Green hydrogen is the hydrogen gas, produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen with an electrical process called electrolysis and the process is powered by renewable energy. Considering the increasing greenhouse gas emissions, energy dependency of India, etc. green hydrogen has a key role to play as given below:

• Reduced CO2 emissions: Unlike grey hydrogen, which uses natural gas, green hydrogen is produced by the electrolysis of water using renewable energy such as wind or solar power, and thus doesn’t emit carbon dioxide.
• Fight Climate Change: Green Hydrogen can be used as a feedstock or fuel in several industrial processes such as ammonia production, steel manufacturing, petrochemicals, etc., thus, leading to decarbonization of industrial, mobility, and energy sectors.
• The path towards net-zero energy imports: In terms of calorific value, hydrogen has almost more than 2.5 times the energy per tonne compared to natural gas. Thus, shifting to Hydrogen reduces energy imports as India is heavily dependent on energy imports, with oil and gas accounting for nearly 80% of the country’s energy needs.
• Energy export: According to the Global Hydrogen Council, India will become a net exporter of green hydrogen by 2030 due to its cheap renewable energy tariffs.

However, there are some challenges associated with the production of green hydrogen, which is given below:

• Nascent stage: Green hydrogen development is still in the nascent stage globally and there is a lack of infrastructure in India also to take intermediary steps towards achieving the goal.
• High Capital Cost: The cost of the electrolyzer technology and the capital for setting up a green hydrogen plant is too high.
• Storage of Hydrogen: Hydrogen is a lightweight substance that is difficult to transport and store. In order to store hydrogen, it must be transformed into a liquid and kept at cryogenic temperatures or kept as a gas at high pressures.
• The high price of Green Hydrogen: Current green hydrogen production costs range anywhere between 320 and 330 per kilogram in India, which is too high for many industries to utilize at such a price.
• Water availability: A large-scale (1 GW) electrolyzer, producing 0.15 million tonnes of hydrogen, consumes about 3 million tonnes of water. Hence, a shortage of water can be a key hindrance in the production of green hydrogen.

India’s distinct advantage in terms of low-cost renewable electricity, complemented by rapidly falling electrolyzer prices, can enable green hydrogen to be not just economical compared to fossil-fuel-based hydrogen but also compared to the green hydrogen being produced around the globe.

A geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth. The largest storms that result from these conditions are associated with solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) where a billion tons or so of plasma from the sun, with its embedded magnetic field, arrives at Earth.

• When CME reaches the earth, it strikes the planet’s magnetosphere. If the incoming solar magnetic field is directed southwards, it interacts strongly with the earth’s own magnetic field that is opposite in direction, causing disturbances.
• The changes produced in the earth’s magnetic field as a result of this interaction allow solar wind particles to stream down the magnetic field lines and hit the atmosphere near the poles.

Impact of geomagnetic storms Geomagnetic storms result in intense currents in the magnetosphere, changes in the radiation belts, and changes in the ionosphere, including heating the ionosphere and upper atmosphere region called the thermosphere. These geomagnetic storms are categorized between G1 and G5, the latter being the strongest. Their impact on the technology and infrastructure on earth includes:

• Satellites:
  • During storms, the currents in the ionosphere, as well as the energetic particles that precipitate into the ionosphere add energy in the form of heat that can increase the density and distribution of density in the upper atmosphere, causing extra drag on satellites in low-earth orbit.
• Communication and navigation:
  • It interferes with communication and navigation, which are crucial in managing modern air traffic and ensuring safety.
  • The local heating creates strong horizontal variations in the ionospheric density that can modify the path of radio signals and create errors in the positioning information provided by GPS.
• Power systems:
  • They can create harmful geomagnetic-induced currents (GICs) in the power grid and pipelines.
  • Widespread voltage control problems and protective system problems can occur. Some grid systems may experience complete collapse or blackouts. Transformers may experience damage.
• Other impact:
  • It can expose astronauts and high-altitude pilots to increased levels of radiation.
  • Electronic components that are part of internet networks can be rendered useless by a very strong solar storm.
  • Geomagnetic storms even triggered the detonation of dozens of sea mines off the Vietnam coast.

Geomagnetic storms can also cause other phenomena. When solar matter collides with our planet at high speeds, the surrounding magnetic field deflects it towards the poles. There, it interacts with gases in the atmosphere, producing curtains of light known as auroras.

The Central and State governments have played an active role in promoting the start-up ecosystem by integrating the corporate community, investors, and start-ups with policies such as Start-up India. The Indian start-up ecosystem has witnessed exponential growth over 2015-2022 as seen below:

• There has been a 15 times increase in start-up funding in India.
• Number of investors has increased 9 times over the same time period.
• There has been a seven-times increase in the number of incubators in the country.
• 66% increase in the number of unicorns in the last 4 years.

India has emerged as the 3rd largest ecosystem for start-ups globally. However, the same success has not been replicated in creating a deep-tech start-up ecosystem in the country. The need for deep-tech start-ups in the country

• Develop original idea-based companies: India’s start-up ecosystem has been largely focused on replicating the successful business models of Silicon Valley, that serve retail consumers as seen with Flipkart, Oyo, Ola, etc. India can also become a leader in the deep-tech domain by leveraging our advantages in manpower and demand.
• Achieve Digital Transformation 2.0: Digital transformation being witnessed in the country can be taken to the next level by integrating emerging technologies such as Advanced Analytics, BlockChain AI/ML, and IoT. These would make systems truly smart, intuitive, self-reliant, customized, and continuously improving systems.
• Solving real-life problems: The deep-tech can be utilized to solve real-life socio-economic problems in areas like healthcare, fintech, agriculture, and water management which have so far been not addressed effectively.
• Affordability and accessibility: Deep-tech companies operating in developed countries may not understand the needs of Indian consumers whose needs and purchasing powers are vastly different from those in advanced and rich economies.
• Alternative employment opportunities: India produces the largest number of STEM graduates who are highly sought after by MNCs globally. However, tighter visa norms in outside countries and uncertainty of secured employment have been witnessed in recent times. Deep-tech companies can provide viable employment to these graduates.
• Data localization: Apart from offering better services, Indian deep-tech companies will also help secure the country’s data security as they would prevent unscrupulous use of massive amounts of data being generated from India. This would help India achieve its aim of data localization and make the legislation more effective.

The landscape of the start-up ecosystem has started to change in the recent past with more than 1600 companies already working in the deep-tech domain. To give a firm push to the development of these companies, greater appreciation among policymakers about deep-tech start-ups, facilitating long-term funding, and focused attention and mentorship from the academia, industry, and the government would be required.