Lesson 6: “Green Hydrogen: India’s Path to a Sustainable Energy Future”

🌱Highlight : Attached :

🌀3 Mains Mock Questions (250 words)

🌀2 Full Length Essays (250 Marks)

📘 Chapter Notes: Key Takeaways

🌱 Introduction & Vision:

• India launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) in January 2023 to become a global hub for green hydrogen production, usage, and export.
• Target: 5 MMT of Green Hydrogen by 2030, scalable to 10 MMT based on global demand.
• Key applications: steel, shipping, fertilizer, refineries, long-haul transport, power storage.
• Aims to avert 50 MMT of CO₂ emissions annually and create 6 lakh green jobs.

⚡ Strategic Importance:

• Reduces fossil fuel import dependence (currently 40% of energy needs).
• Supports India’s Net Zero by 2070 and Energy Independence by 2047 goals.
• Enhances India’s role in the global green energy supply chain.

🧪 Technology and Industry Development:

• Encourages electrolyser manufacturing (target: 60–100 GW installed capacity).
• Leverages India’s 125 GW+ renewable energy base to power hydrogen production.
• Scales pilot projects in Green Ammonia, Methanol, and decarbonized steel.

🌏 Phased Implementation:

• Phase I (2022–2026): Demand creation, incentives, electrolyser production, pilot projects.
• Phase II (2026–2030): Commercial deployment across steel, railways, shipping, aviation.

🔗 Multi-Ministry Synergy:

Involves MNRE, MoP, MoPNG, Fertilizers, Steel, Shipping, Transport, Finance — for policy, tech, infra, and adoption.

⚠️ Challenges:

• High costs of electrolysis & green inputs.
• Lack of standards and regulatory frameworks.
• Water usage concerns for hydrogen production.
• Technology gaps and need for R&D.

🧠 MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Discuss the strategic importance of Green Hydrogen in India’s journey toward energy independence and net-zero emissions. (250–300 words)

Q2. Evaluate the role of the National Green Hydrogen Mission in promoting sustainable industrial development and decarbonization. (250–300 words)

Q3. Highlight the key challenges in scaling Green Hydrogen production in India and suggest policy measures to overcome them. (250–300 words)

🧠 MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION 1

Q1. Discuss the strategic importance of Green Hydrogen in India’s journey toward energy independence and net-zero emissions.

(250–300 words)

Model Answer:

Green Hydrogen has emerged as a cornerstone of India’s long-term strategy to achieve energy independence by 2047 and Net Zero emissions by 2070. As a clean fuel produced using renewable energy and electrolysis, it offers a scalable, low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels across hard-to-abate sectors.

India currently imports over 40% of its primary energy, exposing the economy to price volatility and geopolitical risks. Green Hydrogen, derived from abundant solar and wind resources, can significantly reduce this dependence. It provides a clean substitute for Grey Hydrogen (currently used in petroleum refining and fertilizer manufacturing), thereby improving energy security while decarbonizing industry.

The National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), launched in 2023, targets at least 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of annual Green Hydrogen production by 2030, with potential to scale to 10 MMT. It also aims to create 6 lakh green jobs and avert 50 MMT of CO₂ emissions annually.

Furthermore, Green Hydrogen plays a vital role in decarbonizing sectors like steel, shipping, aviation, and long-haul transport—areas where direct electrification is less feasible. It also supports the development of Green Ammonia and Methanol for domestic use and export.

By investing in electrolyser manufacturing and leveraging its 125+ GW renewable base, India can become a global hub for Green Hydrogen. Thus, Green Hydrogen is not just a fuel—it is a strategic lever for sovereignty, sustainability, and global leadership in climate action.

🧠 MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION 2

Q2. Evaluate the role of the National Green Hydrogen Mission in promoting sustainable industrial development and decarbonization.

(250–300 words)

Model Answer:

The National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) plays a pivotal role in aligning India’s industrial growth with its climate goals. Launched in January 2023, the mission seeks to transform India into a global Green Hydrogen hub by promoting sustainable industrial practices and reducing dependence on carbon-intensive fuels.

Green Hydrogen offers an efficient pathway to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries such as petroleum refining, steel production, fertilizers, and long-haul mobility. These sectors currently rely heavily on fossil fuels and are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing Grey Hydrogen with Green Hydrogen in these processes can drastically lower carbon footprints.

The mission targets 5 MMT of Green Hydrogen production by 2030, supported by 60–100 GW of electrolyser installations and 125 GW of renewable energy capacity. This scale of operation is designed to bring down production costs, support demand creation, and enable the commercial viability of hydrogen-based industrial processes.

Pilot projects under Phase I (2022–26) are already underway in refining, city gas distribution, and steel. Phase II (2026–30) will see broader applications in shipping, aviation, and railway networks.

Moreover, the mission encourages domestic manufacturing of electrolysers, thereby fostering an innovation ecosystem and generating employment. It also promotes the development of Green Ammonia and Methanol, enhancing export potential.

By integrating clean hydrogen into industrial value chains, the NGHM not only drives green economic growth but also secures India’s place in the global clean-tech race. It represents a paradigm shift from industrial pollution to industrial transformation.

🧠 MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION 3

Q3. Highlight the key challenges in scaling Green Hydrogen production in India and suggest policy measures to overcome them.

(250–300 words)

Model Answer:

Despite its transformative potential, the large-scale adoption of Green Hydrogen in India faces several technical, economic, and infrastructural challenges.

High production costs remain the foremost barrier. Electrolytic hydrogen is significantly more expensive than fossil-based Grey Hydrogen due to the cost of electrolysers and renewable energy inputs. Additionally, the water requirement for hydrogen production raises sustainability concerns in arid regions.

Technological gaps—such as low electrolyser efficiency, storage difficulties, and limited refueling infrastructure—also hinder deployment. Moreover, lack of harmonized standards for production, safety, and transport adds regulatory uncertainty. Grid integration, land acquisition for renewable energy, and the absence of clear business models further complicate project execution.

To overcome these barriers, a multi-pronged policy approach is essential:

1. Capital subsidies and viability gap funding can help bring down the cost of Green Hydrogen production in the initial phases.
2. Incentivizing domestic electrolyser manufacturing under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme will build self-sufficiency and reduce import dependence.
3. Mandating Green Hydrogen use in select industrial sectors (e.g., fertilizers, steel) through Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) can create assured demand.
4. Developing hydrogen corridors and storage solutions, especially near ports and industrial hubs, will ensure smoother distribution and export readiness.
5. A regulatory framework for safety, quality standards, and green certification is needed to build trust and enable global trade.

With strategic investments and inter-ministerial coordination, India can overcome current barriers and emerge as a global leader in the hydrogen economy.

IAS Main PracticeEssay 1:

Word Limit: 1000 – 1200 125 -Marks

✨ The Invisible Flame: How Green Hydrogen Could Ignite India’s Clean Energy Dream

~ A Literary Meditation on the Power of the Lightest Element and the Heaviest Hopes ~

“It does not roar like coal, nor glisten like oil. Yet within the smallest atom of hydrogen sleeps the fire of the stars — and perhaps, the salvation of the Earth.”

I. The Breath We Cannot See

There is something poetic about hydrogen. The first element. The most abundant. The least noticed. In its invisibility lies a paradox — what we cannot see may yet be what saves us.

India, with its infinite summers and vast windswept plains, has long searched for an energy source that doesn’t leave scars behind. And now, in the simplest of molecules, a revolution is quietly taking shape.

This revolution is not made of smoke or pipelines. It flows through electrolysers, dances in solar beams, and travels silently in containers marked not by danger, but by hope.

II. From Grey to Green: The Moral of the Molecule

Hydrogen is not new. But what is new is how we make it. Most hydrogen today is “grey” — extracted from natural gas or coal, releasing carbon in the process. “Blue” hydrogen tries to clean this up with carbon capture. But only “Green Hydrogen” is truly innocent — born of water and wind, of sunlight and silence.

The National Green Hydrogen Mission, launched in January 2023, is India’s boldest bet yet on this innocence. It seeks to produce 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) annually by 2030 — enough to replace large swathes of fossil fuels in fertilizer, refining, steel, shipping, and transport.

It’s not just science. It’s strategy. Sovereignty. Survival.

III. A Nation’s Dream in a Drop of Water

Energy is not just a utility — it is the breath of development. And India’s breath has, for decades, depended on imported fuel.

Today, over 40% of India’s primary energy is imported. This is not just an economic burden. It is a geopolitical leash.

Green Hydrogen severs that leash. Produced through electrolysis using India’s abundant solar and wind energy, it allows energy to be stored, transported, and used where sunlight does not always shine.

It allows a desert to power a ship. A rooftop to run a factory. A river to move a train. This is the dream: Energy without empire. Power without pollution. Progress without penalty.

IV. Electrons into Atoms: The Alchemy of the New Age

The alchemists of old tried to turn lead into gold. Today’s engineers are turning sunlight into hydrogen.

In this alchemy lies opportunity. The mission plans to install 60–100 GW of electrolyser capacity. Electrolysers are the beating heart of this transition — machines that split water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy.

The more we make, the cheaper it gets. Economies of scale will drive down the cost of green hydrogen to levels competitive with grey. India is not just chasing self-sufficiency; it is courting global leadership.

V. Jobs, Justice, and the Just Transition

The promise of 6 lakh new green jobs is not just a number. It is a moral imperative.

Imagine rural youth trained as electrolyser technicians. Coastal communities running hydrogen ports. Villages with rooftop solar panels feeding decentralized hydrogen production units.

This is not just an energy mission — it is a livelihood revolution. And it brings justice: to those long kept out of the fossil economy, to geographies neglected by the grid, to futures stifled by smoke.

It is the whisper of justice in a molecule.

VI. From Plants to Ports: The New Infrastructure of Hope

A hydrogen economy is not only about production. It demands an entirely new ecosystem:

• Refueling stations for hydrogen-powered vehicles,
• Pipelines and storage tanks built with new materials,
• Export terminals for Green Ammonia and Green Methanol,
• Pilot projects in aviation, railways, and steel.

The Ministries of Power, Steel, Fertilizers, Shipping, and Finance now converge like rivers into a single estuary of innovation. The coordination is complex — but the goal is clear: to weave hydrogen into India’s industrial DNA.

VII. The Challenges of the Invisible

Yet the flame is fragile.

• Electrolysis is expensive. Water is limited.
• Safety standards, certification, and storage protocols remain unclear.
• R&D funding, public-private trust, and consumer awareness are embryonic.
• And while the molecule is light, the infrastructure is heavy — requiring massive investment, clear roadmaps, and constant calibration.

But India has done the impossible before. It split the atom. It electrified its villages. It reached the moon. Why should hydrogen be any different?

VIII. Hydrogen as Heritage

What if India could one day say — we powered our economy not by drilling into the Earth, but by listening to the sky?

Hydrogen aligns with India’s spiritual and civilizational essence. It is minimal, clean, efficient. Like the Vedic hymn or the village lamp, it does more with less.

It does not conquer nature. It cooperates.

In a way, Green Hydrogen is India’s chance to tell a different story of development. One where progress is not consumption, but creation. Not domination, but dance.

IX. Exporting Light, Not Smoke

The world is watching. Europe, Japan, Australia — all are racing to source clean hydrogen. With its massive renewable base and low labor costs, India could become a net exporter — sending not just molecules, but morality in every shipment of Green Ammonia or Methanol.

This is not just about economics. It is climate diplomacy. Green Hydrogen will allow India to lead not just in energy, but in ethics — offering pathways to equity for a planet in peril.

🌬️ Closing Whisper

“In the end, it may not be coal or oil that powers the final frontier. It may be the humble hydrogen atom — the breath of the stars, the water of the future, the silent flame in a country’s dream.”

IAS Main PracticeEssay 2:

Word Limit: 1000 – 1200 125 -Marks

✨ India’s Hydrogen Horizon: Rising from Water, Rooted in Wind

~ A Poetic Essay on Green Hydrogen and the Art of Nation-Building ~

“The wind does not ask permission to move. The water does not seek applause to flow. Together, they now forge a fuel that carries no smoke, only soul.”

I. The Dawn of a New Elemental Imagination

Nations are built on stories. Once, it was the story of coal-fired factories and oil-fueled empires. Now, it is a quieter tale — of light split from water, of atoms carrying promise rather than pollution.

India stands at a rare confluence: the urgency of climate change, the opportunity of technology, and the moral necessity of self-reliance. In this moment, Green Hydrogen emerges not just as a fuel, but as a philosophy of energy — clean, circular, and conscious.

It is a horizon that rises not with conquest, but with calm.

II. A Mission Rooted in the Future

Launched in January 2023, the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) is not a passing initiative. It is a strategic architecture for the coming decades.

Its targets are ambitious:

• 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of Green Hydrogen annually by 2030,
• 60–100 GW of electrolyser installations,
• 6 lakh green jobs,
• ₹8 lakh crore in investments,
• And a cumulative 50 MMT reduction in carbon emissions.

But these are not just numbers — they are footprints on a new path, where industry walks alongside ecology, and science bows to sustainability.

III. Why Hydrogen, Why Now?

The timing is prophetic. India’s energy demand will rise by 25% by 2030, and over 40% of its current energy needs are imported.

The world is also shifting. Green Hydrogen, produced using renewable energy and water electrolysis, is emerging as the next global fuel — especially for sectors that cannot be easily electrified, like steel, shipping, aviation, and heavy transport.

India, with its vast solar and wind capacity, can lead this transition — not as a follower of Western energy models, but as an original architect of clean, inclusive growth.

IV. From Molecule to Movement

Green Hydrogen is simple in structure — two hydrogen atoms born from water, separated by electricity. But its ecosystem is complex and elegant.

• Electrolysers must be manufactured and deployed at scale.
• Renewable energy plants must power them sustainably.
• Storage and transport infrastructure must evolve.
• Industries must retrofit operations to adopt hydrogen-based alternatives.
• And regulatory frameworks, certifications, safety codes, and financial instruments must align in harmony.

This is not merely technological advancement. It is institutional symphony — a melody that includes ministries, markets, startups, scientists, and citizens.

V. Industrial Renaissance on a Green Canvas

Green Hydrogen will touch nearly every core of Indian industry:

• Steel: Transitioning to Green Steel with hydrogen-based reduction.
• Fertilizers: Using Green Ammonia instead of imported natural gas.
• Refineries: Decarbonizing hydrogen-intensive operations.
• City Gas: Blending hydrogen into piped gas networks.
• Shipping and Aviation: Running on Green Methanol and Hydrogen fuel cells.

By Phase II of the mission (2026–2030), many of these will scale from pilot to commercial stage — turning India’s industrial belts into corridors of carbon-free progress.

VI. Exporting Not Just Fuel, But Faith

The world is looking for Green Hydrogen suppliers. Europe, Japan, and South Korea are rolling out hydrogen strategies but lack sunlight and land.

India, with its 300+ sunny days a year, abundant coastline, and mature renewable sector, has a geopolitical opportunity: to export Green Hydrogen and its derivatives — such as Ammonia and Methanol — to global markets.

This will not only earn foreign exchange, but project India’s green leadership. The fuel tanks of tomorrow may well carry a quiet label: “Born of Indian wind. Raised on Indian sun.”

VII. The Challenges Whisper Their Caution

Every sunrise carries shadows. And the Green Hydrogen journey is no exception:

• Electrolysers are capital-intensive and still largely imported.
• Water usage raises sustainability questions in arid regions.
• Cost parity with Grey Hydrogen remains a challenge.
• Safety standards, storage technologies, and last-mile distribution are underdeveloped.
• Public-private trust gaps, infrastructure lags, and consumer hesitancy must be addressed.

But India has faced such crossroads before — in telecom, in space, in digital payments. With the right mix of R&D, incentives, and courage, hydrogen too can become a public good, not a private gamble.

VIII. A Symphony of Ministries, A Chorus of Purpose

What makes the NGHM unique is its multi-ministerial coordination:

• MNRE leads on policy and incentives.
• MoP ensures renewable energy supply.
• MoPNG pilots hydrogen in refineries.
• MoRTH drives transport applications.
• Ministry of Steel steers green metallurgy.
• MoF builds financial architecture.
• MoPSW eyes maritime logistics and exports.

This synergy reflects an India that thinks in systems, not silos.

Hydrogen here is not just an energy source. It is an axis of governance.

IX. Hydrogen as Dharma: A Moral Energy

Beyond molecules and megawatts, Green Hydrogen holds ethical value. It does not scar the earth. It does not poison the sky. It leaves no legacy of waste or war.

It is light enough to rise with the wind, strong enough to power steel, gentle enough to float into our future.

In many ways, it reflects India’s civilizational ethos — to live not as masters of nature, but as mindful companions of the universe.

To adopt hydrogen is to choose sufficiency over excess, elegance over exploitation.

🌿 Closing Whisper

“Let India not just be a place where hydrogen is made. Let it be a place where a new energy philosophy is born — where the air carries power, the water holds promise, and the wind writes poetry into every electron.”