475 GW of RE capacity needed to support green hydrogen globally, says ISA

Ajay Mathur, Director General, Indian Solar Alliance, has said the world would need 475 GW of renewable energy capacity to supply green electricity to the 260 GW of electrolyser that are projected to be in operation by 2029. 

Speaking at Windergy 2022, a conference-cum-expo even of the wind industry that was held in New Delhi between April 27 and 29, Mathur observed that the world today has 300 MW of electroysers. On the basis of orders placed, he said that this number would rise to 18 GW by 2026. “But it doesn’t end here,” said Mathur, an energy who has previously headed The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

“By last month, the announced electrolyser project pipeline had reached over 260 GW, with production aimed till 2029,” he said, adding that the electrolyser manufacturers that he was in touch with had said that there would be more orders. 

“This implies that 475 GW of wind and solar capacity would be needed, which is one-third the total wind and solar installed capacity that exists in the world today,” Mathur said.  

He sees a “convergence” of renewable energy and green hydrogen production. “We, at ISA, are working towards making this happen,” he said. 

He said that India could produce green hydrogen and, using green hydrogen produce green ammonia, and export to Europe, where there is a big demand. 

Other speakers at Windergy 2022 spoke about how green hydrogen could power renewable energy. Parag Sharma, Founder CEO of O2 Power, a renewable energy company, observed that India consumes about 5-6 million tonnes of hydrogen, all of which could be replaced by green hydrogen. One mt of green hydrogen would need 20 GW of renewable energy capacity, Sharma said.  

COMMENT NOW