The country’s first hydrogen train is to be started on the Jind-Sonipat route.Image Credit source: Zhang Yao/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
Indian Railways’ First Hydrogen Train:After coal, diesel and electricity, Indian Railways has decided to run trains on hydrogen. It is to be started on Jind-Sonipat route. It is certain that if this can be expanded then India can achieve great success in reducing carbon emissions. But, there is still time. Because train operation using hydrogen is still in the initial stage. There is still a lot of work to be done on this issue. But, if the initiative is great, its other aspects need to be discussed.
Come, let us know what hydrogen fuel is, how it is made, and why it does not emit carbon or how much it does? Where in the world are trains running on hydrogen right now?
How is hydrogen fuel made?
Hydrogen is rarely available in free form on Earth. It is often bound to water (H₂O) or hydrocarbons such as natural gas, so hydrogen has to be created. Many methods are adopted for this.
- Electrolysis of water: By passing electricity through water, it is broken into hydrogen and oxygen. If the electricity comes from renewable sources like solar/wind/hydropower, it is usually called green hydrogen i.e. there can be very low/zero carbon emissions even in the production stage.
- From Natural Gas (Steam Methane ReformingSMR): Hydrogen is extracted from methane in industries. CO₂ is formed in this. Without carbon capture it is often called gray hydrogen. If emissions are reduced by capturing/storing CO₂ (CCS), it is sometimes called blue hydrogen.
- Coal Gasification: In some areas, hydrogen is also produced from coal, but this generally has the heaviest carbon footprint.
In simple words, hydrogen is a fuel as well as an energy carrier. It also takes energy to make it.
Hydrogen fuel is made in many ways.
Where is hydrogen used?
Today the use of hydrogen is not the future, but the present on a large scale. However, a large part of it is currently being used in industry and not in transportation. It is being used in refinery and petroleum industry to improve the quality of fuel and reduce sulphur. Hydrogen is a major input in making fertilizer. It is also being used in making methanol.
In the steel industry, hydrogen is being adopted instead of coal for the reduction of oxygen from iron. It is also being used in public transport. It is also being used extensively in bus, truck and rail operations. The attraction of hydrogen in rail is that where it is challenging to electrify the entire line by laying wires, the train can run with a tank of energy.
Hydrogen trains are being run in many countries including Germany and China.
Does this really cause no carbon emissions?
To know the yes or no answer to this question, it would be appropriate to know some important things. Have to understand the process. In the case of a train, electricity is generated by reacting hydrogen (H₂) with oxygen (O₂) in the air in the fuel cell. The main outputs of this process are electricity and water. That means CO₂ does not come out from the exhaust pipe of the train. This is why it is called Zero Direct CO₂. Only water comes out during operation.
But one important thing is that zero at the tailpipe does not mean zero in the entire life cycle.
If hydrogen is gray (fossil based), then the emissions will not be from the train, but from the hydrogen plant. Therefore, the notion that it does not cause carbon emissions is not completely correct. Hydrogen trains can eliminate local pollution and tailpipe CO₂ but the total carbon benefit depends on the source of hydrogen.
Where in the world do hydrogen trains run?
Trains in Germany run regular passenger services on non-electrified routes. According to Alstom, this is the world’s first hydrogen powered passenger train and has been in commercial service in Germany. Hydrogen train is also being operated in Canada. There are mentions of trials in other European countries like Austria, Sweden, Poland, Netherlands etc. Countries like France and Italy have also moved in this direction.
China’s hydrogen train. Photo: Zhang Yao/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
China has also taken steps in this direction. In this way, it can be said that after Germany, France, Sweden and China, India will be the fifth country where trains are going to run on hydrogen. But it is also certain that the world is now ready to use hydrogen on a large scale in transportation.
What does hydrogen train mean for Indian Railways?
Indian Railways has taken steps towards hydrogen train trials on Jindsonipat section. The biggest benefit of this initiative will be that the dependence on diesel on non-electrified/low traffic lines can be reduced. Local pollution and noise can be reduced in stations and cities. If hydrogen came from a green source, the benefits of decarbonization could be truly huge. But some practical conditions will be decisive to be successful.
- Hydrogen production + storage + refueling infrastructure
- Safety Standards, Train Depot Procedures, and Emergency Response
- Price and availability of fuel as operations may be affected if supply is disrupted.
In this way we can say that hydrogen fuel is not a magical zero carbon gas. It’s a powerful alternative, whose greenness depends on how it was made. Its biggest advantage at the train level is zero tailpipe CO₂ and freedom from diesel fumes. Examples like Germany show that technology has come out of the laboratory and onto the track. Somewhere in regular service, somewhere as demo/trial. The announcement of the first hydrogen train in India is part of this global trend. This could be a new way to eliminate diesel on difficult routes.
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