Hydrogen-operated EVs : Daily Current Affairs

Relevance: GS-3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways; Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation

Key Phrases: National Hydrogen Mission, Green Hydrogen Policy, Green Hydrogen Hub; sustainable energy security; sustainable future of mobility; National Hydrogen Energy Mission, battery electric vehicles (BEVs), Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

Why in News?

  • India’s 75th Independence day marked launch of National Hydrogen Mission (NHM)
  • NHM has 2 important goals:
    • To make India as Green Hydrogen Hub
    • To fulfil India’s climate targets
  • On 17th February 2022, Ministry of Power unveiled Green Hydrogen Policy (GHP), which is a watershed moment in India’s Energy Transition.

Types of Hydrogen

  • Grey Hydrogen: Most common method of production of Hydrogen these days. It involves burning fossil fuels to produce H2 with CO2 as by product
  • Brown Hydrogen: Producing H2 from Coal by burning Lignite and converting Coal into gas.
  • Black Hydrogen: Producing H2 from Coal by burning Bituminous and converting Coal into gas. Both Brown and Black Hydrogen production method is highly polluting due to release of CO2 and CO (Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide) as by product
  • Blue Hydrogen: H2 is produced from hydrocarbon but the emissions are captured and stored, reducing the carbon footprint. Still, the process leads to release of 10-20% emissions of CO2 which can’t be reused
  • Green Hydrogen: Hydrogen is produced from green sources

Key Highlights of the article

Hydrogen fuel cell tech can revolutionise mobility

  • The need to combat climate change and stall ecological degradation has made itself felt with pressing significance. With a net-zero emissions goal in the next few decades, the quest to seek alternative energy sources has become more earnest.
    • India too has set an ambitious target of reducing the emissions intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030.
  • The automotive sector in particular has sought to evolve to renewable energy sources and reduce its carbon footprint.
    • Against this backdrop, hydrogen fuel cell technology is emerging globally as a valuable multisector alternative for fossil fuels.
    • Ammonia and Hydrogen are the future fuels and seen to be alternative of Fossil Fuels
  • Fuel cell technology relies on the chemical energy of hydrogen to generate electricity in a clean manner and effectively. Unlike primary fuels like coal and petroleum, or renewable energy sources like wind or solar power, hydrogen is an energy carrier. This means that hydrogen is required to be produced using primary sources of energy, such as natural gas, water, biomass, etc.
    • Once procured, hydrogen can be used to supply electricity across sectors, including industrial and commercial buildings, transportation, and long-term grid-based energy storage in reversible systems.
  • Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are powered by hydrogen. Like all electric vehicles, FCEVs use electricity to power an electric motor. However, instead of using electricity through batteries that draw power from the grid to function, FCEVs generate electricity using a fuel cell stack powered by hydrogen, which is stored on-board.
  • FCEVs are among the cleanest modes of transportations as they release no harmful tailpipe emissions, and only emit water vapour and warm air. With future technical enhancements, there will be a forecasted improvement in overall WTW (well-to-wheel) efficiency for FCEVs which is pegged at around 30–35% today.

Myriad benefits

  • FCEVs can be instrumental in achieving energy security and fulfilling de-carbonisation goals. While it is crucial to remember battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and FCEVs are not competing but complementary technologies, hydrogen-operated EVs offer some important benefits over lithium-powered BEVs.
  • In the context of certain duty cycles and applications,
    • They possess higher energy density (more energy per unit mass),
    • Require shorter fuel durations, and
    • Have long-range applications that are not viable with BEVs because of the constraints of LI-Ion batteries.
    • With an inherent renewable component and no emissions, FCEVs are also very environmentally friendly.
  • In particular, transitioning to hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty vehicles can have a significant impact in reducing greenhouse emissions.
    • In the near future, hydrogen fuel cells will be key in achieving higher range applications (exceeding 500 km) because of faster refuelling and higher density.

The road ahead

  • Hydrogen technology is still at a very nascent stage in the country, and there is limited infrastructure and scale of hydrogen dispensing units available. This makes the acquisition and total cost of ownership for FCEVs higher. Further, most hydrogen production methods deployed today rely on fossil fuels.
  • However, government incentives and localisation of core aggregates are likely to reduce costs and improve the overall economics of FCEV. The demand is expected to boost in the second half of the current decade.
  • The newly introduced National Hydrogen Energy Mission Programme by the Prime Minister aims to bring open access to renewable energy and increase the production of green hydrogen (that does not rely on fossil fuels to be produced).
  • With these positive steps, one can expect a decisive move towards a sustainable future of mobility, with hydrogen fuel cell technology playing a predominant role across segments, in public transport, commercial vehicles, and passenger vehicles.

Conclusion

  • The new Green Hydrogen Policy has laid a solid foundation for developing a competitive green hydrogen sector in India. Green Hydrogen has cross-sectoral applications and decarbonisation potential, and it can particularly help in the decarbonization of the power sector. India has already committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2070, and green hydrogen will play a significant role as a disruptive feedstock in India's transition from oil and coal.

Source: The Hindu BL  Economic Times

Mains Question:

Q. What is the National Hydrogen Mission? Also mention the benefits of Hydrogen operated EVs.