podcast, Economic Times raises this question.

Green hydrogen could be the most practical solution to the conflict between climate change and our growing energy needs. Haim Israel, head of global thematic investment research at BofA Securities and ET’s Urmi Goswami explain how green hydrogen can also help India reduce its dependence on fossil fuel. Credits: DD National, Australian Renewable Energy Agency, CNBC-TV18

                                             Image credit: Economic Times