Context:
Recently, NTPC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GRIDCO (a government energy agency in Odisha) and CRUT (the state’s public transit agency) to develop green hydrogen infrastructure in Odisha.
More In News:
- The project is partially funded by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.
- As part of the MoU, NTPC will establish a green hydrogen fueling station in Bhubaneswar and introduce hydrogen-powered buses for short and long routes.
- This initiative will help reduce the use of fossil fuel buses, contributing to decarbonization and energy security.
- NTPC has been running green hydrogen projects in Surat and is also involved in similar projects in Leh, Greater Noida, and Kandla.
- Additionally, NTPC is working on a green hydrogen hub in Visakhapatnam and aims to achieve 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032.
What is Green Hydrogen?
- Green hydrogen is made by using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is a clean process.
- Green hydrogen is a clean fuel produced through electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- It is a clean energy source that only produces water vapor and leaves no pollution, unlike coal and oil.
- Hydrogen is the lightest gas (14 times lighter than air), highly flammable, odorless, and burns with a colorless flame.
The present status of the adoption of Green Hydrogen in India:
- GAIL Limited has started India’s maiden project of blending Hydrogen in City Gas Distribution grid. Two precent by volume of hydrogen is being blended in CNG network and 5 vol% of hydrogen is being blended into PNG network at City Gas Station of Avantika Gas Limited (AGL), Indore in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
- NTPC Limited has initiated blending of Green Hydrogen up to 8% (vol/vol) in PNG Network at NTPC Kawas Township, Surat, Gujarat from January 2023.
- Besides these, other PSUs have taken up various projects such as:
- Hydrogen-based Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Buses in Leh by NTPC
- Hydrogen-based Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Buses in Greater Noida by NTPC
- Oil India Limited has developed a 60-kW capacity hydrogen fuel cell bus, which is a hybrid of an electric drive and a fuel cell.
- Demonstration pilot plants for the production of Green Hydrogen through water electrolysis using solar power, biomass oxy steam gasification, and CBG reforming for refueling 15 no. of Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses by Indian Oil
About NTPC:
- It was Founded in 1975, NTPC has been a key driver of India’s economic growth for almost 50 years.
- It is India’s largest integrated power company, focused on providing power to every part of the country and creating a sustainable futureusing a mix of fossil fuels, gas, hydro, nuclear, and renewable energy to reduce its carbon footprint.