Bringing back the India HTR program for green hydrogen

The Business Line newspaper has made a pitch for a redux of the old, forgotten Indian High Temperature Reactor Program, for the production of green hydrogen.

This blog has covered that subject, in an earlier post. 

Heating up water makes it easier to split it into hydrogen and oxygen; high temperature nuclear reactors can provide this heat cheaply. On the overall, there is a gain in terms of energy usage.

The newspaper quotes an unnamed official of the Department of Atomic Energy as saying that the high temperature reactor for hydrogen production program is very much alive and has not been shelved.

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre had earlier proposed such a program, as long ago as in 2007. But back then, hydrogen was not the global buzzword that it is today.

                                                 A grab from the BARC presentation 

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The BARC program for the high temperature reactors seems to have got behind in priorities, but it is expected that the Business Line article would push the IHTR-Hydrogen program back into the mainstream.

From a BARC presentation of 2007, it is clear that the entire design is ready and within the capacity of India to make. The presentation, linked above, is rich in technical content.

It is clear from the presentation that the program had two elements--one, the development of a technology demonstrator and the other a commercial-scale, 600MWth reactor.

This appears to be a sure-shot way of getting to '$1 per kg' target for hydrogen.

Why this program did not take off is a moot question, but such delays are typical of the Indian nuclear establishment.

Mumbai start-up, Serene Envirotech, launches table-top hydrogen electrolyzer, for medical use

Serene Envirotech, a Mumbai-based start-up, has launched a small-sized, table-top hydrogen elecrolyzer, which it calls ‘UdazH’. 

A report in the Business Line newspaper, quoting the company’s Chairman and Managing Director, Dr Babu Sudhakar, says that the machine is priced at Rs 80,000. The company intends to market it to doctors for hydrogen therapy. 

Hydrogen, the report says, has recently emerged as a very good anti-oxidant. It is completely non-toxic and, unlike oxygen, does not need medical supervision for administering it. 

UdazH can produce 300 ml of hydrogen a minute. It features a DuPont platinum membrane. 

             

                                                      Actor Bhagyashree, the brand ambassdor, with UdazH

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Serene Envirotech’s table-top hydrogen illustrates the feasibility of small electrolyzers than can be attached to rooftop solar plants. 

According to the report, the company claims that the equipment can produce 300 ml of hydrogen a minute. This translates to 1.2 kg an hour, which, at $ 5/kg, is worth $6, or Rs 450. 

If you assume that 1kg of hydrogen takes 55 kWhr of electricity. Making allowances for the small size of the product, let’s assume that it takes 65 kWhr to produce 1.2 kg. If sold to the grid, 65 units will at best fetch Rs 200. 

It makes sense for a rooftop solar plant owner to use any surplus electricity to produce hydrogen, rather than battle with the financially sick utilities for a better price for the power. Of course, self-consumption of the solar power is the best option because the owner can avoid purchasing electricity at the high utility tariffs. 

Serene Envirotech’s machine is not engineered for rooftop hydrogen production. Presumably, it can be tweaked for such an application, with further economic advantages. 

 

Greenko, John Cockerill announce tie-up, but vague on details

Several newspapers in India have reported, based on a press release, that the Hyderabad-based renewable energy company, Greenko, has tied up with John Cockerill of Belgium “for electrolysers”. 

The news reports speak of a joint venture, but it is not clear what the JV is meant to do. The press release quoted says that Greenko ZeroC of the Greenko group, and John Cockerill, will “combine their strengths to collaborate in all spheres of market evolution for green hydrogen electrolyzers.” 

                                                    Electrolyser unit at John Cockerill

The Mint newspaper says that "Belgium-based maker of high-capacity alkaline electrolyzers will supply them exclusively to Greenko ZeroC." The paper says that Greenko intends to build a 1 mtpa ammonia plant, which will require 2GW of electrolyzer capacity.

The Economic Times newspaper reports that Greenko will set up a 50:50 JV with John Cockerill for setting up "a giga factory for electrolysers". Economic Times too mentions Greenko's plans to set up 1 mtpa ammonia plant.

The press release is not there in either John Cockerill's or Greenko's website, which is very odd. The reports also don't figure among the 'In the news' section of the websites. However, the news reports have quoted both Greenko and John Cockerill officials from the press release.

"John Cockerill is currently working on the development of larger capacity electrolyser," notes the company's website.

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Since the news reports are sketchy on the details of the proposed joint venture, it is not clear what exactly the plans are. It appears that it is a sale agreement, under which John Cockerill will supply some electrolysers to Greenko, for its use to produce green hydrogen to feed its proposed ammonia plant.

Further, some industry observers that this blog spoke to have commented that John Cockerill manufactures pressurised alkaline stack electrolysers that have run out of fashion today, because of safety concerns. There was an accident in a submarine involving one such electrolyser. 

All this gives birth to a view that John Cockerill, which has said it is working on developing a "larger capacity electrolyser", might be selling its electrolysers cheap and Greenko has probably fallen for the price.

We will have to wait and see how things unfold.

Hydrogen still "immature", says solar energy company, Fortum's chief

Hydrogen market in India "is still immature" and "may take some time to evolve," Manoj Gupta, Vice-President - Solar (India and Asia), Fortum India, has told the Economic Times newspaper in an interview. 

Fortum is a Finnish energy company which has solar power plants in India. 

In response to a question on the company's investments plans in 'hydrogen', Gupta observes that several companies across India are evaluating the green hydrogen future and have announced their immediate plans for the next 3-5 years. "However, we believe that the market is still immature and may take some time to evolve." 

He has also said that the industry is still waiting for the government to release the Hydrogen Mission document and has urged it to do so early. When the document is released "hopefully, we will see the action in the market."

He says: "We will definitely be part of this list of investors that catalyzes the green hydrogen revolution in the country."

Gupta tells Economic Times that transportation and storing of hydrogen in cryogenic conditions in liquid tanker trucks is a big challenge in India, a hot country. The energy required to store in cryogenic conditions "would take up as much energy as the supply itself". 

He offers a solution, in the form of "gaseous trailer tubes", which, he says, are trailers shaped like tubes that store hydrogen at "incredibly high pressures". This, he says, is "definitely more feasible than cryogenic tankers". 

The best, however, is to consume hydrogen where it is produced, Gupta says. 

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Gupta's views lend support to the idea of 'rooftop hydrogen' or 'distributed hydrogen' production, using small electrolysers. Consuming hydrogen at locations not far from the production centres solves a lot of problems of transportation, which is fraught with challenges. Transportation of hydrogen in pipelines has been offered as a solution but that again calls for the development of special materials to make the pipes, because hydrogen is a highly reactive element and would soon cause 'embrittlement' of the metals the pipes are made of.

Coming soon: Rooftop hydrogen

Rooftop solar is passe. Rooftop hydrogen production is the in-thing, reports the Business Line newspaper. 

The report discusses various upcoming technologies that can make small-scale, rooftop production of hydrogen possible. 

It talks about a recently-incorporated company, called Hydrogenium Resources, which plans to put up small electrolysers alongside rooftop solar plants, to make use of any surplus energy (over and above what is self-consumed by the owner of the rooftop plant). This makes sense because if the surplus energy is sold back to the utility (grid), it fetches very little, because the utlities pay pittance for the energy.

                                           Image courtesy: Business Line 

The report quotes the CTO of Ohmium, Dr Chock Karuppiah, as saying that "the key enablers for rooftop hydrogen are the cold-start and rapid start-stop cycling capabilities. It also quotes the CEO of Ohmium, Arne Ballantine, as saying, "yes, the idea of rooftop hydrogen becomes very, very real."

The US-headquartered Ohmium is the only electrolyser manufacturer in India. It has a factory in Bangalore. Recently, it achieved a milestone by shipping its first electrolyser to the US.

If rooftop hydrogen gains ground--as it promises to--then a crop of 'prosumers' will be producing it at the household level. The gas could then be used either for doping cooking gas or as fuel for vehicles. 

Of course, there is the question of costs, but costs are a funtion of scale. Also, it is a business opportunty for MSMEs.

--ends--

Kakodkar favors high-temperature nuclear reactors for producing green hydrogen

Renowned nuclear physicist and former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Dr Anil Kakodkar, has pitched for the use of high-temperature nuclear reactors to inexpensively produce green hydrogen.

In an interview to the Business Line newspaper, Dr Kakodkar said it was cheaper to produce hydrogen by first heating water before splitting it--for it takes less energy to split water when heated. Of course, it calls for energy to heat the water, but high temperature nuclear reactors can provide that heat at a low cost.

"While Kakodkar today has no official position with the government, he is an influential and respected person; people take him seriously," says V Jagannathan, a veteran journalist, who has been covering the nuclear sector for many years.

It may be recalled that about 15 years ago, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) had proposed an 'Indian High Temperature Reactor - Hydrogen' program. The proposed reactor design of the following features: 600 MWth Optimised for hydrogen production; Hydrogen: 80,000 Nm3 /hr; Electricity: 18 MWth; Drinking water: 375 m3/hr.

It is not clear as to what the fate of the program was, but evidently it was not pursued to fruition. 

Kakodkar's call might just revive the program, given the current emphasis on hydrogen, which was absent back then.

L&T, ReNew Power in hydrogen pact

L&T, India's leading engineering group, and the Nasdaq-listed ReNew Power, India's largest wind and solar company, today announced a partnership agreement to tap green hydrogen business in India. Under the pact, the two companies will jointly develop, own, execute and operate green hydrogen projects in India.

A joint press statement issued by the two companies, did not give any more details. There was only the usual blah-blah such as that they would "pool their knowledge and expertise and resources". 

It quotes Subramanian Sarma, Wholetime Director and Senior Executive Vice President, L&T as saying: "We are already looking at some interesting opportunities in the Indian market for green hydrogen." 

The release says that the demand for green hydrogen in India for applications such as refineries, fertilizers and city gas grids will grow up to 2MMTPA by 2030 in line with the nation's green hydrogen mission. This would call for investments upward of $60 billion.

L&T, with its deep expertise and experience in engineering and construction of projects, and ReNew, with its experience in the development of renewable energy projects, are market leaders in their respective sectors and this synergistic partnership is committed to tapping this emerging opportunity, the release says.

Pertinent to note that L&T had earlier said that it was examining the prospect of getting into the manuacture of electrolysers in India and would take a decision this year. 

This is not the first time that L&T and ReNew are getting into a pact. In August, ReNew acquired a 99MW hydro power project from L&T, marking its entry into hydro electric power generation. ReNew also took over L&T Uttaranchal Hydropower, which owns the Singoli-Bhatwari Hydroelectric Project (SBHEP), from L&T Power Development.

About L&T: Larsen & Toubro is an Indian multinational engaged in EPC Projects, Hi-Tech Manufacturingand Services. It operates in over 50 countries worldwide. A strong, customer–focused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality have enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in its major lines of business for eight decades.

About ReNewReNew is one of the largest renewable energy Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in India and globally. ReNew develops, builds, owns, and operates utility-scale wind and solar energy projects, hydro projects and distributed solar energy projects. As of November 15, 2021, ReNew had a total capacity of approximately 10.3 GW of renewable energy projects across India, including commissioned and committed projects.