Hydrogen Vehicles in India

/0 Comments/in /by

India is working on many fronts with respect to sustainability (to achieve net zero by 2070) and present govt has speed up the work in some projects such as the enhancement of solar energy by installing Solar panels to generate electricity in large amounts (in MWatt), blending of ethanol in petrol (E10 & E20 petrol), encouraging manufacturing & using of electric vehicles, by making policies (FAME-I & II) which will make people to adopt small capacity rooftop solar system on residential buildings, Govt offices etc.

Apart from this, Govt is working on Hydrogen which can be used for vehicles as a fuel. Union Minister said recently at a function that India will roll out its first Hydrogen-powered train on the next Independence Day. This project will have design, development & manufacturing indigenously. First, let’s understand about hydrogen fuel & how it works.

What is Hydrogen –

Hydrogen (H2) is an element that is in gas form at normal temperature & pressure, but it becomes liquid on very low temperatures (-253 deg, C). It is available on earth in compound form with other substance such as in liquid (petroleum), gas (natural gas) or solids (coal) as these substances are made up with hydrocarbons & available in large quantities. Hydrogen can be produced from different sources like nuclear power, biomass, natural gas etc.

Hydrogen is a very good source of energy carrier & has the highest energy content per unit weight than any other fuel (almost 3 times more than gasoline), also it has lowest energy content than gasoline (almost four times less than gasoline). It has one more advantage that it can be stored, and transported easily and can produce electricity. (Note- gasoline means petroleum).

Hydrogen can be produced commercially through different processes but thermal processing & electrolytic are very common.  In thermal processing, steam reacts with hydrocarbon fuels which in turn produce hydrogen.

Difference between Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle & Electric Vehicle –

Hydrogen vehicles in India are almost similar to electric vehicles wherein both vehicles use electricity to run the motor, but basic difference is that hydrogen fuel cell produce electricity within the vehicle while external electricity source is required for electric vehicle. Like any other fuel tank, hydrogen can also be stored in a pressurized tank of the vehicle. The H2 is used by fuel cell (an important part of the vehicle) to produce electricity to power the motor. H2 vehicle also has an inbuilt battery system which can store electricity produced by H2. It doesn’t produces any fumes / smokes like an electric vehicle. That is why it is considered as a clean/green fuel.

What is Hydrogen Fuel Cell–

H2 fuel cell is an important part that utilizes hydrogen gas into electric power (or works as a power generator) that makes possible the idea of H2 vehicle. In 1950s, NASA (national Aeronautics & Space Administration) used H2 as a rocket fuel with the help of fuel cell technology. The working of Hydrogen can be understood from the diagram given below. This cell works like a battery when hydrogen & oxygen atoms come in contact with each other. This process produces power, water & some heat.

Hydrogen Vehicles in India

Govt’s plan on hydrogen fuel –

Niti Ayog (National Institution for Transforming India) which is “Think Tank” of Govt of India provides directional & policy inputs. It also provides relevant technical information to center & state while designing strategic & long-term policies & programs for Indian Govt.

Niti Ayog has framed some policy with respect to usage of hydrogen in Indian context. Niti Ayog has collaboration with RMI which is nonprofit organization that provides solution for clean energy through market driven solutions. Transport ministry has started working on to use hydrogen as a fuel for vehicle purpose. Recently we have seen that Mr Nitin Gadkari reached Parliament with Hydrogen car Toyota Mirai. Hydrogen car is also known as Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV). Govt is also working on Hydrogen Train which is to be launched on next Independence Day.

Conclusion – We can hope that the way present govt is working on all fronts of sustainability, we will reach to net zero target before 2070.

Energy Star Rating in India

/0 Comments/in /by

Energy Star rating in India is related to the energy efficiency of an appliance, higher star rating consumes less energy when we compare it with the same capacity of a less star rating appliance. A higher star rating means more energy-efficient appliances. It means companies manufacture appliances with different technologies/designs which gives different energy consumption for the same capacity, but the cost of the appliance also varies – higher rating appliances are costlier than low rating.
The Ministry of Power launched a scheme named Standards & Labels (S&L) in May 2006 under the energy conservation act 2001 which was undertaken by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). Therefore, the star label of an appliance is provided by BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency). There is a process to get star labels for a product. First of all, the company has to send the equipment to the NABL lab to get the results. The report of the product is shared with BEE for examination. The product is then undergone a testing procedure set by BEE & based on an output of the equipment in terms of energy consumption, star rating (from 1 star to 5 stars) is provided. A star rating, ranging from 1 to 5 in the ascending order of energy efficiency is provided to products registered with the BEE.

Energy Star Rating in India

Presently, the energy star rating is provided to 27 appliances/equipment in which 10 nos are mandatory appliances while 17 nos are voluntary appliances (reference – beeindia.gov.in/content/standards-labeling). Details are given below –

A. MANDATORY APPLIANCES

  •  Room Air Conditioner
  • Frost Free Refrigerator
  • Tubular Fluorescent Lamp
  • Transformer
  • Room Air Conditioners (Cassettes & Floor Standing)
  • Direct Cool Refrigerator
  •  Color TV
  •  Electric Geysers
  • Variable Capacity Inverter Air Conditioner
  • LED lamps

B. Energy Star Rating in India VOLUNTARY APPLIANCES

11) Induction motor (general-purpose industrial motor)
12) Pump sets
13) Ceiling Fan
14) LPG Stoves
15) Washing Machine
16) Computer (Notebook & Laptops)
17) Ballast (Electronic & Magnetic)
18) Office Equipment (Printer, Copier, Scanner, MFD’s)
19) Diesel Engine Driven Mono Set Pumps
20) Solid State Inverter
21) DG Sets
22) Chillers
23) Microwave Oven
24) Solar Water Heater
25) Light Commercial Air Conditioner
26) Deep Freezers
27) General purpose Industrial motor

What is ISEER?

The ISEER stands for Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio which BEE uses to calculate star ratings for air conditioners. It allows AC manufacturers to manufacture more efficient ACs for India climate conditions. ISEER is evaluated by SEER of the United States.

E10 & E20 Petrol

/0 Comments/in /by

E10 & E20 are basically petrol which is blended with ethanol wherein E10 has 10% blending of ethanol in petrol & 20% ethanol in E20 petrol.

Govt of India has set a target to reduce the consumption of petroleum products in the automobile & energy sectors. Govt want to reduce the import of petroleum products in order to reduce the dependency of fuel from other countries, protect the environment (due to the reduction in fossil fuel consumption) & to save foreign exchange.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India has released a “Roadmap for ethanol blending in India 20-25” in June 2021. Initially, Govt had notified a policy named “National Policy on Biofuels” in 2018 & set the target to blend 20% ethanol by 2030, but later on the target date was reduced to 2025-26. Also, an intermediate target to blend 10% ethanol in petrol was set-up for Nov-2022.

But India has achieved intermediate target well before timeline (five months ahead) of Nov,22 with the help of coordinated efforts of Public Sector Oil Marketing companies.  Before, 2014, the ethanol blending was 1.5%.

What is Ethanol? 

Ethanol is also known as Ethyl Alcohol (C2H5OH) or drinking alcohol or grain alcohol.  It is a flammable, colourless & slightly toxic solution. It is sued for various purpose such as fuel, solvents, scents, flavourings etc. Commercially It is produced naturally as a byproduct of sugar manufacturing process. It is produced during the fermentation of sugars by yeasts or petrochemical processes like Ethelene hydration. But, these days ethanol can be produced from other sources also like food grains like bazra, maize, fruit & vegetable waste which helps farmers to earn extra income.

The cost of ethanol is very less as compared to petrol as it is a byproduct & plant-based source. Because of its fuel property, it can be made vehicle compliant & when it is mixed with petrol, it becomes ethanol blended petrol.

Advantage of Ethanol ( E10 & E20 Petrol)-

It is a biofuel which is echo-friendly, cheaper as compared with petrol and produces fewer carbon emissions that is why it is to be used with petrol to promote renewable & echo-friendly fuel to reduce the petroleum requirement of India.

 

What is EBP – 

The full form of EBP is Ethanol Blending Programme & the aim of this program is to reduce the requirement of crude oil in terms of import, reduce carbon emissions & increase farmers’ earnings.

Effect of Ethanol on vehicle engine –E10 & E20 Petrol 

Ethanol in India is being used since 2003. Because of its fuel property, it is blended with petrol.

Initially, 5% ethanol was blended

by few states but after recognition from the Bureau of Indian Standards in 2006, some more states started using it. Govt came with a programme of ethanol blending in 2018 & all petroleum companies were allowed to blend ethanol with petrol as per policy.

Ethanol has a higher combustion rate than petrol & it contains less energy, therefore it may impact fuel efficiency. A 5% blend (E5) may not affect the engines, but more % of ethanol could be a problem. The increased amount of ethanol may damage some components such as rubber, plastic and aluminium. Also, it may affect the life cycle of some components like fuel pipes, injectors & hoses.

Ethanol with 10% (E10) in petrol could be managed by the engines but for 20% (E20), the car manufacturers will have to make changes in their engines & components. Therefore, Govt have asked car manufacturers to modify engines accordingly.