Green Hydrogen: A Fuel of the Future, a Demand of the Present: A Policy Analysis of the Role of Green Hydrogen in India’s Pursuit of Energy Independence by 2047

As India targets energy independence by 2047 and net-zero emissions by 2070, green hydrogen has emerged as a critical pivot for decarbonising ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors like steel, refining and heavy transport. This article provides a policy and techno-economic analysis of India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023) within the global energy landscape. While green hydrogen offers a carbon-neutral alternative to grey hydrogen, its economic viability remains constrained by high production costs (3.9–12.8 USD/kg H 2 ) compared to fossil-fuel-based methods (1.6–6.4 USD/kg H 2 ). The study identifies a significant global ‘implementation gap’, where only a few of the announced hydrogen projects have reached the operational stage due to financing hurdles and supply chain constraints. Domestically, the research highlights critical sustainability challenges, specifically the requirement of approximately 9 litres of demineralised water per kilogram of H 2 , which may exacerbate water scarcity in India’s arid industrial hubs. The article concludes that while the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) initiative and domestic electrolyser manufacturing are vital steps towards cost parity, India must balance its export ambitions with local resource preservation to ensure a truly just energy transition.