India's Clean Molecule Bet

At COP26, we should showcase green hydrogen as our best weapon in climate war

- Amitabh Kant

India, despite being a fast-growing nation with an enormous energy appetite, believes that the end-of-century global warming goal of 2°C is not enough and we must target 1.5°C to avoid climate disasters. As the second most vulnerable country to climate change, India is now leading the climate war with a clean molecule as ammunition: green hydrogen.

India presently imports $160 billion worth of fossil fuel energy and is likely to double it in the next 15 years. COP26 in Glasgow presents India with an opportunity to present its decarbonisation strategy based on renewable energy, storage and green hydrogen to the world.

Electricity contributes only a fraction to the overall energy basket. Almost 80% requirements are met by fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. Sectors that utilise solid and liquid fuels cannot be powered by electricity due to technical factors. This is where hydrogen has a critical role to play. Hydrogen will help India and the world to decarbonise ‘hard to abate’ sectors such as steel, copper, fertiliser, cement, oil refining and longdistance transport.