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.