State to lead green hydrogen adoption in transport sector

• Published 3 weeks ago
• By SuperAdmin

Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy, and as a carbon-free energy carrier, it presents a viable alternative to carbon-based sources, particularly in sectors like transport, refineries, fertilizer production, and steel manufacturing.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has the potential to lead the country in clean energy adoption, particularly in the transport sector, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, said K. Premkumar, scientist at ANERT, during a tech talk at Huddle Global 2024. The session, titled "Green Hydrogen: Fuelling the Future with Clean Energy in an AI Era," focused on Kerala's ambitious plans to promote green hydrogen, especially for transportation, as part of its climate action strategy. However, Premkumar emphasized that a pilot project is necessary to demonstrate the safe use of hydrogen, given ongoing concerns about its safety.

Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy, and as a carbon-free energy carrier, it presents a viable alternative to carbon-based sources, particularly in sectors like transport, refineries, fertilizer production, and steel manufacturing. While thousands of tonnes of hydrogen are being used in Kerala, they are primarily derived from natural gas conversion.

According to the state's action plan on climate change, a significant portion of Kerala's carbon emissions comes from energy, with nearly 50% originating from the transport sector alone. ANERT is working on a project to shift transport to hydrogen, which involves various factors such as biomass-based production, storage, refueling stations, and hydrogen use in both water and land transport, along with necessary training programmes.

The department of science and technology is planning to establish four hydrogen valley innovation clusters across India by 2030. Kerala has submitted a proposal to DST for the establishment of the Kerala Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster, stretching from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram and is awaiting DST's approval.

Premkumar also discussed the potential for decentralized hydrogen generation, which is similar to solar energy. While conventional hydrogen production costs over Rs 600 per kg, green hydrogen can be produced for around Rs 150, and biomass-based generation could bring the cost down to below Rs 200.