This strategy is consistent with India’s audacious goal of carbon neutrality by 2070.
For household, commercial, and industrial use, the government intends to blend 15% green hydrogen with piped natural gas (PNG). This decision is consistent with India’s ambitious targets for greenhouse gas reduction and carbon neutrality by 2070. This effort is part of the government’s National Hydrogen Energy Mission, which aims to generate hydrogen using only renewable energy.
Earlier this year, Power Minister R K Singh announced the government’s intention to bring green hydrogen under the renewable purchase obligation (RPO), which requires bulk buyers such as Discoms and captive users to purchase a certain percentage of renewable energy (RE) relative to their total power requirement. A comparable process will be established for hydrogen, dubbed the hydrogen purchase obligation (HPO).
According to a senior government official, a note on the hydrogen mission has been circulated by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) to relevant ministries, including Power, New & Renewable Energy, and Petroleum & Natural Gas. The HPO will apply to industries that use grey hydrogen, such as oil refineries and fertiliser facilities. The goal is to generate demand for environmentally friendly hydrogen. HPO is expected to begin in 2023.
“The government intends to solicit bids for green hydrogen manufacturing, which will be provided to fertiliser plants and petroleum refineries. Similarly, the idea is to provide PNG with green hydrogen. As with RE, the government will provide free transmission (of power) in exchange for this. The goal is to combine 15% green hydrogen with PNG as soon as technically feasible. Additionally, the gas pipeline would need to be upgraded,” the official stated.
The EPC is still awaiting comments from a number of stakeholders. After the EFC makes a final decision on the mission objectives after consulting with the ministries, the official added, it would be presented to the Union Cabinet for approval.
Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be used for a variety of energy applications, including renewable energy integration and transportation. It is produced by the use of renewable energy and electrolysis to split water, as opposed to grey hydrogen, which is derived from methane and emits greenhouse gases. Hydrogen can be converted to energy by combustion or fuel cells, which emit only water as a byproduct.
Several countries in Europe and North America are conducting research on the combination of green hydrogen and PNG. In the United Kingdom, for example, power providers are incorporating hydrogen into pipelines to feed power plants, industrial applications, and residential customers. In certain networks, mixing occurs at a rate of roughly 15-20%. Additionally, several pilot projects combining hydrogen and PNG are being tested in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, France, Australia, South Korea, and Japan.
However, hydrogen has a number of downsides. According to a 2013 study conducted by the US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), “How it (hydrogen) impacts the pipelines it flows through and the appliances it powers.” Hydrogen embrittlement can deteriorate metal or polyethylene pipes and increase the danger of leaking, particularly in high-pressure pipes”.
Hydrogen embrittlement occurs when a metal (pipeline) becomes brittle as a result of hydrogen diffusion into the material. The degree of embrittlement is dependent on the amount of hydrogen and the microstructure of the material.
The National Hydrogen Energy Mission will include a short-term (4-year) strategy and a long-term vision based on broad strokes concepts (10 years and beyond). Its objective is to transform India into a global manufacturing centre for hydrogen and fuel cell technology at all stages of the value chain. To this purpose, a framework for manufacturing support will be devised that is linked with ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
