Carbon Capture And Green Hydrogen Can Accelerate India's Net Zero Journey

The rapidly growing economy of India, with a population of 1.4 billion, is experiencing a steady surge in the demand for energy. The draft plan of the union power ministry, presented in 2022, revealed that the country’s expect an annual electricity demand to go up to 1,874 billion units during the year ending March 2027. It reflects an average annual growth of 7.2 percent from the demand of 1,320 billion units in 2021–22, further projected to touch new heights, accounting for 25 percent of global energy demand growth over the next two decades.

To address the rising energy demand and fuel the progressive goal to reach net zero emissions by 2070, India is making significant strides in diversifying its energy mix through a widespread transition to renewable sources of energy. Today, India has positioned itself as the world’s third largest producer of renewable energy, with 40 percent of the country’s installed electricity capacity produced from non-fossil sources. Furthermore, it is also investing in cutting-edge solutions to address the challenge of carbon capture and green hydrogen, which have the potential to reduce industrial emissions in heavy industry and support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Carbon Capture: Reusing the waste to limit carbon footprint

Currently counted among the top three countries in the world in carbon emission reporting and reduction, India’s historical cumulative carbon dioxide emissions from 1850 to 2019 amount to less than 4 percent compared to that of the world from the pre-industrial era. However, India is a developing nation, where greenhouse gas emissions are expected to increase in the future.

Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) technologies are emerging as a promising technology to decarbonise the economy in an innovative way. This involves capturing carbon dioxide emitted from industries, transporting, storing, or further utilising them in diverse ways, thereby preventing its release into the atmosphere. The technology is already in use in companies like NTPC and others, significantly reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to a more sustainable future.

However, the utilisation of the carbon captured from large-scale industries remains a crucial concern. 

Advancements in technology have certainly made it possible to capture and store it; even so, finding economically viable and large-scale uses for CO2 has not been made possible. At present, the demand for CO2-based materials is relatively small to make any meaningful impact on the surging climate concern.

Green Hydrogen Production: The Energy of Tomorrow

Green hydrogen production is another promising avenue for advancing the country’s sustainable development efforts. India’s potential to lead in green hydrogen production is immense, which is further strengthened with the approved investment of Rs 19,744 crore by the Union Government for the National Green Hydrogen Mission, aiming to make India a 'global hub' for using, producing, and exporting green hydrogen and its derivatives.

Produced by water electrolysis with electricity generated by renewable energy sources like solar and wind, green hydrogen is a zero-emission fuel that can be utilised for various applications. Biomass is another method of producing green hydrogen, involving the gasification of biomass to produce hydrogen. Both of these production methods are clean and sustainable, making green hydrogen a crucial option to transition to a low-carbon future.  However, similar to carbon capture, the cost of electrolysers and large-scale production of green hydrogen is also expensive.

As the country advances its efforts, a strong regulatory framework and policy will be needed for implementing renewable energy and the governance of natural resources. At the same time, public-private partnerships and investment from both domestic and international investors are crucial for scaling up carbon capture and green hydrogen technologies. India has already partnered with countries like Japan and Germany to share knowledge and technology in green hydrogen production. This collaboration is expected to bring the cost of these technologies down, making them more accessible for general usage.

India, at present, stands at a critical juncture in its target to meet the net zero emission target by 2070. 

It is efforts to transition to a sustainable energy framework that are crucial for achieving this objective, for which investing in breakthrough technology, strengthening policy, and fostering innovation are significant. It is a long way with several challenges before the country becomes a leader in sustainable energy, but with collaboration between government, industry, and society, it is well-positioned to reach its goals.

(Davindar Saproo is General Manager Sales and Marketing at Green Power International.)