Accelerating the 'green' change

Energy efficiency refers to the optimal use of energy to perform the same task or produce the same results. Energy-efficient homes and buildings use less energy to heat, cool, and run appliances and electronics, and energy-efficient manufacturing facilities use less energy to produce goods. Also, energy efficiency is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to combat climate change, reduce energy costs for consumers, and improve the competitiveness of businesses. It is also a vital component in achieving net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide through de-carbonisation.

Recent trends in the global energy business indicate a fast-changing shift in energy transition towards achieving green & clean technology options, apparently due to compulsions arising out of international commitments for climate control to arrest the alarming level of CO2 in the atmosphere that has reached 421 ppm, besides finding alternatives to the fossil fuels that are at exit phase. India, being tagged as the third‐largest global emitter of CO2, despite its low per capita CO2 emissions, is a signatory to the Paris Accord. The country is making all-out efforts to stick to time-bound commitments to reduce its carbon footprint. As per the commitment towards climate control, India has been working towards reducing the green premium of renewable Energy (RE) technologies as close to zero as possible by 2070. In this direction, the Government of India has played an instrumental role in promoting indigenous technologies under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme, with regulatory support facilitating green energy businesses.

The target may seem to be ambitious but the positive aspect of this sudden change in energy policy has definitely opened up many opportunities for improvement in existing energy technologies, with an out-of-the-box approach for optimal utilisation of available resources in an effort to move towards zero-carbon based hydrogen energy technologies using water and renewables, besides promoting CO2-driven circular economies in the interim transition period. Thus, during the transition period, low-carbon energy technologies, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen derived from low-carbon energy sources, other non-fossil power and storage options and cross-cutting technologies that result in minimal emissions of CO2 and pollution etc., seem to be necessary to ensure a smooth transition, as they will enable a sufficient cushion to make the envisaged zero-carbon world economy a realty.

In line with the global pursuit for de-carbonisation, India has made a successful beginning by using traditional renewables like solar, wind and, to some extent, hydro and bio, apart from a beginning in geothermal energy sources for economic exploitation of electricity generation. Already, RE is making important contributions to global energy supplies, where more than two-thirds of newly installed electricity capacity is renewable.

However, it is very clear that none of the renewable sources, on a standalone basis, can match in at least the scale with the commercially proven fossil fuels, as they suffer from a limitation of intermittency and location-centric issues, necessitating the use of hybrid technologies for optimal utilisation of available resources in the envisaged future energy basket. Another limitation of REs is the storage, for which alternate means are being explored in the form of chemical/thermal/electric energy.

So far, the major focus on developments using REs has been towards electricity generation in an affordable way, and, to this extent, the task has been nearly achieved with the remarkable R&D efforts for improvement in solar energy technologies. The cost of RE-based electricity generation, especially in the case of solar PV-based electricity, is almost comparable with conventional fossil-based electricity. It is quite interesting to note that the ongoing de-carbonisation campaign offers a host of clean & green technology options, with renewable hydrogen taking the center stage to achieve the ultimate net-zero economy using renewable electricity.

ONGC, with its mission of ‘retaining a dominant position in the Indian petroleum sector and enhancing India’s energy availability’, along with recognising the fact that petroleum resources are dwindling worldwide, has taken the step of looking at all forms of energy to fulfill the country’s needs through several alternatives during and beyond the hydrocarbon era. ONGC has come out with its Perspective Plan 2040, in which it has clearly brought out its interest in developing and producing clean & green sources of energy viz., wind, solar, hydrogen, etc. As a part of this strategy, ONGC plans to make large investments in renewable energy sources, including offshore wind, with an aim to create a 5-10-gigawatt (GW) portfolio. Besides these plans, ONGC set up ONGC Energy Centre Trust (OEC) in August 2005 for exclusively pursuing research, development and demonstration activities in various energy alternatives for indigenous development of suitable technologies during and beyond energy transitions leading to net zero.

OEC has initiated a ‘Concept to Commercialisation campaign’ to develop indigenous technologies in various clean and renewable energy areas, that are of national importance, through collaborative-consortium approach, taking support from several likeminded National Centres of Excellence, Indian industries etc. The key technology areas are:

(i) Hydrogen energy: focus on hydrogen generation and related activities;

(ii) Geothermal energy;

(iii) Biotechnology-based processes for energy;

(iv) Uranium exploration, in-situ recovery of uranium and helium;

(v) Solar energy;

(vi) Kinetic hydropower;

(vii) Other options like development of energy storage systems, energy efficiency in the oil & gas sector, energy recovery from hydrocarbon waste, conversion of CO2 to value added products, etc.

OEC has developed necessary supporting technologies for hydrogen generation viz., membranes, electrodes, sensors, high-temperature corrosion testing facilities, molten salt media as solar thermal energy storage, back-up energy storage system using vanadium redox flow batteries, iron flow batteries etc., to facilitate continuous operations, oilfield water purification processes for large-scale hydrogen generation and other industrial utilities. Many of these supporting technologies resulted in value addition, as they serve dual purpose of fitting in various end-user energy applications besides hydrogen technologies.

Conclusion

✼ Energy transition, leading to net-zero economy, is moving at a faster pace with the support of renewable energy sources, and India is in an advantageous position to exploit the situation for her benefit;

✼ The current focus on renewable exploitation, including green hydrogen development, is electricity-driven, needing equal shift towards thermal energy applications for optimal utilisation of available resources;

✼ ONGC has undertaken a systematic campaign on decarbonisation drive, including renewable energy portfolio development;

✼ ONGC Energy Centre (OEC), set up by ONGC, has made significant strides in development of several alternate energy technologies, including green hydrogen technologies, with focus on maximum utilisation of thermal energy;

✼ OEC has established several supporting technologies that have dual utility in hydrogen as well as other energy applications.

The writer is ED-Chief (Technical Services), ONGC. Views expressed are personal