INTRODUCTION: NET-ZERO TARGET AND THE ENERGY CHALLENGE

• Achieving a net-zero economy requires:
  • Massive electrification of end uses of energy.
  • Use of hydrogen for industrial processes.
• Fossil fuels currently provide both heat and chemical inputs (e.g., carbon for steel, hydrogen for ammonia).
• Hydrogen can replace carbon in processes like steel-making, aiding decarbonization.

RISING POWER DEMAND AND NUCLEAR EXPANSION

• Electricity demand will rise steeply in a developed, net-zero India.
• Renewable sources alone (solar, wind, hydro) cannot meet total demand.
• Nuclear energy is essential to complete the energy mix.
  • Target: 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047.
  • Deployment of 700 MW PHWRs (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors) by NPCIL:
    • Units functional at Kakrapar (Gujarat), Rajasthan, Haryana.
    • 26 such reactors are planned.
• Launch of Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs) for captive industrial use.
• Indian industry has the capability to manufacture PHWR components.

INCREASING SHARE OF LOW-CARBON ENERGY

• Future power mix to comprise solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear.
• Solar and wind are intermittent; nuclear is a baseload source.
• Current strategy: flexing coal-fired plants to balance solar/wind.

HYDROGEN: A FLEXIBLE AND CLEAN ALTERNATIVE

• Flexing nuclear plants is technically and economically unviable:
  • High capital costs, marginal drop in variable cost at lower power.
• Electrolysers can produce hydrogen using surplus electricity:
  • Mature and low-cost technology.
  • Prevents curtailment of solar/wind and avoids nuclear flexing.
  • Hydrogen is used in industry, not for power reconversion.

RETHINKING THE HYDROGEN TAXONOMY

• Government incentives currently focus on green hydrogen:
  • Produced using solar/wind electricity.
  • Defined by <2 kg CO₂/kg H₂.
• Nuclear-produced hydrogen has comparable emissions.
• Suggestion: Shift from “green hydrogen” to “low-carbon hydrogen”:
  • Emission-based threshold includes nuclear in the taxonomy.

SYNERGY BETWEEN HYDROGEN AND STORAGE

• Hydrogen production and electricity storage are currently siloed.
• Synergising them can:
  • Improve economic efficiency.
  • Reduce reliance on costly battery storage alone.
  • Enhance grid stability with demand shaping.

CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD

• India must integrate nuclear power and hydrogen production into its decarbonization roadmap.
• Two key policy recommendations:

1. Replace “green hydrogen” with “low-carbon hydrogen”
2. Synergise hydrogen production and electricity storage to enhance economics.

• A holistic, inclusive energy policy will ensure India’s transition to a sustainable and energy-secure future.

MAINS QUESTIONS:

1. What is the current taxonomy for hydrogen production in India, and why is there a need to shift from “green hydrogen” to “low-carbon hydrogen”?
2. What are the benefits of synergizing hydrogen production and electricity storage, and how can this enhance economic efficiency and grid stability?