National Climate Innovation Fund
Any amount is too low yet unaffordable
Unless we can make green viable
The greatest infrastructure build-out in human history is under way The materials we choose, the industries we power, and the cities we design will either lock us into carbon dependence or climate-proof our growth. India must aspire to become the green laboratory – and the green factory – for climate-friendly technologies for the world.
From a climate change perspective, national boundaries are meaningless. And this sets the basis for a global carbon tax mechanism which penalises the polluter and subsidises the cleaner. The theory is very sound. You basically issue tenders for carbon sequestration and recover that amount as a green house gas emission tax. But who will bell the cat.
When it hurts, the biggest nations turn rogue. A powerful politician recently commented, “drill baby drill … more oil … more gas.” The statement had an immediate reaction. The oil majors shut down their green labs and handed out pink slips. Climate change innovation has stopped in USA. There is no intent to clean up their act leaving the market open for countries like Japan, Germany and the Commonwealth to move in.
India is uniquely positioned to lead. But it niether has the capital nor the ability to afford green technologies.
UNLESS they are cheaper than grey options. Recently IIT ALUMNI COUNCIL announced a withdrawal from all projects that did not target “cheaper and greener”. It was a bold step to walk away from the gravy train of govt subsidies and into the unknown path of biomimicking conventional processes. India consumes 15 million tons of hydrogen. It is all based on fossil fuels and costs Rs 190 per kg. Green hydrogen sells for Rs 390. Can we bring it down to say Rs 170. YES. And that is the opportunity.
Now move ahead from hydrogen to ammonia to urea. We spend Rs 1 lac crore plus on fertiliser subsidies – most on urea. The haber Bosch process used to convert hydrogen to ammonia is capital intensive and polluting. Can we make it green and distributed and subsidy free. Actually YES. All we need is expertise which takes waste to biogas to green hydrogen to a plasma reactor to make ammonia. And then drop the ammonia to urea stage. Instead mix the ammonia locally with biochar to get a time release fertiliser.
One kg of biochar ammonia time release fertiliser is as effective as 4 kgs of urea. And costs less than one kg of urea. India is now leading in these technologies. Companies like Brew have revolutionised microbial conversion by getting 4x the gas output per kg of biomass. In the process they can absorb and clean up sewage. Engineers like Jitendra Singh have actually build ammonia distributors which sit as an accessory in a harvester. Foundations like Prakruti Prerana Foundation are redefining the paradigms of agro forestry and soil organic content enhancement.
The movement is building. And radical change is happening.