Deep decarbonization of the Indian economy: 2050 prospects for wind, solar, and green hydrogen
Shaojie Song,
Haiyang Lin,
Peter Sherman,
Xi Yang,
Shi Chen,
Xi Lu,
Tianguang Lu,
Xinyu Chen,
Michael B. McElroy
Affiliations
Shaojie Song
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Haiyang Lin
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Institute of Thermal Science and Technology, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China; Corresponding author
Peter Sherman
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Xi Yang
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Shi Chen
School of Environment, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Xi Lu
School of Environment, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Tianguang Lu
School of Electrical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
Xinyu Chen
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Michael B. McElroy
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: The paper explores options for a 2050 carbon free energy future for India. Onshore wind and solar sources are projected as the dominant primary contributions to this objective. The analysis envisages an important role for so-called green hydrogen produced by electrolysis fueled by these carbon free energy sources. This hydrogen source can be used to accommodate for the intrinsic variability of wind and solar complementing opportunities for storage of power by batteries and pumped hydro. The green source of hydrogen can be used also to supplant current industrial uses of gray hydrogen produced in the Indian context largely from natural gas with important related emissions of CO2. The paper explores further options for use of green hydrogen to lower emissions from otherwise difficult to abate sectors of both industry and transport. The analysis is applied to identify the least cost options to meet India’s zero carbon future.
