It holds promise as an alternative, as a truly clean fuel, and to aid the world’s decarbonization goals.
Scientists and technocrats have for years engaged in the search for alternative fuels to fossil fuels that are responsible for producing more than 830 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, in turn catalyzing human-induced global warming. The latest studies by a battery of scientists representing around 195 countries have indicated a significant issue of climate vulnerability, particularly for Asian countries. the upcoming 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow To re-examine coordinated action plans to reduce greenhouse gases and climate adaptation measures from November 1-12, 2021.
To achieve the goal of an alternative source of energy, governments hope to adopt a multi-pronged pragmatic approach to harnessing ‘Green Hydrogen’ as a driving force to power our industries and light our homes. Betting big. Zero emission of carbon dioxide’.
rich source of energy
Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet, but we rarely need it in its pure form. Its energy density is about three times that of diesel. This phenomenon makes it a rich source of energy, but the challenge is to compress or liquefy LH2 (liquid hydrogen); It needs to be kept at a constant minus 253 °C (below the temperature at minus 163 °C at which liquefied natural gas (LNG) is stored), including its ‘excessive cost’ before use. is involved.
The production technology of this ‘energy-carrier’ varies depending on its applications – designated with different colors such as Black Hydrogen, Brown Hydrogen, Blue Hydrogen, Green Hydrogen, etc. Black hydrogen is produced from the use of fossil fuels, while pink hydrogen is produced through electrolysis, but using energy from nuclear power sources.
‘Green hydrogen’, an emerging innovative concept, is a zero-carbon fuel made by electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy from wind and solar. This ‘green hydrogen’ can be used to generate electricity from natural sources – wind or solar systems – and will be a major step towards achieving the goal of ‘net zero’ emissions. Currently, less than 0.1% or say ~75 million tonnes/year of hydrogen is produced which is capable of generating ~284GW of electricity.
cost constraint
The ‘cost of production’ of ‘green hydrogen’ has been considered as a major constraint. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA) study, the production cost of this ‘green source of energy’ is expected to be around $1.5 per kilogram (for countries with sustainable sunlight and vast untapped land) by 2030; By adopting various conservative measures.
The global population is growing at a rate of 1.1%, adding about 83 million human heads to the planet every year. As a result, the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts additional electricity demand to be 25%-30% by the year 2040. Thus, the best solution would be to achieve electricity generation by ‘net-zero’ emissions. Expert guidelines on global warming aim to stay below 1.5 °C. It will also be a leap forward in reducing our dependence on conventional fossil fuels; In 2018, 8.7 million people died prematurely as a result of air pollution from fossil fuels
power hungry india
According to IEA forecasts, India is the world’s fourth largest energy consumer (after China, the United States and the European Union), and will overtake the European Union to become the world’s third energy consumer by 2030. For economies realizing the imminent threats, the summit will see a number of innovative proposals from across the world to reduce dependence on fossil fuel use.
The scale of interest for ‘plucking the low-hanging fruit’ can be gauged from the fact that even oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, where daytime temperatures exceed 50 °C in summer, use this source of energy. Prioritizing construction planning. By using ‘idle-land-banks’ for solar and wind power generation. It is working to set up a massive $5 billion ‘green hydrogen’ manufacturing unit in the north-western part of the country, which covers a land as large as Belgium.
India is also slowly revealing its plans. Indian Railways has announced the country’s first use of a hydrogen-fuel cell technology-based train by retrofitting an existing diesel engine; It will run on a stretch of 89 km between Sonipat and Jind under the Northern Railway. This project will not only ensure savings of several lakhs of diesel annually but will also prevent emissions of 0.72 kilotons of particulate matter and 11.12 kilotons of carbon per annum.
It is high time to strike a chord with the rest of the world by adopting ‘Green Hydrogen’ as a clean energy, carbon-free economy and eco-friendly and safe fuel for the next generations.
Pritam Singh is a retired officer from a research and development institute in Dehradun. He gives scientific lectures in colleges and universities on vehicular pollution
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