Why the Construction sector should adopt Green Hydrogen

More than 75 per cent of the urban infrastructure to be built by 2050 remains underway across the world. A similar scenario is seen in countries including India, where growing aspirations coupled with an increase in disposable income and urbanisation rate are driving the need to expand city limits periodically. The construction sector, holistically, contributed to 9 per cent of India’s GDP in 2021 and is expected to reach $1.4 trillion by 2025. Typically, the sector includes real estate (buildings) and urban development (enabling infrastructure including schools and healthcare) segments.From an ecosystem perspective, it encompasses all materials (such as glass, brick, cement, steeland concrete) and mechanisation (including trucks and heavy machinery) in addition to other enabling infrastructure.This viewpoint allows us to examine the role of green hydrogen to substantiate the decarbonisation potential of the construction industry. Both the material and mechanisation aspects are heavily reliant on fossil fuels (mostly coal and diesel) for their thermal energy dependency. This article provides an exploratory analysis to see the merits of utilising green hydrogen in the construction industry.

Green hydrogen is produced from electrolysers using water and renewable electricity. Water is split into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. Hydrogen is stored for further energy requirements and oxygen is vented out.

The energy sector in India is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Typically, energy needs in the construction industry can be bifurcated into electricity and heat (thermal energy). In this regard, coal and diesel are two of the most commonly used fuels in this industry...