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GS Paper 3:
Topics Covered: Conservation related issues.
Context:
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and ReNew Power (ReNew) have signed a binding term sheet to set up a Joint Venture (JV) company to develop the green hydrogen sector in India.
- The Joint Venture will aim to supply green hydrogen at an “industrial scale”.
Significance:
India can become a hub for green hydrogen as the country has an inherent advantage in the form of abundant renewable energy.
India, being a tropical country, has a significant edge in green hydrogen production due to its favourable geographical conditions and abundant natural resources.
- Producing hydrogen from renewables in India is likely to be cheaper than producing it from natural gas.
Efforts in this regard:
- The Centre has released draft guidelines on the National Hydrogen Mission which aims to increase production to 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) by 2030 to meet about 40 percent of domestic requirements.
- The centre is considering a proposal to introduce a Rs 15,000-crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for electrolysers.
- In February, the centre notified a green hydrogen and green ammonia policy that offers 25 years of free power for any new renewable energy plants set up for green hydrogen production before July 2025.
- The government is also planning to introduce mandates requiring that the oil refining, fertiliser and steel sectors procure green hydrogen for a certain proportion of their requirements.
What is green hydrogen?
Hydrogen when produced by electrolysis using renewable energy is known as Green Hydrogen which has no carbon footprint.
Significance of Green Hydrogen:
- Green hydrogen energy is vital for India to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) Targets and ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.
- Green Hydrogen can act as an energy storage option, which would be essential to meet intermittencies (of renewable energy) in the future.
- In terms of mobility, for long distance mobilisations for either urban freight movement within cities and states or for passengers, Green Hydrogen can be used in railways, large ships, buses or trucks, etc.
Applications of green hydrogen:
- Green Chemicals like ammonia and methanol can directly be utilized in existing applications like fertilizers, mobility, power, chemicals, shipping etc.
- Green Hydrogen blending up to 10% may be adopted in CGD networks to gain widespread acceptance.
Benefits:
- It is a clean-burning molecule, which can decarbonize a range of sectors including iron and steel, chemicals, and transportation.
- Renewable energy that cannot be stored or used by the grid can be channelled to produce hydrogen.
Insta Curious:
Hydrogen is an invisible gas. But, then how are they named green, pink and so on? Read here.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- About Green Hydrogen.
- How is it produced?
- Applications.
- Benefits.
- About the Hydrogen Energy Mission.
Mains Link:
Discuss the benefits of Green Hydrogen.
Sources: Indian Express.
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