By Ravi Pandit
Out of all aspects of the Hydrogen ecosystem, generation is the most important part. There are several ways of producing Hydrogen – grey (from fossil materials with CO2 let out in the air), blue (from fossil materials with CO2 stored or converted), and green (in which no additional CO2 is let out in the air). Focus on green Hydrogen is crucial for the fuel technology to be truly a game changer. Because it really addresses our core national issues that we talked about in the previous part of this article series.
Green hydrogen can be made by electrolysis (splitting water into its constituent elements – hydrogen and oxygen – by using electricity which necessarily should be green electricity i.e., generated by solar or wind or other renewable sources). The current cost of generation of hydrogen by electrolysis is in the region of ₹ 600-800 per kg. At this rate the cost per kilometre for an FCEV will be about 45–50% higher than that of a diesel vehicle for a similar long-distance heavy duty commercial operation. Clearly this is not an economically viable option today. However, the picture can change quite dramatically. Since green electricity can only be generated when the sun shines or the wind blows, for continuous hydrogen generation one would need energy storage when renewable energy is not available.
The primary deciders of hydrogen cost are the cost of the electrolyser, cost of storage and the cost of electricity. Electrolyser is a fairly well-known technology the cost of which is largely driven by the volume of production. The new hydrogen mission focuses on manufacture of electrolysers within the country. With the scale that one can envision both in solar as well as in production of electrolysers, it is anticipated that by the end of this decade the cost of green hydrogen can drop to $ 1/kg. At this rate the cost per kilometre of an FCEV will be around 25% less than the cost per kilometre of an equivalent diesel vehicle.
Green hydrogen can also be made by converting bio-waste or other biomass such as wheat straw, rice straw, cotton stalk, bagasse, forest residue, etc. into hydrogen through gasification or microbial route. The technologies for both these options have been developed by us here in India. We have worked with Agharkar Research Institute (Autonomous institute under DST) to develop a unique, high-yielding process that uses a novel microbial consortium to produce Hydrogen directly from biomass and methane thereafter. Through a collaboration with Ankur Scientific Technologies, we have developed a gasification-based Hydrogen generation process which would be better suited for woody biomass.
Since hydrogen will be used for long distance vehicles typically travelling between cities, the consumption of hydrogen will be decentralised. Hydrogen made from biomass will also be generated in a decentralised way across the countryside. The decentralised generation as well as decentralised usage will save the cost on transportation as well as storage. Such plants can generate hydrogen at as low a volume as 3 TPD (tonnes per day) or there can be multiple plants for Hydrogen producing capacity of 5 TPD or above. Such hydrogen can be available at ₹ 250/kg. At this price of hydrogen, the cost of running a long-distance truck or bus will be 10% to 15% lower than running the same on diesel. Bio hydrogen so generated will have multiple advantages in terms of creation of extra sources of income for our farmers, reduction of pollution because biomass need not be burnt, secure generation of energy within the country, absolutely clean environment, etc.
India’s potential from bio hydrogen itself can be 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen per annum. This can run 200,000+ kilometres of long-distance heavy-duty vehicles (buses and trucks) per day displacing 25 million tons of diesel consumption.
Every year India generates more than 500 million tons of agricultural residue. It is estimated that at least 200 million tons of this is unutilised and is potentially available for Hydrogen production. The available biomass is sufficient to produce 5 million tons of Hydrogen per year. The spread of the biomass is across the states. We conducted some on-ground research to see the locations where adequate biomass can be available near National or state highways thereby ensuring demand as well as supply of hydrogen. Below are the maps of four states in the country showing locations where plants can be set up for generation of hydrogen along with hydrogen dispensing stations.
With the increase in demand for green Hydrogen, farmers can also be encouraged for dedicated biomass farming for Hydrogen generation. This can be done by utilising non-agricultural/fallow land without getting into the food versus fuel debate. This should help our farmers because this can ensure a steady committed demand throughout the year. Working with a national lab, we have identified a strain of cane called an energy cane which can yield 35 tons of dry biomass per acre of land every year. This can be a very attractive proposition for the agriculture sector as well.
Biohydrogen generation and consumption can be a huge business absorbing capital investment of more than $ 35 billion, generating employment of 5 to 10 lakh people and saving us valuable foreign exchange. Income will be generated for our farming/rural sector – ensuring more equitable distribution of wealth. The entire value chain can be economically viable on its own. Private capital will flow in.
In the near short term, hydrogen will also be produced through other methods such as plasma-based decomposition of methane which can make green hydrogen while generating carbon as a byproduct. I also believe we need to seriously pursue blue hydrogen from coal gasification. This can ensure that we use our existing natural resources without emitting CO2. I believe this can be an extremely attractive option considering the availability of coal in India. In my opinion, research investment has to flow in this area. When commercialised, this would also be an attractive option for generation of Hydrogen.
I would like to conclude this part by stating that there are now economically viable, socially beneficial, and environmentally sensitive solutions available in India today which can help us on this part – possibly the most important part – of the problem.
We shall address the remaining parts of the value chain in the third part of this article series.
(Ravi Pandit is the co-founder and Chairman of KPIT Technologies. Kaustubh Pathak, Technology Lead, KPIT Technologies, also contributed to this article. Views are personal. )
Also Read:
“We used seawater as a feedstock without the need for any pre-treatment processes like reverse osmosis desolation, purification, or alkalisation,” said Yao Zheng, lead researcher from University of Adelaide, Australia.
