Life Cycle Analysis of Hydrogen Production and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle in Indian Conditions

This study presents Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of hydrogen production from Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE). The emission factor of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) has also been calculated based on hydrogen produced from PEMWE. Though there are many methods for hydrogen production like Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), PEMWE is a leading edge method with less carbon emissions, especially if electricity generated from renewable sources are used for electrolysis. The Energy Pay Back Time (EPBT) of the PEMWE system has been calculated to be 3.54 years in Indian conditions. The emission factor is 52.3 kgCO
2e
/kg of H
2
if the system is supported by the present generation mix, but reduced to 20.95 kgCO
2e
/kg of H
2
if supported by solar power. The Vehicle Emission Factor (VEF), considering only driving phase is 0.52 and 0.21 kgCO
2e
/km respectively. The study shows that the integration of renewables in the generation mix will have significant impact on the GHG emission footprint of H
2
production in India. It has also been concluded that in projected generation scenarios for India with more renewable penetration, there shall be notable reduction in the emission values.