National Green Hydrogen Mission

A $17,490 billion National Green Hydrogen (NGH) programme to promote hydrogen generation from renewable energy has been approved by the Union Cabinet. The production of ammonia, the production of steel, and cement, as well as powering of fuel cells that can power buses and cars, hydrogen is a crucial industrial fuel with a variety of applications. However, using fossil fuels like coal and natural gas to manufacture it results in higher manufacturing costs and carbon emissions. The interest in creating hydrogen from renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy has increased due to worries about global warming and the slow but steady acceptance of alternative fuels.

However, this is somewhat overpriced. A kilogram of hydrogen costs $0.9 to $1.5 to manufacture using coal, and between $3.5 and $5.5 to produce using renewable energy sources. The government expects that “green hydrogen,” or that created solely from renewable energy, will likewise cost less than that which is currently required to produce hydrogen from fossil fuel sources. This is similar to how solar power rates in India have now fallen below those of coal power. With the help of the NGH mission, the Indian industry will be able to build the infrastructure necessary to manufacture and transport green hydrogen from specific nerve centers to production hubs, where it may be employed in a variety of industrial applications. The NGH mission has pledged to pay for the production of electrolysers, which use electricity to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen; the specifics are not yet known. The target is for there to be 5 million metric tones of green hydrogen produced annually, 60–100 gigawatts of electrolyzer capacity, 125 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, and a 125 gigawatt green hydrogen transmission network by 2030.

Hydrogen exists in conjunction with other elements. Therefore, it needs to be extracted from naturally existing components like water in order to be used as a source of energy (which is a combination of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom). Different colors designate different types of hydrogen generated sources and processes. The Green hydrogen’s offers numerous advantages as follow:

· The development of green hydrogen export opportunities

· Decarbonization of the transportation, industrial, and energy sectors

· Self-Reliance: decrease in reliance on imported feedstock and fossil fuels

· For India, made in India: building up domestic manufacturing capacity

· The creation of job opportunities

· Creation of innovative technologies

Due to the costs involved, green hydrogen currently makes up less than 1% of all hydrogen produced globally. India wants to become a major industrial hub and exporter of green hydrogen. Although this is a noble goal, India’s past in developing into a Centre for high-tech manufacturing casts doubt on its ability to achieve it by 2030. India has failed to become a net exporter of solar cells, semiconductors, or wind power components in spite of legislation. This is due to India’s manufacturing base’s continued weakness and inability to effectively absorb and utilise outside capital. For India to achieve its goals, it must improve the infrastructure of its small manufacturing and related businesses, which would serve as the backbone of any green economy rather than heavy industries.

The National Hydrogen Mission can ensure that India’s clean energy supply chains are integrated with those around the world when intermenstrual and other departments collaborate. It will also ensure that the objective of making India a global leader in clean hydrogen energy and a carbon-neutral nation is realised and will have multiplier effects on the $5 trillion economy.