Vision of “carbon neutral” Ladakh

 

Ladakh going to have India’s first green hydrogen mobility project was surely going to place the strategic and beautiful cold desert of the country on an important pedestal. Not only were its energy needs going to be met and uninterrupted supply of power assured especially during harsh winter months but in the long run, was going to be a “hydrogen State”. National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) recently made it known that its wing NTPC-REL is all set to provide India’s first green hydrogen mobility project in Ladakh. It is worth noting that the NTPC embarking upon producing energy through cleaner and greener sources is planning to ply five hydrogen buses in the region. It is further planned to have a solar plant and a green hydrogen generation unit in Leh. In other words, Leh was going to be first city in the entire country to fully implement a green hydrogen based mobility project, a thing to cheer up for by the people of Ladakh. In this connection, it is both heartening as well as opening up new vistas in renewable and green energy sector that the company inaugurated the first solar installation in Leh. Such installations are technically known as ‘solar trees’ and ‘solar carport’. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the NTPC-REL with the Union Territory of Ladakh gives the process a proper shape and the structure to help Ladakh be among the first and front runners to have carbon neutrality, a vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which seems to be now getting a proper strategy to get accomplished and achieved. The UT of Ladakh to partner with the state run power giant NTPC in this respect opens a new chapter in its energy needs and that too based on sustaining and preserving the environment and promoting all green. In other words, there will be zero emission mobility in true sense with the setting up of this project in Ladakh. It is to be seen that internationally there is a strong urge growing among the countries to work towards reduced levels of emissions so as to improve air quality so that collectively there could be shaped a more sustainable mobility which was safer and comfortable. Though India’s levels of emissions are far less than those of many advanced countries, still with setting up of project like the one under reference, India is taking the lead in helping promoting green hydrogen mobility projects and that too in comparatively geographically challenging areas. That is the reason that NTPC has been vigorously going ahead for greening its portfolio and achieving low carbon footprint. Green hydrogen based solutions in other sectors like mobility, energy, chemicals, fertilizers, steel etc comprise the broader agenda of the NTPC in promoting the usage thereof in the coming years. It is worth noting that target oriented approach in generation of renewable energy by the NTPC has geared it to achieve 60 GW capacity of renewables by the year 2032 or as much as double its earlier targets. Experience of Vishakapatnam is all the more important in that India’s largest floating solar project of 10 MW was recently commissioned by the NTPC. India’s future energy needs through renewable and green sources are quite bright and secure which therefore needs more of such projects to aspire for improved air quality besides energy with comparatively lesser cost inputs. While NTPC needs its efforts to be appreciated in this respect, at the same time focus on green hydrogen mobility projects need to be widened across the country