Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi declared the National Hydrogen Mission (NHM) operational on India's 75th Independence Day. His government's goal, he said, is to make India a global powerhouse for green hydrogen production and export.

Rising concerns about climate change, as well as hydrogen's potential as a game changer in the energy arena, may drive nations' efforts to include hydrogen to reach the goal of becoming a low-carbon economy.

The NHM was proposed in Budget 2021 to facilitate the generation of hydrogen “from green power sources.”

Former Petroleum Minister Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan in April 2021 said during the ‘Hydrogen Economy: New Delhi Dialogue-2021' round table conference in April that the goal of reducing emissions is what makes hydrogen fuel so appealing to policymakers. “The excitement around hydrogen stems from a simple fact: wherever hydrogen replaces fossil fuels, it decreases global warming,” he added.

Aside from transportation, hydrogen may be used to “decarbonize” industries such as chemicals, iron, steel, fertiliser, and refining, as well as transportation, heat, and power. India has made various exploratory initiatives, even though the intricacies of NHM are still unknown. “We're working on a pilot project on Blue Hydrogen, Hydrogen CNG (H-CNG), and Green Hydrogen... we're blending hydrogen with compressed natural gas for use as a transportation fuel and an industrial input to refineries,” the Petroleum Minister stated.

He said 50 buses have been put out in Delhi as part of a trial project that uses blended hydrogen in compressed natural gas (CNG). He also mentioned plans to expand it across the country in the coming months.

On Earth, hydrogen is found in complex compounds such as water and hydrocarbons, as it is the most prevalent element in the universe. Because hydrogen is an energy carrier, it must be created, extracted, and stored before it can be used. Unlike traditional combustion engines, which produce toxic pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, hydrogen fuel produces only water as a byproduct.

“One kilo of hydrogen produces three times the energy of one kilo of gasoline while producing only water. Then there are hydrogen fuel cells, which are electrochemical cells that transform hydrogen and oxygen chemical energy into electricity, with water as a waste product. Fuel cells can generate power indefinitely as long as hydrogen and oxygen are available” News18 quoted World Energy Council (WEC) as saying.

According to the World Energy Council, 96% of hydrogen is created using carbon-intensive techniques from fossil fuels. The hydrogen produced is characterised as ‘grey,' ‘blue,' or ‘green,' depending on the extraction procedures used.

Grey hydrogen can be made from fossil fuels. Although it is less expensive than the other ways, it emits a significant amount of carbon dioxide. ‘Grey' hydrogen becomes ‘blue' hydrogen when CO2 released during its creation is captured and stored through carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems. Grey and blue hydrogen are created using the identical methods, with the exception that the CO2 produced by ‘blue' hydrogen is sequestered.

The Indian government wants to make ‘green' hydrogen, which is made largely from renewable energy sources. The ‘green' hydrogen is produced using renewable energy electrolysis. This process produces no CO2, but it is costly and not yet commercially feasible hydrogen.

To cut down the cost of green hydrogen production, the Centre would invest Rs. 800 crore (US$ 107.56 million) in pilot projects and research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects between 2021 and 2024, while private sector investments are also expected to help push the hydrogen future forward.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy “has been supporting numerous projects in academic institutions, research and development organisations, and industry for the development of hydrogen and fuel cells,” the Centre informed Parliament. In addition, 14 R&D initiatives are actively being undertaken, according to the report. Meanwhile, an automotive blend of 18% hydrogen and CNG (HCNG) has been approved.

According to the government, several aspects of hydrogen production are being investigated by the IITs, IISc, Banaras Hindu University, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research institutes, and others.