Green ammonia refers to ammonia, which has been produced through a process that is 100% renewable and carbon-free. Ammonia is produced globally in large quantities for agricultural fertilizers. Green Ammonia is formed through the Haber-Bosch process using natural gas.
HaberBosch process
In the Haber-Bosch process, atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen are reacted using a metal catalyst at high temperatures to produce ammonia, NH3. The main source of hydrogen is methane from natural gas. Hydrogen is also produced from water electrolysis.
Key Points for UPSC Prelims
- Ammonia has an energy density that is 9 times that of Li-ion batteries and 3 times that of compressed hydrogen.
- Increasing demand for carbon-intensive energy is creating opportunities for Green Ammonia.
- Various potential applications of Green ammonia are- transport fuel for fuel cell vehicles, long-duration renewable storage, feedstock as green fertilizer, and an industrial energy source.
Bids for Green Ammonia in 6 months
- The Indian Government has planned to invite bids for setting up Green Ammonia projects within six months, to reduce our country’s dependence on imports.
- To produce fertilizers, India is importing a significant volume of ammonia every year. The major segments which consume ammonia are Ammonium phosphate and Urea.
- Since 2008, India has been a net importer of ammonia and it is expected to continue on a similar trend until 2022.
How will the bids be conducted?
As per the Union power and new and renewable energy Ministry, Government of India the bids for Green Ammonia projects will be conducted by SECI (Solar Energy Corp. of India Ltd).
Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)
SECI is a company under the New and Renewable Energy Ministry, Govt. of India that was established to ease the implementation of the National Solar Mission. It is the only Indian PSU that is dedicated to the solar energy sector.
National Solar Mission was launched in the year 2010 with an aim to achieve a target of 20 GW by the year 2022. The target has been reached in the year 2018, 4 years ahead of the target.