Hydrogen may be Brown, Black, Green, Blue………!!!
But why only Blue hydrogen is getting attention from Indian energy producers?
Blue hydrogen is often touted as a low-carbon fuel for generating electricity and storing energy, powering cars, trucks and trains and heating buildings. Apart from blue, hydrogen can also be brown, grey, green, pink or other colour system, depending on the production method.
- Green hydrogen, meanwhile, is produced by using zero-carbon electricity – such as that generated by wind turbines or solar panels – to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The process is carbon-neutral, but green hydrogen is very expensive, and is expected to remain so until at least 2030.
- Grey hydrogen is the most common form and is generated from natural gas, or methane, through a process called steam reforming. Grey hydrogen is made from natural gas reforming like blue hydrogen, but without any efforts to capture carbon dioxide by-products.
- Pink hydrogen is hydrogen made with electrolysis powered by nuclear energy, which does not produce any carbon dioxide emissions.
- Blue hydrogen is produced using the same reforming process that is used to create grey, brown, and black hydrogen, but the CO₂ that would ordinarily be released is captured and stored underground. Carbon capture and storage equipment is expensive, raising the price of the fuel, but it at least provides for low-carbon fuel production at a lower cost than green hydrogen.
That’s why, even blue hydrogen is not the most environmentally sustainable alternative fuel, but its commercial viability, relatively smooth production cycle, and easy synchronization into existing technology has made it a favourite.
-A hydrogen-powered vehicle during refueling at the newly opened hydrogen fueling station, operated by Saudi Aramco, in the Air Products New Technology Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, June 27, 2021. Saudi Aramco outlined plans to invest in blue hydrogen as the world shifts away from dirtier forms of energy, but said it will take at least until the end of this decade before a global market for the fuel is developed.
How has blue hydrogen been received in India?
The overall Indian hydrogen market was valued at $50 million in 2017, and is projected to reach $81 million by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6.3 percent from 2018 to 2025, according to Allied Market Research.
However, as carbon emission reduction goals prove to be a challenge, the government has indicated that it may be open to the production of hydrogen through other means as well. Reliance Industries is now set to repurpose a Rs 30,000-crore plant that currently converts petroleum coke into synthesis gas or syngas, to become a production site for blue hydrogen, the company has said. It has priced the hydrogen at $1.20-1.50 per kg. Reliance has set a net-zero carbon emission target for its businesses by 2035.
How will it reduce energy imports?
According to official statistics, India currently spends over Rs 12 lakh crore on energy imports, of which crude oil and allied products make up Rs 7.45 lakh crore. The government has set a target to become energy independent by the time of India’s 100th Independence Day, over the next 25 years. Meanwhile, Indian Railways has plans to go completely carbon-neutral by 2030.
While most government incentives for domestic energy production have revolved around solar and wind power generation, it is currently planning to provide production-linked incentives for hydrogen producers as well. Converting smaller coal-fired power plants into hydrogen-fuelled plants has also reportedly been suggested.
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