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is relatively a new entrant on the block. As of now, the top Hydrogen can be used as a fuel in very large vehicles also
10 green hydrogen producing countries in the world are as where it is not possible to deploy huge battery packs in the
shown below in the chart: vehicle. Hydrogen, when compressed adequately, occupies
very less volume and can be easily stored in fuel
tanks of vehicles.

In industries also, hydrogen can replace fossil
fuels. One such example is steel industry which
consumes huge amounts of coking coal for steel
making and this can be replaced with hydrogen.
Infact, a major portion of coking coal required
for steel making is imported by us because of its
limited availability in the country.

Crude oil refining, fertilizer manufacturing etc.
are some other industries which consume huge
quantities of fossil fuels. Green hydrogen, if used
Source: 'Hydrogen Insight' by Rystad Energy in these cases, can help in reducing usage of fossil fuels to a
great extent.
Top 10 Countries by Green Hydrogen Production
(Cumulative Capacity 2023-2030) Despite the fact that hydrogen is the most abundant
element on our planet, it is rarely found in gaseous form. It
But, what is it about hydrogen which makes it an attractive
is found in combination with other elements (like oxygen,
proposition to replace fossil fuels in the future.
with which it forms water i.e. H2O). Hence, it needs to be
separated from these elements. As a result, there are
There are various reasons as to why hydrogen, in particular,
different variants of hydrogen, depending upon the raw
green hydrogen is being viewed as a very strong contender
material/process used for the production of hydrogen. Some
to replace fossil fuels to fulfil our energy needs.
of the main variants of hydrogen are as follows:
The first reason is the vast energy generating potential of
Grey Hydrogen- Grey hydrogen is the most common form
hydrogen. Hydrogen has twice the gravimetric energy
density (i.e. energy available per unit mass of a substance), of hydrogen being used as a fuel today and is produced from
as compared to fossil fuels. As per the US Department of natural gas/methane (which contains carbon). Steam is used
for the production of grey hydrogen by a process called
Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, the energy stored
'Steam Reforming' and in this process, carbon(pollutant) is
in 1 kg of hydrogen is approximately equal to that stored in
about 3.78 litres of petrol. released. For making every kilogram of hydrogen from
natural gas, 11 kilograms of carbon dioxide is released.

Secondly, there are certain use cases where it is not feasible
to use other common renewable energy sources. If we talk However, if we talk in relative terms, the process of making
of transport sector, in electric vehicles, electricity needs to grey hydrogen generates just a smaller amount of emissions
be stored in battery packs which are then used to power if compared to the processes of generating black or brown
vehicles. There are certain modes of transport which require hydrogen.
huge amounts of energy to power them and in these cases,
it may be practically not possible to deploy huge battery Blue Hydrogen- If, by using technology, the carbon that
packs. In such cases, hydrogen can be used as a fuel instead has been released during the making of grey hydrogen, is
of battery packs. For example- Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) captured back, then the hydrogen so produced is called as
which is used in aircrafts, can be replaced with hydrogen. blue hydrogen, instead of being called grey hydrogen. The

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