Hydrogen Is Emerging As Another Non-Fossil Fuel Option In India’s Diversifying Energy Mix

At present India’s per capita consumption of electricity is the lowest in the world. Annually it is about 1200 kwh (kilowatt hours)—in contrast to Qatar which logs the highest per capita electricity consumption of over 180,000 kwh. All this is about to change as India readies to dramatically grow its economy over the next 25 years. The consequent growth in energy consumption will have to come from new sources. India, consistent with its
global net zero commitments, has opted to raise most of these new capacities in green energy. While solar, wind and hydro power are already in the mix, there is a new alternative: Green Hydrogen. The Indian government recently announced a nearly Rs20,000 crore mission to fund the use and growth of hydrogen capacity in India. While the potential is great the technology has still not scaled sufficiently to make green hydrogen affordable. A challenge is always an opportunity, especially for startups looking to disrupt the existing order. To understand the technology and scope of Hydrogen as an alternative green energy source, we spoke to Prasanta Sarkar, co-founder and CEO of NewTrace, a Bengaluru based startup that is looking to disrupt the sector.