Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the 2nd International Conference on Green Hydrogen and asked the global scientific community to suggest ways to shape policies for the green hydrogen sector.
“I urge the global scientific community to come together to explore various aspects. Scientists and innovators can suggest changes in public policy to help the green hydrogen sector. We want to make India a global hub for the production, utilization and export of Green Hydrogen,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that the world is going through a crucial transformation and there is a need to act towards the energy transition and sustainability. PM Modi said that India was the first among the G-20 Nations to fulfil the Paris commitments on green energy.
“These commitments were fulfilled nine years ahead of the target of 2030. India installed nonfinancial fossil fuel capacity increased by nearly 300 per cent in the last ten years. Our solar energy capacity increased by over three thousand per cent in the same period. But we are not resting on these acts. We remain focused on strengthening existing solutions,” he said.
Talking about the benefit of green hydrogen, PM Modi said it can help in decarbonizing industries that are difficult to electrify, refineries, fertilizers, steel, heavy-duty transportation and many such sectors will benefit.
“India has already launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission which is giving an impetus to innovation, infrastructure, and investments. We are investing in cutting-edge, research and development. Part between industry and academia are being formed,” PM Modi said.
Speaking at the summit, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri said that India has a natural advantage in producing Green Hydrogen due to the low cost and abundance of solar energy and investments in our power grid.
“India’s installed solar capacity has increased by 32 times from 2.6 GW in 2014 to 85.5 GW and the country also has one of the largest synchronous grids in the world, capable of handling intermittent renewable energy. India is poised to lead the global green energy demand with rising domestic demand across diverse sectors,” Hardeep Puri said.
“With the available engineering talent in our country, India’s transition to the greener economy will be a smooth one helping the country to position itself as a pivotal market for green hydrogen,” he added.
Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi also addressed the summit and said that green hydrogen is a way forward to sustainability.
“India is moving to become a key global player in the green hydrogen market, that is why we launched the Green Hydrogen mission. Integrating the green hydrogen, between India’s energy mix and the industrial process will not only enhance our global positioning but also the environmental and social goals,” said Joshi.