Will a hydrogen fuel cell bus be successful in India?

 It will take another 3-4 years to know if green hydrogen fuel cell buses will be successful or not. These type of busses has been rolled out in India and hence technology is available now. Storage and transportation of hydrogen issues will get resolved in due course. Only issue is the cost of green hydrogen production. If India can make it economically, there is a huge export potential.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Monday 25 September 2023 unveiled the nation's first green hydrogen-powered bus that emits just water as it takes the lead in bringing out unrivaled tools to replace fossil fuels. IOC will produce close to 75 kg of hydrogen by splitting water using electricity from renewable sources. This hydrogen will be used to power two buses which will ply across the NCR for trial runs. Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, flagging off the buses, said hydrogen will be India's transition fuel for moving away from fossil fuels. IOC's R&D Centre at Faridabad is producing green hydrogen for the pilot run. Four cylinders with a capacity of 30 kg can run the buses for 350 km. It takes 10-12 minutes for the four tanks to fill. Hydrogen when burnt emits only water vapour as a by-product. With three times the energy density and the absence of harmful emissions, hydrogen shines as a cleaner, more efficient choice to meet the energy requirement.

The technology is still some distance away from full-scale commercial deployment. The buses currently have a hydrogen capacity of 30 kg and provide a range of 350 km. At a manufacturing cost of Rs 300-400/Kg of hydrogen, the per kilometre cost of running the vehicles is between Rs 25.7 to 34.3, which is significantly higher (more than 10x) than other fuel sources. So, the next step should be to bring the cost of green hydrogen production at part with petroleum products in next 2-3 years with cheaper solar generated electricity and large scale manufacturing.

The Union Budget has designated green growth as one of the seven themes with thrust on ecosystem development for green hydrogen, infrastructure strengthening for utility scale renewable energy power, pushing India towards net zero target. The focus on green growth, as one of the seven priority areas in the Union Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament, will lend a fillip to the transition towards decarbonisation, and achieving the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the larger net-zero goals. The outlay of Rs 19700 crore for the National Green Hydrogen Mission and the annual production target of 5 MMT by 2030 will serve as an impetus to the de-carbonization process and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. This is a welcome move as India tries to rapidly increase the share of renewables in the grid. The Finance Minister also pledged Rs 35000 crore in support for net zero and energy transition objectives. So, Modi government is keen to make green hydrogen fuel a success as it will save foreign exchange.

Picture source: Google / Respective rightful owner

Energy from green hydrogen will be expensive, even in 2050
Green hydrogen is considered a crucial solution to decarbonise ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors and, whilst some commentators suggest it will be available for ~$0.5 /kg – a cost level that is infeasible in our view – we don’t believe it will be available for <$3 /kg (real 2022) at the point of use, even in 2050. $3 /kg is equivalent to ~$80 /MWh, higher than natural gas prices today and 6x higher than pre-energy crisis, steady-state thermal coal prices.
https://sustainability.crugroup.com/article/energy-from-green-hydrogen-will-be-expensive-even-in-2050

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Will farm leader Rakesh Tikait make an alliance with Congress?

Image
Rakesh Tikait is a failed politician and hence he cannot join or make alliance with congress. He tried his luck in few elections but failed miserably in his home turf of Western UP Jat land. He is now a pawn of congress. Indira Gandhi created Bhindranwale in Punjab in late 1970s to counter political rival Akali Dal. Bhindranwale became radical terr0r!st over the period of time. During 1982 9th Asian Games in New Delhi, special security arrangements were made to prevent Khalistani propaganda and attack. Then came unfortunate peak of militancy in Punjab, event of ‘Operation Bluestar’ and subsequent assassination of the Army chief Vaidya and PM Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi also created LTTE (Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam) who were fighting a separate home land for Tamils in Sri Lanka. There were other Tamil group but they were mostly political like TELA (Tamil Eelam Liberation Army), EPRLF (Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front), TLO (Tamil Liberation Organisation) etc. LTTE
Read more

Has anyone changed his opinion about Narendra Modi?

Image
Former Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has changed his opinion about Narendra Modi. This was 2014 Former Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has commended India, under the leadership of PM Modi, prioritizing its sovereign and economic interests while while also appealing for peace. Appreciating India's stand on Russia-Ukraine war, he said India has done ‘the right thing’. He also pointed out at the increased importance of foreign policy in domestic politics compared to his tenure as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. Singh, invited to a G20 dinner just a day before G-20 summit starts in New Delhi on 09 September 2023, further emphasized the significance of diplomacy without being overly influenced by partisan politics during India's G20 presidency. Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the new world order has changed in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war. India has an important role in operating this system. He said that while appealing for peace between the two countries,
Read more

What do you think about the US and India relations? Why did Narendra Modi visit us?

Image
In 1990s, India and USA were at loggerheads diplomatically on most global issues. India often accused USA Secretary of state Madeleine Albright and others in 1990s that they openly takes Pakistan’s side. USA’s official statements appear to be drafted by Pakistan and always ignored India’s geo-political concerns. This is because Pakistan was a USA ally during cold war days and supported USA in Afghan war against Soviets. In early 1990s, India and the United States were two ‘estranged democracies’ trying to re-discover mutually after decades of mutual suspicion during cold war decades. After breakup of Soviet Union in 1991, India launched ‘look east policy’ for close co-operation with South East Asian (AEAN) countries and sole super power USA. Fast forward to recent Indian PM Modi’s June 2023 USA official visit joint statement on Pakistan. US and India on strongly condemned cross-border terr0rism and the use of terr0rist proxies and called on Pakistan (by taking name directly) to take im
Read more