Hydrogen

Moreover, two big Russian corporations have unveiled plans to produce hydrogen and Portuguese utility EDP said it wants to set up a a pilot project for a green hydrogen plant in Brazil.

Eight key developments are accelerating the advancement of electric vehicles. These range from the improvements in cost and performance of electric vehicle (EV) batteries to hydrogen-powered vehicles.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers have studied which tech offers the lowest levelized cost of energy to provide the US Western Interconnection grid with electricity when wind and solar are not available. They assumed 85% renewables penetration and determined that geologic hydrogen storage and natural gas combined-cycle plants with carbon capture storage are the cheapest options for 120-hour discharge applications. 


Currently, the cost of producing green hydrogen ranges from 3.6 to 5.8 USD/kg depending on the renewable energy mix and electrolyzer technology. Scaling the electrolyzer production globally will help drive down green hydrogen costs. 

The switch from fossil fuels and nuclear will bring a jobs dividend thanks to the greater labor-intensity of renewables plants, according to a paper published by Finland’s LUT. However, the jobs dividend is unlikely to be evenly spread around the world, with Europe set to be a big winner.

The prime minister said green hydrogen would play a significant role in achieving India’s decarbonization goals. He also announced the nation’s ambitions to become a global hub for green hydrogen production and export.  

The Railways initially plans to convert diesel-powered trains in the 89km Sonipat-Jind section of Northern Railway to run on hydrogen. The hydrogen fuel cell retrofitment kit, along with the balance-of-plant and energy storage and hydrogen storage modules, will replace the existing power-train items onboard 1,600HP diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) rakes.

Australia-based Fortescue Future Industries has partnered with JSW Energy arm on green hydrogen production and application in India. 

The state-run oil and gas major will set up a green hydrogen plant at its Mathura refinery in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. The green hydrogen will replace carbon-emitting fuels used in the refinery to process crude oil into value-added products such as petrol and diesel.

The latest global PV industry outlook published by trade group SolarPower Europe, has indicated tight supply of the solar panel raw material is expected to persist this year but the trade body said it would be unlikely to drive further price rises.