Green hydrogen

Topic: Energy Resources of India: Conventional and Non-conventional · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

Green hydrogen is hydrogen gas made by splitting water with an electric current (electrolysis), where the electricity comes from renewable sources such as solar and wind. In India, hydrogen counts as "green" only if making it releases not more than 2 kg of CO₂ for every kg of hydrogen.

It matters because hydrogen gives out only water when it burns or is used in a fuel cell. Making it green can clean up industries that electricity alone cannot, such as refining, fertiliser, steel and shipping. India's National Green Hydrogen Mission aims to make it a major industry by 2030.

Explanation

How green hydrogen is made (cause → process → result)

• Hydrogen is both a fuel and an industrial raw material.
• Using it gives out only water.

• Any pollution comes from the way it is made.

• Step 1: cause. Renewable electricity from solar or wind is passed through water in an electrolyser (a machine that splits water using electric current).

• Step 2: process. Water (H₂O) splits into two gases. Hydrogen gas collects at one electrode and oxygen gas at the other.
• Step 3: result. The hydrogen is almost carbon-free, because no fossil fuel is burnt at any step.

India's Green Hydrogen Standard (2023, MNRE)

• The rule: total emissions must be ≤ 2 kg CO₂ per kg H₂.
• What it covers: the whole making process, not only the electrolyser. That means:
• water treatment;
• electrolysis;
• gas purification;
• drying;

• compression.

• Why "almost" carbon-free: some small emissions can still occur along this chain, so the standard sets an upper limit instead of demanding zero.

Green vs grey hydrogen

Feature	Grey hydrogen	Green hydrogen
Raw material	Natural gas (methane)	Water
Energy used	Fossil fuel	Renewable electricity
Process	Steam reforming of gas	Electrolysis
CO₂ released	High	≤ 2 kg CO₂/kg H₂ (India's 2023 standard)
Present cost	Cheaper	Costlier

• Today: most hydrogen used in Indian refineries and fertiliser plants is grey.
• Cost trend: green hydrogen gets cheaper as solar power and electrolysers get cheaper.

Who uses it (demand sectors)

• Refineries: it replaces grey hydrogen in oil processing.
• Fertiliser plants: green hydrogen → green ammonia → urea and other fertilisers.
• Steel: hydrogen can replace coking coal to remove oxygen from iron ore. The result is green steel.
• Shipping: it is used to make cleaner ship fuels such as green ammonia and green methanol.
• These are "hard-to-abate" sectors (industries whose emissions are very hard to cut using electricity alone).

Where it occurs

• National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM):
• Launched: January 2023.
• Run by: MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy).

• Outlay: ₹19,744 crore.

• Targets for 2030:

• 5 million tonnes (MMT) of green hydrogen a year.
• About 125 GW of new renewable capacity linked to it.

• About ₹8 lakh crore of investment, about 6 lakh jobs and about ₹1 lakh crore saved on fossil fuel imports [1].

• SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition): money support for two things:

• making electrolysers in India;

• producing green hydrogen.

• Research:

• A ₹400 crore R&D scheme supports 23 projects on production, storage, safety and industrial use.

• In 2025, a ₹100 crore call for proposals for start-ups was launched, with up to ₹5 crore for each project [4].

• Green Hydrogen Hubs (recognised October 2025): places where hydrogen will be made, used and exported. All three are major ports [1][2].

Port (official name)	State	Water body	Why here
Deendayal Port, Kandla	Gujarat	Gulf of Kachchh, Arabian Sea	West coast; close to the Gujarat–Rajasthan solar and wind belt
Paradip Port	Odisha	Bay of Bengal, Mahanadi delta	East coast; near the refinery and steel belt
V.O. Chidambaranar Port, Thoothukudi (Tuticorin)	Tamil Nadu	Gulf of Mannar	South-east coast; close to Tamil Nadu wind farms

• Kandla progress:
• In 2025, a megawatt-scale, made-in-India green hydrogen plant began work. It cost about ₹13 crore and can make nearly 140 tonnes a year [2][3].
• A ₹42 crore, 750 m³ green methanol bunkering and refuelling facility is being built. Bunkering means filling ships with fuel. It will support a Coastal Green Shipping Corridor between Kandla and Tuticorin [2].

Don't confuse with

• Grey hydrogen: made from natural gas (methane) by steam reforming, which releases a lot of CO₂. Green hydrogen is made from water by electrolysis using renewable power.
• Green ammonia / green methanol: these are products made from green hydrogen, used for fertilisers and ship fuel. They are not green hydrogen itself.
• Green Energy Corridor (2015): a transmission network that carries renewable power into the national grid. It has nothing to do with making hydrogen. Also do not mix it up with the Coastal Green Shipping Corridor (Kandla–Tuticorin), which is a shipping route.
• "Zero emission" vs India's standard: India's definition allows up to 2 kg CO₂ per kg H₂. It is not a strict zero-carbon rule.

Prelims Hooks

• Green hydrogen = electrolysis of water using renewable power. Grey hydrogen = steam reforming of natural gas. India's 2023 standard is ≤ 2 kg CO₂ per kg H₂, and it covers water treatment, electrolysis, purification, drying and compression.
• NGHM: January 2023; MNRE; ₹19,744 crore; 5 MMT a year by 2030; about 125 GW of linked renewables [1].
• SIGHT = Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition. It supports electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen production.
• Hub port–state pairs (October 2025): Deendayal/Kandla – Gujarat; Paradip – Odisha; V.O. Chidambaranar/Thoothukudi – Tamil Nadu [1][2].
• Trap: Kandla is on the Gulf of Kachchh, not the Gulf of Khambhat. Thoothukudi is on the Gulf of Mannar.
• Kandla: made-in-India megawatt-scale plant (about 140 tonnes a year) [2][3], plus a green methanol bunkering facility for the Kandla–Tuticorin Coastal Green Shipping Corridor [2].

Mains Points

• Green hydrogen as an industrial strategy (GS-III):
• It cuts emissions in hard-to-abate sectors (refining, fertiliser, steel and shipping), where electricity alone cannot do the job.
• It reduces imports of gas and ammonia, saving about ₹1 lakh crore by 2030 [1].

• Port hubs at Kandla, Paradip and Thoothukudi bring production, use and export together on the coast [1][2].

• Why the hub locations make sense (geography):

• Kandla is near the Gujarat–Rajasthan solar and wind belt.
• Paradip is near the eastern refinery and steel belt.
• Thoothukudi is near Tamil Nadu's wind farms.

• So cheap renewable power, industrial demand and sea routes come together at one place.

• Challenges and responses:

• High cost: green hydrogen is still costlier than grey. SIGHT incentives and cheaper solar power and electrolysers are bringing the cost down.
• Water demand: electrolysis needs water, but the best solar regions are often dry.
• Electrolyser manufacturing: India's capacity to make electrolysers is limited. Domestic manufacturing support under SIGHT and the ₹400 crore R&D scheme (23 projects) address this [4].

Related concepts

• National Green Hydrogen Mission
• Green Energy Corridor
• Non-fossil share of power capacity
• Just energy transition
• International Solar Alliance
• One Sun One World One Grid

Read more

• Energy transition: green hydrogen, grids, targets, the International Solar Alliance and conservation