Risks of green hydrogen: Government’s new green energy hydrogen policy

Risks of green hydrogen are manifolds. Government introduces a new green energy hydrogen policy. It will offer incentives to produce 5 million tons of hydrogen by 2030.

Industrialists are welcoming the move.

What is the need of hydrogen energy?

India produces renewable energy through solar and wind energy. However, renewable sources of energy are not capable of replacing fossil fuels like coal in steel and cement industries. Moreover, shipping and airlines need high intensity fuels.

What is hydrogen energy?

On passage of electricity through water, it leads to production of hydrogen energy. Renewable energy obtained through this process is- Green hydrogen. Its storage is possible. It can serve as high intensity fuel to propel aircrafts and ships.

Risks of green hydrogen involve: economic and safety threats

• Firstly, a backup plan is a prudent choice. It is because renewable sources of energies are highly competitive. Thus, allocating a major proportion of incentives for one particular energy resource poses risk. It may happen that a yet better resource or technology comes in being which may be more economic and less riskier. It will earn people’s say to replace the former.
• As a defense against it, the government should keep its financial commitments to a source of energy as modest as possible. Therefore, the risks should be borne by industrialists and not the government. For instance, in January, Ambani and Adani proposed a $80B and $70B investments respectively in green energy sectors. These are ambitious plans but on failure, the brunt should be borne by the businessmen, and none else.
• A huge safety risk hovers around hydrogen green energy. Hydrogen as a fuel is highly inflamable. Moreover, in history, there are accidents with now abandoned technology, airships. Airships were steel airships propelled by hydrogen. The Hindenburg, an airship, caught fire and killed 36 people in an accident.