Hydrogen: The Technology Targeting A Fuel Cell Future

Hydrogen fuel is also known as zero-carbon fuel burned with oxygen. It has been in use as commercial fuel for cell vehicles, passenger cars and buses for many years. Hydrogen cells are also used for spacecraft propulsion. Yet it is far from being recognized as the main fuel for automobiles.

An enormous amount of interest was shown by several countries in hydrogen as automobile fuel, and 2020s was declared as “The decade of Hydrogen”. The Hydrogen Council, an organization comprising of 92 major companies, assured that the 2020s will be an innovative period in this sector. Hydrogen is light, storable, energy-dense, and does not produce any direct emissions of pollutants or any other greenhouse gases.

A hydrogen fuel cell can be an answer to the world which is moving away from conventional fuel to reduce pollution levels. Hydrogen cell-based automobiles can be better than EVs as the raw material is easily sourced, and is more cost-effective as compared to EVs. The cost of hydrogen fuel-based vehicles would be the same as that of a diesel fuel- based vehicle. Hydrogen fuel cell mobility is more efficient than battery supported electric vehicles considering electricity is used for charging those vehicles. Hydrogen, a clean and reliable alternative to ease climate change and reduce the rise of temperature, can surely replace the expensive EV choice. Countries like Japan have invested heavily in hydrogen-based vehicles.

Toyota is a front runner in Japan’s efforts to use hydrogen and fuel cells to power cars. Toyota has started selling Toyota Mirai a fuel-cell vehicle in 2014 and aimed to sell 30,000 vehicles by 2020. Other Japanese Companies like Panasonic Corp., Toshiba Corp., JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp are also pursuing this technology to cut emissions and its reliance on imported fuels. Alstom presented Coradia iLint during InnoTrans 2016 in Berlin, Germany.

It’s one of the first railway manufacturers in the world to develop a passenger train based on hydrogen technology. In 2018, iLint entered into commercial service in Germany. Air Products & Chemicals, the industrial gas giant, announced plans to build a green hydrogen plant in Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest such project announced so far. Tata Motors has launched a hydrogen fuel cell bus in India in collaboration with the Indian Oil (IOCL) and ISRO. Hyundai, India has sought permission to launch a fuel- cell SUV in India by 2021. Soon we might also see hydrogen-powered trucks in India. IOCL has initiated a project for the utilization of hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (H-CNG) in automobiles. IOCL has developed a procedure for blending hydrogen with CNG. It is expected to lower down the emissions and be cost-effective.

NITI Aayog has recommended the use of H-CNG, using the existing CNG infrastructure in Delhi. It has been recommended that H-CNG be notified as an automotive fuel. The Banaras Hindu University has modified a commercially available motorcycle and a 3 wheeler to operate on hydrogen as a fuel. Two hydrogen refuelling stations have also been set up at IOCL R&D Centre, Faridabad, and at National Institute of Solar Energy, Gurugram.

Greenfuel Energy Solutions is one of the leading manufacturers of components and system solutions providers for Alternative Gas Fuel Systems in the automotive industry in India. It is also working with two of the companies in the field of the H-CNG and has manufactured prototype products that can withstand up to 700 bars (internationally) and 350 bars for Indian markets.

Hydrogen fuel can be produced from methane or by the electrolysis of water. 95% of the hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, which can also be called Blue Hydrogen. Experts have brought out that production from fossil fuel may lead to CO2 and carbon monoxide emissions which are a negative aspect to consider it clean fuel.

Hydrolysis is the most viable method in extracting hydrogen from water. Hydrogen produced by this methodology is also known as Green Hydrogen. This gives us a unique chance of making hydrogen part of our clean and green future, which the world should not overlook. The Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R) in Japan is the world’s largest facility for producing hydrogen fuel. However, during Hydrolysis, the total percentage of hydrogen produced is far less than the energy used. There can be Grey, Pink, and Yellow hydrogen based on the methodology of production of the Hydrogen.

The biggest challenge faced by the automobile companies is; how to store the hydrogen required for a driving range of >300 kms within the constraints of weight. Cost-effective ways to transport Hydrogen are by using pipelines, gas cylinders, and liquid tankers. It is advisable to start the use of hydrogen fuel cells in commercial vehicles due to the requirement of higher onboard space to store the fuel cell.

Presently, India is heavily dependent on oil imports as India is the third-largest consumer of oil in the world. The government of India is pursuing a roadmap to be the refining hub of the world.

India’s dependence on oil imports is expected to grow further. To overcome this India is working towards increased usage of Hydrogen based fuel cells due to its, high energy density, better combustion characteristics, non-polluting nature, etc. This will help India to reduce dependence on oil imports and can take India towards energy security as Hydrogen can be produced from a wide variety of energy sources.

The use of hydrogen can reduce CO2 emissions significantly, enabling reduced emissions and reducing climate change threats. It can even decarbonise the sectors where it is difficult to reduce emissions. This endeavour of the government of India to achieve energy security by moving towards a hydrogen economy can be a game- changer for India, and will surely make India Atmanirbhar in the field of energy solutions.

- Akshay Kashyap, Founder and Managing Director, Greenfuel Energy Solutions