IESW 2022 - Favorable green hydrogen trends witnessed in India say, experts

Green hydrogen being more energy-efficient than fossil fuels is increasingly being recognized as a solution for sustainably producing heat and electricity.

As each country sets itself ambitious carbon emission targets, clean solutions like green hydrogen many believe will play a key role in the transition to net-zero in the industrial and the transportation sector.

Acknowledging the significance of green hydrogen in the transition towards a green economy, India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2022 held a session to discuss Green Hydrogen Projects and Opportunities.

As of 2020, the global hydrogen demand is 90 million metric tonnes (MMT), and India contributes 6% of the global demand. The major chunk of this demand comes from the refining and chemical industry, with smaller percentages of demand coming from transport, grid injection, and electricity generation.

Speaking of the Indian experience, Vipul Shah, Sr. General Manager, Fuel cells, India, Bosch noted that favorable green hydrogen trends have been witnessed in India. 

The National Hydrogen Policy of India has set the vision to reduce crude oil imports and promote India as an energy exporter. Therefore, key players are investing in hydrogen production as well as fuel cell uses.

However in a cost-sensitive market like India, "early adoption is very important," Shah cautioned.

According to Shah's assessment, early adoption may start with Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV) and then the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) where the cost-effectiveness will come in.

He added that fuel cell applications are widely considered as future power sources ranging from industries, the chemical sector, and mobility to household stationary applications. But fuel cells and fuel cell technology have to be made viable and they must go hand-in-hand.

"When the entire ecosystem becomes cost-effective then the total cost of ownership becomes effective after which things will develop in a positive way," Shah emphasized.

Speaking of areas where L&T sees potential demand, Kiruthika Sadagopan, Manager, Strategy and New Business, L&T highlighted that they [L&T] see refineries and fertilizers as a primary market.

Ms. Sadagopan also mentioned that there were pilots of green hydrogen with CNG and with their demonstrated success that could potentially be another end application.

Bringing in the perspective of PSUs, DMR Panda, General Manager, Hydrogen, NTPC spoke of the four pilot projects NTPC had taken up ( two in e-mobility, one in energy storage, and one in methanol) in the green hydrogen space. He added on successful demonstrations of these four pilots, NTPC plans to replicate these projects on a wider scale.

"The primary objective of all projects is decarbonization," Mr. Panda stressed.

Chetan Joshi, Manager, Gas Power Technology, Gcg (Asia), Black & Veatch shed light on long-duration storage and short duration storage benefits but cautioned that there is no single solution but a need for a combination of energy storage and green hydrogen for successful green transition.