Energetica India Magazine March 2022

Unleashing Decarbonized Power with Hydrogen and Natural Gas 24 energetica INDIA- Mar_2022 The pitfalls of carbon overconsumption are visible the world over, and India is no exception. Altering weather pat- terns, greater frequency of cyclones, sudden extinction of flora and fauna, rising ambient pollution, are but a few repercussions. Duly, India has taken firm and steady action to enable energy transition. Whether in leading the an- nouncement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Climate Deal, expanding renewable ca- pacity, easing climate financing, or an - nouncing the goal of achieving net-zero emissions in the distant future – our ef- forts have been diverse and plentiful. The Green Hydrogen Policy, unveiled by the Power Minister of India recently, is another step towards enabling a sustain- able tomorrow for the country. Global- ly, green hydrogen has been recognized as an essential component of a future low-carbon economy. Several countries have taken steady steps to propose and develop standalone hydrogen strategies. The challenge today, thus, is not in rec- ognizing the potential of hydrogen but in enabling a clear roadmap that acceler- ates both the supply of green hydrogen Globally, green hydrogen has been recognized as an essential component of a future low-carbon economy. Several countries have taken steady steps to propose and develop standalone hydrogen strategies. The challenge today, thus, is not in recognizing the potential of hydrogen but in enabling a clear roadmap that accelerates both the supply of green hydrogen and its market demand. India’s recent policy has taken a leap in this direction. and its market demand. India’s recent policy has taken a leap in this direction. From gas to hydrogen Globally, fossil fuel-based power plants in their traditional form have been the greatest polluters through the 19th and 20th centuries. India has stayed further investments in fresh thermal plants, but great scope for emission control remains in existing plants. Continued innova- tion leading to advanced gas turbine technology and flexible fuel burning capabilities are bringing visible change in output of natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants, which are today the lowest emitting fossil fuel power plants, whether measured based on CO2, SOx, NOx, particulate matter, or mercury. Now, there is further scope to modify existing and future gas power plants that can be decarbonized to avoid CO2 lock-in. Here, hydrogen makes a strong case for itself to emerge as the chosen fuel; along with investments in carbon cap- ture technologies. A combination of hy- drogen and natural gas can form a po- tential pathway to accelerating energy transition and providing clean, reliable, and sustainable power supply. For busi- nesses too, replacing a natural gas tur- bine with 100% hydrogen is an efficient solution to decarbonizing their fleet of gas plants. Further, the use of hydrogen eliminates all power plant combustions. And, if the produced hydrogen is green – then overall emissions from gas-based power plants can drop to zilch. To elaborate, there are two ways to turn gas generation into a zero or near zero-carbon resource; both pre-, and post-combustion. The most common pre-combustion decarbonization ap- proach is to change the fuel to hydro- gen, which can be introduced to new gas turbines and existing gas turbines alike. For existing units, upgrades can be scheduled with planned outages; and for new units, these capabilities can be a part of the initial plant configuration or phased-in overtime as hydrogen be- comes more available. Hydrogen is the most abundant ele- ment in the universe. However, despite its plentiful nature, it does not exist on Deepesh Nanda CEO, GE Gas Power South Asia RENEWABLE POWER