Green Hydrogen

Why in news?

• India plans to force refineries and fertiliser plants to use some green hydrogen, as India's draft hydrogen policy mandate a gradual increase in the use of green hydrogen instead of fossil fuels in refineries and fertiliser plants.

What is Green Hydrogen?

• Hydrogen is the most abundant element – it’s estimated that 90% of all atoms are hydrogen atoms, comprising around three quarters of the total mass in the universe.
• There are no natural hydrogen deposits on earth, it has to be extracted from other compounds by a chemical process.
• The vast majority of industrial hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas. This process is known as steam methane reforming
• Producing hydrogen in this way is sometimes referred to as brown or grey or blue hydrogen
• Hydrogen can also be produced by the electrolysis of water.
• This is by using an electric current to break water, H2O, into its component elements of hydrogen and oxygen.
• If this electric current is produced by a renewable source (e.g. Solar PV or a wind turbine), the clean hydrogen produced is known as green hydrogen.

Significance of Green Hydrogen:

• Green hydrogen energy is vital for India to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) Targets >> as it does not emit polluting gases either during combustion or during production.
• 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.
• Green hydrogen can be transformed into electricity or synthetic gas and used for domestic, commercial, industrial or mobility purposes.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Which of the following statements are correct regarding Green Hydrogen?

1. It is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen

2. It can be transformed into electricity or synthetic gas

2. It can be mixed with  natural gas to burn thermal power plant

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer