Smelly but Dangerous Energy Hydrogen: A Cheap Alternative to Fuel

- Hotline-Bhal Chandra Jani

- The last nine human civilizations were destroyed by fire when they were at their highest peak of development and no one could say why?

Petrol prices are increasing day by day. On the other hand, millions of barrels of oil per day are being pumped out of the abyss, so the bottom of its reservoirs is also visible. If petrol-diesel runs out, it is conceivable how big a problem it will create.

Because of this, today scientists all over the world are looking for cheap, accessible and simple fuel. Also, it should be a non-polluting fuel like petrol. The talk of herbal petrol is not acceptable to scientists. But scientists abroad are looking for an alternative to petrol with a completely scientific method.

In this search, new energy sources came before the scientists to replace petrol-coal etc. fuel. Scientists in almost every country are doing experiments to convert ocean tidal power, wind power, solar power, etc. into electrical power. But all these face such technical difficulties at some point or the other that none of them seem to be able to practically replace fuel like petrol in the near future. Some methods are more expensive and some are useful on a small scale but not on a large scale.

A science fiction writer from years ago, Jules Verne, predicted many scientific discoveries in that era. He envisioned the airship, the conquest of the moon and the development of submarines. In 1874, the Arshadashta writer wrote in his novel "Mysterious Island" that, "Water will be the fuel of tomorrow... the oxygen and hydrogen contained in it will be used together or separately... heat." And an infinite amount of electricity will be obtained from it.”

All of Julvern's predictions have come true today....and it looks like water will become an important fuel tomorrow if not today. In fact, hydrogen can be considered an ideal element as a fuel. Electricity can be generated from it. If it is cooled and liquefied, it can run hydrogen-powered engines like petrol engines. In liquid form it has twice the power of petrol. The biggest advantage of using it as a fuel is that it does not cause pollution. Fuels like petrol or diesel produce toxic gases while water is produced when hydrogen is used as fuel.

In short, hydrogen is considered revolutionary among the various renewable energy options. That is why the Indian government is giving high priority to this source of energy. The Union Government's announcement of the Energy Mission in the Budget last year is a major step towards taking the country forward in the area of ​​clean energy.

In the budget of the year 2021-22, the Finance Minister has taken a big step in this direction by announcing the Hydrogen Energy Mission. At present the natural resources are limited and therefore renewable energy is the need of the hour as a good alternative. In these circumstances, the importance of hydrogen energy is increasing day by day. The management of energy in the country is not only important economically but also important for the preservation of the environment.

Hydrogen gas is not readily available. Because, most of the hydrogen gas has combined with oxygen, forming water and scattered over the earth. Everyone knows that water is formed by two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. When an electric current is passed through water, hydrogen and oxygen are released. This process is called electrolysis. There is a difficulty in doing so. The electricity used is more expensive than the amount of hydrogen obtained in this way. Nature has a unique mechanism for this, by which water oxygen has been split into hydrogen for millions of years. Cells called chloroplasts in green plants do this with the help of sunlight.

The big problem is that it is not only difficult to produce but also expensive and difficult to store. Hydrogen reacts very quickly and is highly flammable. This makes hydrogen relatively difficult to store.

The government's new green hydrogen policy, which provides incentives to produce 50 lakh tonnes of hydrogen by 2030, has been enthusiastically welcomed by industrialists. India still generates cheaper solar and wind power than new thermal power, but while renewable energy can replace fossil fuels in many places, coal is still needed in industries like steel and cement. Also shipping and airlines require liquid fuels. Hydrogen is produced by passing electricity through water. If the electricity comes from renewable energy, it is called green hydrogen. It can be stored and then burned to generate more concentrated energy for industries such as steel, cement, shipping and airlines. It can also be used to produce fertilizer.

Hydrogen energy is considered as the energy of the future and research is going on. There are plans to install several hydrogen plants in India, which will reduce pollution and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

One thing to be aware of is that it also has major financial and security risks. As an experimental technology it can either be a huge success or a huge failure. Government should be cautious in extending financial and human resources.

Last January, Mukesh Ambani proposed an investment of $80 billion in renewables, hydrogen and related sectors. Gautam Adani proposed spending $70 billion on renewables, including solar equipment. Last year, Ambani had said that his new plant would reduce the price of green hydrogen from $3 per kg to $1 per kg. This is an admirably ambitious goal that is a boon to mankind.

It has now been announced that India will increase its renewable energy generation capacity by two and a half times in 6 years. This mission can further strengthen India's position. Hydrogen can be produced from natural gas, biomass as well as renewable sources such as solar and wind energy. This capability makes hydrogen an attractive option for transportation and power generation.

India aims to have 43 percent of the total energy consumed in the country from renewable energy in just five years. Hydrogen energy can play a very important role in the future in achieving this goal.