In the part one of the series, we examined the concept of Hydrogen Valleys and the global scenario (read here ). In this article, we take a look at how the Indian Green Hydrogen valley landscape is shaping up.
Introduction
India's National Green Hydrogen Mission has set a goal to produce at least 5 million metric tonnes of Green Hydrogen annually by 2030, with the potential to reach 10 million metric tonnes per year by exploring export markets. The mission also aims to make India a leader in the technology and manufacturing of electrolyzers and other enabling technologies for Green Hydrogen.
Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative launched in 2015 by 23 countries and the European Commission to accelerate research, development, and demonstration of clean energy technologies. Mission Innovation 2.0, launched in 2021, focuses on seven missions, including the Clean Hydrogen Mission, aiming to reduce clean hydrogen costs to $2 per kg by 2030. This mission seeks to establish a global clean hydrogen economy across various industries. Currently, there are 37 Hydrogen Valleys in 20 countries, with India being one of the founding countries, and the Department of Science & Technology serves as the nodal agency for Mission Innovation.
The concept of hydrogen valleys has been introduced as a national initiative by the Department of Science and Technology to showcase and deploy technological advancements across the entire value chain of hydrogen, including production, storage, and transportation, in selected regions of India. According to DST, “A Hydrogen Valley is a defined geographical area where hydrogen serves more than one end sector or application in mobility, industry and energy. This typically covers all the necessary steps in the hydrogen value chain, from production (and often even dedicated renewable electricity production) to subsequent storage and its transport & distribution to various off-takers.”
The Department will provide funding for research, development, and demonstration activities to support small-scale demonstrations and enhance the readiness of technologies in the green hydrogen value chain, with the vision of transforming India into an energy-independent nation by 2047 where green hydrogen plays a significant role as an alternative to petroleum and fossil-based products.
The main scientific priorities are listed below:
Hydrogen Production
The image below shows the value chain of Green Hydrogen Valleys.
Target
1st phase: 2023-2027 (Activation)
2nd phase: 2028-2033 (Upscaling)
3rd phase: 2034-2050 (Market uptake)
Funding Availability:
For Phase I, the allocated budget is Rs. 90 Cr. for setting up three Hydrogen Valley Platforms. The allocated budget will be distributed among the entire hydrogen value chain (production, distribution and transportation). Read more about the DST programme here .
State initiatives
States like Gujarat and Kerala are working towards creating a Hydrogen valley. In April 2023, the Hydrogen Valley Innovation cluster project was kicked off from Gujarat. The objective of the project is to develop a localised hydrogen value chain where it can serve end sectors or applications in the areas of mobility, industry, and energy (read here ). The state of Kerala is aiming to develop two hydrogen valleys in the state, in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
Conclusion
Green Hydrogen Valleys are critical for India to achieve the ambitious targets it has set as part of the National Green Hydrogen Mission. With the active leadership of DST and several states, we can expect that this exciting area will play a important role in achieving India’s net-zero targets.