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NATIONAL HYDROGEN MISSION

Chahal's Gyan Ki Baat

 

INDEX

REFERENCE WITH UPSC-CSE SYLLABUS

WHY IN NEWS

ABOUT NATIONAL HYDROGEN MISSION

ABOUT HYDROGEN

TYPES OF HYDROGEN

WHY NATIONAL HYDROGEN MISSION

ECONOMIC BENEFIT  

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT

STEPS TAKEN IN INDIA

INTERNATIONAL STEPS

CHALLENGES

CONCLUSION

EXPECTED PRELIMS QUESTIONS

EXPECTED MAINS QUESTION

 

REFERENCE WITH UPSC-CSE SYLLABUS

  • General Studies-II, General Studies-III
  • Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.
  • Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

WHY IN NEWS

  • National Hydrogen Mission was announced by PM Narendra Modi during the Independence Day address.
  • PM Narendra Modi said in the years to come, India will become world’s largest exporter of green hydrogen.

ABOUT NATIONAL HYDROGEN MISSION

  • From green power resources hydrogen generation.
  • Making india a Hydrogen economy.
  • Under the Paris Agreement, it will help in achieving its emission goals.
  • Reduce import dependency on fossil fuels of india.

ABOUT HYDROGEN

  • It is a odourless, colourless gas, which is abundant in the Earth’s atmosphere.
  • The first element on the periodic table is Hydrogen.
  • Hydrogen is the lightest element.
  • It is uses in petroleum refining, aerospace applications and manufacturing of chemicals, steel, and ammonia fertilisers.
  • Hydrogen is extracted primarily through two methods, for industrial processes:

Coal gasification or through a process called steam methane reformation (SMR).

  • In steam methane reformation, methane from natural gas, when heated with steam, produces carbon monoxide and hydrogen which can be used as fuel.
  • But they cause vast emissions of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide because these methods is not carbon-friendly.

TYPES OF HYDROGEN

GREEN HYDROGEN

  • Without releasing any emissions green hydrogen helps to extract hydrogen.
  • The hydrogen production can also be considered renewable if the source of electricity is renewable.
  • Water, Water Vapor are its by product.
  • Through electrolysis (a process that uses electricity to separate water into oxygen and hydrogen) is its primary method of production.

GREY HYDROGEN

  • It is hydrogen which is produced from natural gas, fossil fuels.
  • CO2 is its by product.
  • Most of India Production is from this form of hydrogen.

BLUE HYDROGEN

  • Blue hydrogen which is another form of hydrogen is also extracted similarly through steam methane reformation and is more carbon-friendly because it captures the carbon dioxide released and stores it, as opposed to emitting it into the atmosphere.
  • CO, CO2 are its by products.

WHY NATIONAL HYDROGEN MISSION

  • India is the world’s third-largest oil importer.
  • India imports 85% of its oil and 53% of gas demand so green hydrogen can play a crutial role in fullfilling india oil and gas demand.
  • To meet india’s Nationally Determined Contributions Green hydrogen energy it is vital step.

ECONOMIC BENEFIT

  • Green hydrogen energy could be produced and used in different ways so it allowed the formation of a circular economy, which primarily focussed on ensuring energy security, by utilisation of all the resources possible.
  • It will also ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT

  • As an energy storage option Hydrogen can act, which would be essential to meet intermittencies of renewable energy in the future.
  • India’s transition from fossil fuels like petroleum to renewable energy sources it is another step.
  • India has pledged to generate 40 per cent of its power through renewable energy as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement and aim to fulfil it by 2030.
  • Not only Green Hydrogen Mission is essential to decarbonise heavy industries like steel and cement but it also holds the key to clean electric mobility that doesn’t depend on rare minerals.

STEPS TAKEN IN INDIA

  • The country’s first green hydrogen plant is planned to be set up by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited at its Mathura refinery.
  • Rs 600 billion will be invested by Reliance Energy in building factories to produce green hydrogen among other carbon friendly technologies.
  • The government scaling up the gas pipeline infrastructure and introducing reforms for the power grid such steps can be seen as to integrate renewable energy in the present energy mix.

INTERNATIONAL STEPS

Australia

  • Hydrogen importance Australia has identified it, with the goal of producing clean/green hydrogen for under $2 per kilogram.

European Union

  • A clean hydrogen alliance has been formed by the European Union.
  • Hydrogen valleys which use the offshore wind capacity of the North Sea to power electrolysers, they are developing.
  • To use the current natural gas pipeline network to allow the transportation of hydrogen across the continent is their longer term plan.

Saudi Arabia                                                 

  • Bringing to bear their enormous solar power potential and expertise in the development of major energy projects, Saudi Arabia announced its intention to enter the market.

Japan

  • Turning sewage into hydrogen via a carbon-neutral process, Japan have developed a project which could have wide-ranging potential, this could reduce the need to transport it.

USA

  • A report commissioned last year (2020) urging policymakers to "follow the lead of the European Union", USA are lagging a little behind.

CHALLENGES

  • There are a range of demonstration and real-world live applications currently operating across the world, in terms of reaching commercial viability.
  • Cost of renewable electricity is the main problem.
  • Green hydrogen price per kilogram has to reduce to a benchmark.
  • Public investments need to channelled and strategised well.
  • Electrolysers need to be built on a scale larger for green hydrogen.

CONCLUSION

  • In the coming years Green hydrogen, produced with renewable electricity, is projected to grow rapidly.
  • To create a legislative frameworks that facilitate hydrogen-based sector link, government need to focus on it.
  • It is going to be a costlier process that many other scheme but it's a matter of political will to move this forward.

EXPECTED PRELIMS QUESTIONS

Q1. Consider the following statement regarding National Hydrogen Mission

  1. National Hydrogen Mission is to generate hydrogen from coal.
  2. Its aim is to reduce import dependency on fossil fuels of india.
  3. It will also ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.

Which of the following statement is correct?

(1) a only

(2) a and b

(3) a and c

(4) All of the above

SOLUTION

STATEMENT A is incorrect because National Hydrogen Mission is to generate hydrogen from green power resources.

STATEMENT B is correct because its aim is to reduce import dependency on fossil fuels of india.

STATEMENT C is correct because it will also ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.

 

Q2. Which of the following counties are working on Hydrogen policy in their country.

    1. European Union
    1. Australia
    1. Japan
    1. India

Which of the following statement is correct?

  1. a only
  2. a and d
  3. a, b , c
  4. a , b , c, d

SOLUTION

  1. A clean hydrogen alliance has been formed by the European Union.
  2. Hydrogen as a priority Australia has identified it, with the goal of producing clean/green hydrogen for under $2 per kilogram.
  3. Turning sewage into hydrogen via a carbon-neutral process, Japan have developed a project which could have wide-ranging potential, this could reduce the need to transport it.
  4. National Hydrogen Mission was announced by PM Narendra Modi    during the Independence Day address(15 aug 2021).

 

Q2. Which of the following statements are correct

  1. India’s first green hydrogen plant is planned to be set up by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited in Chennai.
  2. Rs 600 billion will be invested by Reliance Energy in building factories to produce green hydrogen among other carbon friendly technologies. 

(1) a only

(2) b only

(3) Both a and b

(4) Neither a nor b

SOLUTION

STATEMENT A is incorrect because India’s first green hydrogen plant is planned to be set up by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited at its Mathura refinery.

STATEMENT B is correct because Rs 600 billion will be invested by Reliance Energy in building factories to produce green hydrogen among other carbon friendly technologies.

 

EXPECTED MAINS QUESTION

Q1. Discuss the benefits and challenges of National Hydrogen Mission.

Sources used:

The Hindu,The Indian Express, British Broadcasting Corporation News, Press Trust of India, Business Standard, The Economic Times