1.
India’s
new solar powered device for affordable green hydrogen production:
Prelims:
Environment & Ecology, Science & Technology, Economy
Mains:
GS Paper III – Environment, Indian Economy, Science & Technology
Current
relevance:
Scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS),
Bengaluru, have developed a scalable next-generation solar-powered device
that produces green hydrogen.
The Innovation at a Glance:
1.
Aim: To enable affordable and scalable
green hydrogen production.
2.
It is developed by Centre for Nano and Soft Matter
Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru.
3.
The device produces green hydrogen directly from water
using solar energy, eliminating the need for fossil fuels.
4.
Technology:
The
device features a silicon-based photoanode engineered with an n-i-p
heterojunction architecture comprising:
(i)
n-type (TiO₂)
(ii)
intrinsic silicon (si)
(iii) p-type nickel
oxide (NiO)
Significance:
(i)
Enables clean, affordable, and scalable green hydrogen
production.
(ii)
Reduces dependence on fossil fuels and expensive
materials.
(iii) Reinforces
India's National Green Hydrogen Mission.
(iv) Facilitates renewable
energy storage and decarbonization.
(v) Enables clean
energy applications in transport, industry, power generation, and
residential sectors.
Future Outlook:
(i)
Can support large-scale hydrogen production using solar
energy.
(ii)
Accelerates India's transition towards a clean,
low-carbon and sustainable energy.
Source: PIB- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2138051®=48&lang=2