India well-placed to be hydrogen exporter to decarbonizing economies: Fraunhofer Society – EQ
On Fraunhofer’s collaboration in the Hydrogen Valley project, Fraunhofer India’s head Anandi Iyer said,” Fraunhofer has one of the largest capabilities around hydrogen with more than 36 institutes working on various technologies.”
In line with its ambitious renewable energy targets, India could produce surplus green hydrogen for export to countries aiming for decarbonization, according to Dr Christopher Hebling of Germany’s.
He was speaking at a discussion on India’s potential and challenges in developing a hydrogen economy and its collaboration with Fraunhofer Society on the Hydrogen Valley project. A hydrogen valley is defined as “a geographical area where hydrogen serves more than one end sector or application in mobility, industry, and energy”, according to the Department of Science and Technology.
According to Dr Hebling, “India can leverage its vast renewable energy potential particularly biomass, solar and in some regions also wind, to produce green hydrogen through electrolysis….and develop a robust ecosystem for hydrogen-powered transportation, including hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and hydrogen refueling stations. This can help to increase the air quality in densely populated cities and decrease dependency on fossil fuel.”
Expanding on the transport applications, Hebling said, “Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles offer long-range and fast refueling, making them suitable for heavy-duty trucks, buses, and other vehicles that require a longer range than current battery technology allows. As the technology matures and infrastructure expands, FCVs could become a key player in the transportation sector.”
He said robust infrastructure for hydrogen production and export would be essential. “Given its ambitious renewable energy targets, India could produce excess green hydrogen for export to countries looking to decarbonize their industries, transport and energy sectors. Building the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen export would be crucial. Europe, Korea and Japan, being renewable resource-deficient, are likely to be the key markets for green hydrogen but trade barriers are a major worry.”
However, he noted cost as a key obstacle currently, with green hydrogen more expensive than fossil fuels. ” Green hydrogen can indeed face several challenges and obstacles. The biggest problem why hydrogen projects are put on hold is probably the “cost-benefit” factor and the lack of visibility for incentives. Producing green hydrogen through electrolysis is currently more expensive than using fossil fuels,” he said.
On Fraunhofer’s collaboration in the Hydrogen Valley project, Fraunhofer India’s head Anandi Iyer said,” Fraunhofer has one of the largest capabilities around hydrogen with more than 36 institutes working on various technologies, whether it is materials, storage or supply solutions. The Department of Science and Technology is calling for proposals for four to six hydrogen valleys around India, and the first shortlisting has been done. Fraunhofer is the technology partner for the hydrogen valley idea…..we are the only international partner. When the awards happen,from the institutions that have submitted proposals, they will write a complete proposal saying what element of the hydrogen value chain they will focus on and how they will create this capability in India. Fraunhofer will partner with these consortia to bridge the gap in technologies because a global partnership is needed….it cannot be done by one single country.”
