UPSC Prelims 2023 Q60: Green Hydrogen Uses — Explained
With reference to green hydrogen, consider the following statements:
1. It can be used directly as a fuel for internal combustion.
2. It can be blended with natural gas and used as fuel for heat or power generation.
3. It can be used in the hydrogen fuel cell to run vehicles.
How many of the above statements are correct?
- Only one
- Only two
- All three
- None
Answer: (c) All three
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: correct — Hydrogen burns. A spark-ignition engine modified to run on it is called a hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2-ICE). Burning it gives water vapour and no CO2, though some nitrogen oxides (NOx) form at high combustion temperatures. In India, Tata Motors' heavy-duty truck trials flagged off by the Union ministers included both H2-ICE and fuel-cell trucks.
- 2: correct — Hydrogen can be mixed into natural gas and burned for heat or power. In January 2023, NTPC and Gujarat Gas began India's first green hydrogen blending into piped natural gas (PNG) at NTPC Kawas township, Surat. The PNGRB approved 5% blending by volume to start, to be raised in phases to 20%. India has also notified hydrogen-enriched CNG (H-CNG) as an automotive fuel.
- 3: correct — A fuel cell combines hydrogen with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, with only water as a by-product. That electricity drives the vehicle's electric motor. In March 2022, a pilot project of Toyota Kirloskar and ICAT (International Centre for Automotive Technology) began testing the Toyota Mirai fuel cell car on Indian roads. India's hydrogen trains also run on fuel cells.
How to eliminate
Most of this question can be reasoned out from basic chemistry. Hydrogen is a combustible gas, so it can be burned in an engine (Statement 1) and burned in a mix with another fuel gas (Statement 2). Fuel cell vehicles are the best-known use of hydrogen (Statement 3), so that one is close to certain. No statement uses an absolute word like 'only' or 'necessarily'. Each one says hydrogen 'can be used', which is a claim about whether something is possible, and such statements are usually true. The word 'green' changes nothing. It describes how the hydrogen was made (electrolysis powered by renewable electricity), not how it behaves. Green, grey and blue hydrogen are the same molecule and have the same uses. The fact to remember: hydrogen has three main uses as a fuel. It can be burned in engines, blended into natural gas, or used in fuel cells to make electricity.
Know more
Hydrogen 'colours' tell you how it was made, not what it can do. The molecule (H₂) is identical in every case.
| Colour | How it is made | CO₂ released during production |
|---|---|---|
| Grey | Steam reforming of natural gas | High |
| Blue | Same as grey, but the CO₂ is captured and stored | Low |
| Green | Splitting water by electrolysis, powered by solar or wind | Near zero |
Ways hydrogen is used
| Use | What happens | Indian example |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel cell | H₂ + O₂ → electricity + water, with no burning | Toyota Mirai pilot (2022); Jind–Sonipat hydrogen train |
| Internal combustion | H₂ is burned in a modified engine | Hydrogen ICE truck trials |
| Blending | H₂ is mixed into natural gas or CNG | NTPC Kawas PNG blending (2023); H-CNG notified as an automotive fuel |
| Feedstock | Raw material in industry | Refineries, fertiliser (ammonia), steel making (DRI) |
Why it matters. Fuel cells convert energy more efficiently than engines and emit only water. Burning hydrogen in an engine reuses existing engine designs but releases some NOx. Blending lowers the CO₂ of gas grids without new pipelines, but blend levels are capped because hydrogen can make some steels brittle.
National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM). The Union Cabinet approved it on 4 January 2023 with an outlay of ₹19,744 crore. ₹17,490 crore of that goes to SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition). Targets for 2030:
- at least 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen a year
- about 125 GW of new renewable capacity linked to it
- about 50 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions avoided each year
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) runs the mission.
In the news
The Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission on 4 January 2023. NTPC began India's first green hydrogen blending into piped natural gas in the same week, a few months before the May 2023 Prelims. The Toyota Mirai fuel cell pilot and H-CNG had been in the news through 2022.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Green hydrogen: 'Green' describes how the hydrogen is made (renewable-powered electrolysis). The question tests whether that changes the ways hydrogen can be used as a fuel.
- National Green Hydrogen Mission: The question appeared in 2023, the year this mission was approved. Its demand-creation goals cover mobility, gas blending and industry.