Context: Government of India, in Budget 2021, has announced a National Hydrogen Mission to draw up a plan for using hydrogen as an energy source.
Background

• India has announced a National Hydrogen Mission after the United States Department of Energy announced an investment up to $100 million in hydrogen production and fuel cell technologies research and development.
• In October, Delhi became the first Indian city to operate buses running on hydrogen spiked compressed natural gas (H-CNG) in a six-month pilot project.
• The Power major NTPC Ltd is operating a pilot to run 10 hydrogen fuel cell-based electric buses and fuel cell electric cars in Leh and Delhi

About National Hydrogen Mission
Objective

• To lay down the Government of India’s vision, intent and direction for hydrogen energy and suggest strategies and approaches for realizing the vision.
• To develop India into a global hub for the manufacturing of hydrogen and fuel cells technologies across the value chain.
• The mission would put forward specific strategy for the short term (4 years), and broad strokes principles for the long term (10 years and beyond).

Major activities envisaged under the Mission include

• Creating volumes and infrastructure,
• Demonstrations in niche applications (including for transport, industry),
• Putting in place a robust framework for standards and regulations for hydrogen technologies.

Types of Hydrogen
The sources and processes by which hydrogen is derived, are categorised by colour tabs.

• Grey Hydrogen: Hydrogen produced from fossil fuels (bulk of the hydrogen produced today).
• Blue Hydrogen: Hydrogen generated from fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage options.
• Green Hydrogen:  Hydrogen generated entirely from renewable power sources.

Electricity generated from renewable energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Significance of hydrogen fuel

• Hydrogen fuel cells are cleaner and more efficient than traditional combustion-based engines and power plants.
• Hydrogen and fuel cells can also be used in mobile applications to power vehicles and mobile power packs.

The benefits of fuel cells are

1. Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
2. High Reliability
3. Flexibility in installation and operation
4. Development of renewable energy resources
5. Reduced demand for foreign oil
6. Improved environmental quality

Challenges of using hydrogen fuel
Storage capability

• When compared to fossil fueled vehicles, the weight and volume of hydrogen storage systems are presently too high.
• It will impact in the vehicle range capable of using hydrogen as fuel.

High flammability

• In the presence of oxygen, hydrogen can quickly catch fire; sometimes it can also lead to an explosion.
• The invisibility of Hydrogen is another concern because when it catches fire, the flames are very dim and hard to counter.

Liquid hydrogen

• Hydrogen is usually stored in the liquid form which is compressed at high pressure.
• The liquid hydrogen is extremely cold, and any leak from its storage tank can cause severe frostbite in the skin.

Key Facts

• Delhi became the first Indian city to operate buses running on hydrogen spiked compressed natural gas (H-CNG), in a six-month pilot project.
• H-CNG will consist 8 per cent hydrogen in CNG which is produced directly from natural gas, without resorting to conventional blending.

Why Hydrogen should be an option?

• India has made an uncharacteristically early entry in the race to tap the energy potential of the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen.
• Hydrogen’s potential as a clean fuel source has a history spanning nearly 150 years.
• Hydrogen exists only combined with other elements, and has to be extracted from naturally occurring compounds like water.
• Green Hydrogen is a clean burning molecule, which can decarbonise a range of sectors including iron and steel, chemicals, and transportation.

Challenges ahead of Hydrogen as Fuel

• Infrastructure Issues: The adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will face a lack of fuelling station infrastructure.
• There are fewer than 500 operational hydrogen stations in the world today, mostly in Europe, followed by Japan and South Korea.

Security Issue: Hydrogen is pressurised and stored in a cryogenic tank, from there it is fed to a lower-pressure cell and put through an electro-chemical reaction to generate electricity.

• The scaling up of the technology and achieving critical mass remains the big challenge.
• The challenge faced by the industry for using hydrogen commercially is the economic sustainability of extracting green or blue hydrogen.