RELEASE: Transitioning to a Green Hydrogen Economy in India
Green hydrogen, with its cross sectoral decarbonization capabilities, will play an integral role in achieving India’s net zero ambitions
New Delhi, May 6, 2022: The ‘Green Hydrogen’ day, at the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2022, saw domain experts and academicians weighing in on the Green Hydrogen Policy and the way forward for India to become a global leader in hydrogen production. With India’s net-zero commitments set to 2070, hydrogen is fast emerging as an alternate energy vector in hard-to-abate sectors such as shipping, and fertilizers among others.
Hosted by World Resources Institute India (WRI India) and India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), ‘Green Hydrogen: Through the Lens of Policy, Supply-Chain and Manufacturing’ saw discussions that explored the demand for green hydrogen in India and abroad, the manufacturing and technology landscape for production and the potential of hydrogen from biomass.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, President, IESA & MD, Customised Energy Solutions India (CES India) said, “Green hydrogen is a complementing solution for other advanced energy storage technologies, and together a faster transition towards net zero goals set by Honorable Prime Minister can be achieved. While learning from our past mistakes and improvements in battery technology are both important, the focus should be on creation of opportunities for deployment of green hydrogen solutions through the blending of green and grey hydrogen for existing applications.”
Mr. Pawan Mulukutla, Director, Clean Mobility and Energy Tech, WRI India said, “Hydrogen will act as a disruptive force in the carbon-intensive industrial sector and will set the pace for the country’s energy transition journey. With the demand pegged at 7-8 metric tons by 2030, adoption of robust policies and mapping the current value chain of the hydrogen ecosystem is a must. Green hydrogen, with its cross sectoral decarbonization capabilities, will play an integral role in achieving India’s net zero ambitions.”
By 2030, India will be the third largest energy consumer in the world. Industries such as refineries, fertilizers and shipping currently use hydrogen as feedstock; however, this hydrogen is primarily produced from natural gas which is a highly carbon intensive process. Green hydrogen, on the other hand, is produced from electrolysis of water, using renewable energy, and thus has no associated emissions.
Ensuring robust R&D facilities, financing towards initial lighthouse projects, skill development and indigenous manufacturing capabilities are critical. Implementation of demand enabling policies will help catalyse development of domestic supply value chains, encouraging cost competitiveness with grey hydrogen by the end of this decade. The expected investment to unlock cross-sectoral green hydrogen ecosystem is estimated at $150bn.
Media contacts:
Anindita Bhattacharjee, WRI India
| +91 98452 71466 | anindita.bhattacharjee@wri.org
Nitya Kaushik, WRI India
| +91 98199 02763 | nitya.kaushik@wri.org
About IESA
India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) is a leading industry alliance focused on the development of advanced energy storage, green hydrogen, and e-mobility technologies in India. Founded in 2012, by Customized Energy Solutions (CES), IESA’s vision is to make India a global hub for R&D, manufacturing, and adoption of advanced energy storage, e-mobility, and green hydrogen technologies.
About World Resource Institute India (WRI India)
WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Our work focuses on building sustainable and livable cities and working towards a low carbon economy. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. We are inspired by and associated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization. Know more: Wri-india.org
