How Green is Green Hydrogen?─A Life-Cycle and Critical Raw Material Analysis of Green Hydrogen Production via PEMW Electrolysers in India

The rapid progression of digitalization, decarbonisation, and democratisation within the energy system is accelerating the energy transition. To expedite this progress and achieve the Paris Agreement’s net-zero objectives in India, there is a requisite need to enhance existing infrastructure and expand innovative technologies, such as green hydrogen production. Green hydrogen is pivotal as an energy carrier within power-to-X processes. The safe, sustainable, and compliant production of green hydrogen necessitates the establishment of well-informed voluntary standards and regulations overseeing the production, labeling, and trade of green hydrogen and its derivatives. This study initially investigates the environmental impact implications of scaling up green hydrogen production to a megawatt-scale, employing two distinct configurations of the PEMW electrolysis system through a life cycle assessment. Given the high dependency of PEMW electrolysis systems on critical materials, such as platinum, a critical raw material analysis is performed to identify the essential raw materials that should be prioritised in India for this upscaling endeavor. The life cycle and critical raw material analysis findings reveal that the diverging configurations of the PEMW electrolysis system exhibit significantly different environmental impacts and critical raw material demands. This underscores the necessity for voluntary standards and regulations in the green hydrogen production process to facilitate the definition of green hydrogen and promote seamless cross-border trade from India to other global markets.