WBCSD 和 嗯 host low-carbon hydrogen session at 印度’s largest renewable energy expo

On 6 August 2021, WBCSD 和 嗯 co-hosted a session, Can low-carbon hydrogen power 印度n businesses? Preliminary hurdles 和 way forward, at 印度’s largest renewable energy exposition, REI e-Expo, which was held virtually

The aim of the session was to increase business awareness about existing market opportunities 和 kick off a discussion on market 和 policy support required to spur growth in the low-carbon hydrogen market in 印度.

与 more than 100 GW of renewable energy installations in 印度, the country can produce low-carbon hydrogen at an economically competitive cost 和 has a huge potential to export the fuel to nations with limited access to renewable energy generation sources. 在消费方面, low-carbon hydrogen is now seen as a key fuel to replace coal in various industrial processes with dual benefits—reducing import bills of fossil fuels 和 supporting corporate ambition to reduce emissions from their operations.

Panel discussants for the session included low-carbon hydrogen 和 energy experts from Acme清洁技术, 亚洲开发银行, 嗯, 京钢铁 和 泰瑞. The expert panel provided a 360° perspective of the market including insights on dem和, 供应, 金融, 技术和政策方面. Many leading companies with existing use cases in refineries 和 fertilizer manufacturing  as well as new use cases in steel manufacturing are making ambitious plans to use hydrogen fuel. 然而, most businesses expect green hydrogen to make commercial sense for wide use by late 2020s only. Policy support 和 well coordinated efforts of multiple stakeholders are critical to ensure green hydrogen becomes cost competitive sooner. The Government of 印度 is already planning to put in place green hydrogen purchase obligations 刺激需求.

印度 has also proposed the creation of a 国家氢任务, the details of which are still awaited. Clear recommendations for elements to be included in the 国家氢任务 as well as general policy suggestions emerged during the discussion. 这些都是:  

• Support for putting in place demonstration projects in industries to provide an appropriate dem和 signal
• Increased research on the storage of hydrogen including exploring underground 和 tank storage
• Create geographic dem和 clusters to minimize the cost of infrastructure required to produce 和 transport low-carbon hydrogen
• Promote large scale domestic manufacturing of electrolyzers through a production linked incentive scheme
• Enable carbon pricing 和 an emissions trading market to make use of hydrogen commercially more attractive

发展 financial institutions 和 multilateral organizations will be more comfortable providing funding for projects through mechanisms like viability gap funding, once technology use has been well demonstrated. A global fund could also be set up under UNFCCC or the COP framework to scale up production 和 use of hydrogen, for channeling through various multilateral financial institutions to governments for the promotion of hydrogen use in their respective economies.

WBCSD believes that low-carbon hydrogen will play a critical role in bringing hard-to-abate sectors to the forefront in the race against climate change, 和 has worked with leading businesses globally to define low-carbon hydrogen based on its carbon intensity. 我们邀请公司提出需求, 供应 or supporting side pledges to send a market signal, 和 increase confidence in the growth of the low carbon hydrogen economy.

For more information with regards to pledges, please contact Caroline Amblard, amblard@huancai168.net.