After carbon credits, why not hydrogen credits?

When green house gas emissions began to shoot through the roof an innovative solution was found by introducing the concept of carbon credits.

If you pollute you have to buy carbon credits which add to the company's operational expenses or cut emissions and create carbon credits that can be sold.

This is based on a negative charge; if you pollute you spend more. And if you help reduce carbon emissions you get credits that can be sold or exchanged.

In 2005 Honda, Japan's leading automobile manufacturer came with the concept of using hydrogen to power vehicles. Its FCX Clarity Advanced Fuel Cell Vehicle uses hydrogen and lithium ion cells to power the vehicle.

The Honda campaign says the only emission of hydrogen is water which again can be reused to generate more hydrogen. Hydrogen is any way found in over 70 percent of the substances around us.

At just one fourteenth the density of air, hydrogen does not exist as a free gas on Earth.

Indeed the world has changed a lot after M Charles of France first invented the hydrogen balloon drawing inspiration from the hot air balloon developed by Montgolfier brothers. This "lighter than air gas" was indeed new and unique, at that point of time.

If you look at the website of National Hydrogen Association USA (www.hydrogenassociation.org) you will find any number of recent innovations in using hydrogen as a sustainable energy source to power vehicles (cars, scooters, buses), portable applications such as video cameras and mobile power units.

Recently Orlando Sentinel.com reported the deployment of two hydrogen powered shuttle buses by Seaworld Orlando to transport employees of an entertainment company to different locations. The project has the technical support of Ford Motor Co, Chevron Technology Ventures and Florida Energy Office. The hydrogen is refilled from a hydrogen fuelling station.

Why not Hydrogen Credits?

Naturally those developing

hydrogen alternatives have a claim to carbon credits but a more innovative idea would be to have hydrogen credits as well. This can be traded on commodity exchanges. This will ensure that more funds are used for developing clean, reusable technologies based on hydrogen fuel.

The concept is positive because it supports more of use of hydrogen unlike carbon where we want less of it.

The possibility of using hydrogen as an alternative energy source is indeed tremendous. The Emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates plans to set up a hydrogen power plant. TheDubai Electricity and Water Authority has already signed an MoU with a consortium of three global firms for implementing the project.

What is India's record?

India's Hydrocarbon Policy 2025 drafted during Vajpayee's regime in 2000 already looks outdated. It doesn't specify anything about tapping the hydrogen resources concerned as it is with mining, oil exploration, prospecting, FDI and routine issues. It seems to be stuck with natural gas and exhortation to go for more ethanol produced from sugar cane.

Our R & D instituitions in the energy field need to work closely with industry to evolve new technologies just as Japan, USA and UK are doing.

Or take a look at the recent announcement from the The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy which talks of a Rs 1500 crore (Rs 15 billion) R &D budget for 11th Plan.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in India has proposed an amount of Rs 1,500 crore for research, design and development in new and renewable energy for the 11th Five Year Plan.

The Ministry also informed the Lok Sabha that during the 11th Plan period various types of fiscal and financial incentives have been proposed to provide promotion for solar energy systems and devices in the country.

However the report is silent on tapping the hydrogen potential although it talks of 550 projects financed by the Ministry.