Green Hydrogen: An Ideal Source for Reliable Energy

4/1/2024 6:08:00 AM   Future Group of Institutions Bareilly   

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element on the earth. It is present in 75 % of matter. However, we never find it alone, but in the company of other chemical elements such as oxygen forming water or carbon forming organic compounds. 

We used it as a raw material in the chemical industry or metallurgy and as a fuel, but because it cannot be taken directly from nature in its pure state, it needs to be manufactured. There are many methods used to obtain hydrogen that determines whether that hydrogen is a clean, sustainable fuel or not. 

When we talk about green hydrogen, we mean hydrogen that has been obtained without generating pollutants i.e. sustainable hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel is the key energy vector for achieving global de carbonization and fulfilling the commitments made for 2050 in the fight against climate change.

Hydrogen as Green Hydrogen:

Hydrogen is the chemical element present in the first column of periodic table with atomic number 1. It is light and can be easily stored and does not generate pollutant emissions by itself. 

With these properties, it is a perfect candidate for a fuel. 

As we have probably heard that hydrogen is a renewable fuel, but this is not always true. Hydrogen is only renewable if the process used in its extraction is also renewable. So there are some types of Hydrogen:- 

Green Hydrogen is achieved through a process of Electrolysis powered by Renewable energies such as solar or wind. The process of Electrolysis uses an electric current to break down the water molecules into Oxygen and Hydrogen by Electrodes (anode and cathode). The production of Green Hydrogen limits the emission of greenhouse gases. The electricity used in this process is obtained from renewable sources hence energy is produced without emitting carbon dioxide. 

This is a very different process compared to both grey and blue hydrogen. 

Grey hydrogen is produced from methane (CH4), split with steam into CO2 (the main reason for climate change) and H2 (hydrogen). Grey hydrogen has mainly been produced also from coal, with highly CO2 emissions per unit of hydrogen produced, so much that is often called brown or black hydrogen instead of grey. It is produced at industrial level and it has no energy transition value, quite opposite to the green hydrogen. 

Blue hydrogen follows the same process as the grey hydrogen. There are some additional technologies applied to capture the CO2 produced when hydrogen is split from methane (or from coal) and store it for long term. In this process 100% of the CO2 produced cannot be captured, and all means of storing it are also not equally effective in the long term.

Green Hydrogen as a Fuel:-

Hydrogen is a clean fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces only water. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of domestic resources, such as natural gas, nuclear power, biomass, and renewable power like solar and wind. These qualities make it an attractive fuel option for transportation and electricity generation applications. It can be used in cars, in houses, for portable power, and in many more applications. In India mainly these seven companies working on Green hydrogen- Adani Groups, Reliance Industries, L&T, ONGC, GAIL India, NTPC Ltd, and IOCL. 

Hydrogen is an energy carrier that can be used to store, move, and deliver energy produced from other sources (renewable resources). 

Hydrogen fuel can be produced through several methods:- 

• THERMAL PROCESSES
• ELECTROLYTIC PROCESSES
• SOLAR-DRIVEN PROCESSES
• BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES

How does Green Hydrogen work?

Hydrogen is stored in specific tanks and channeled into a fuel cell. There it reacts again with oxygen from the air and electricity is obtained. In this process only by-product is water with zero CO2 emission resulting in a clean, sustainable system to produce energy. Green hydrogen can replace conventional fossil fuels in transportation and industries by providing a constant and reliable source of energy. Its importance in energy independence cannot be overstated, as it can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and provide a stable and reliable source of energy.

Benefits of Green Hydrogen: 

• It is a clean energy source; the only waste it generates is water.
• It is a renewable energy: It uses natural resources (wind, solar) that are not exhausted.
• It is storable: Green hydrogen can be compressed and stored in tanks for a long time.
• It is transportable.

According to a report of MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) India has announced a target of energy independence by 2047 and a net-zero by 2070. Green Hydrogen is expected to play a substantial role towards achieving these goals. Hence, India has launched the ‘National Green Hydrogen Mission’ on 4^th January 2023 with an outlay of Rs. 19,744 cores with a target of 5MMT production capacity of Green Hydrogen per annum.

Barriers to Green hydrogen:

Despite all of these advantages, green hydrogen is not yet part of our energy mix because due to various difficulties that research, government policies and private investment have the challenge of overcoming: 

Green hydrogen is more expensive to produce than grey hydrogen. 

Implementation cost in higher. 

According to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the cost of hydrogen installations could decrease from 40 % to 80 % in the long term. The Govt. report suggests that green hydrogen could be profitable from 2030 by lowering the prices of renewable resources.

Written By: 
Mr. Madhur Sharma
Assistant Professor (B.Tech-EE)
Future Institute of Electrical Engineering, Bareilly