Smart twist in electrolyser can make green hydrogen truly low-carbon: IIT Madras study

As India accelerates its push to become a global hub for green hydrogen, a new study from IIT Madras cautions that technology choices inside electrolysers could significantly influence how climate-friendly the fuel actually is. The research finds that certain electrolyser designs can reduce life-cycle emissions of green hydrogen by up to 25 per cent, even though they may be more carbon-intensive to manufacture.

The findings have been published in the American Chemical Society journal ‘Energy & Fuels.’

The study focuses on proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers and shows that systems using coated bipolar plates deliver lower overall emissions across their operational lifetime compared to uncoated alternatives. While the coatings increase emissions during the manufacturing stage, they improve durability and efficiency, allowing the electrolyser to operate longer and produce cleaner hydrogen over time.

Led by Satyanarayanan Seshadri of IIT Madras in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), the research provides one of the most detailed life-cycle and critical raw material assessments of green hydrogen production in the Indian context.

The study comes as India pursues its net-zero target for 2070 and seeks to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030 under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Hydrogen is expected to play a central role in decarbonising sectors such as steel, chemicals, long-haul transport and buildings.

However, the researchers warn of trade-offs. PEM electrolysers rely on scarce and largely imported materials such as platinum, iridium and ruthenium, creating potential supply and cost risks as deployment scales up.

To address inconsistencies in emission performance, the study proposes a tiered classification—platinum, gold, silver and bronze—to label green hydrogen based on full life-cycle emissions rather than just renewable power use. The authors argue that such standards would improve transparency, guide policy and strengthen India’s position in future hydrogen trade.

Overall, the research underscores that making green hydrogen credible will require not just clean electricity, but careful design choices, material strategies and robust life-cycle standards.

IITs On Forefront

Recently, IIT Madras developed an indigenous but low-cost alkaline seawater electrolyser capable of producing green hydrogen without the use of rare or expensive metals addressing two major challenges in hydrogen production: high costs of current electrolysers and the growing scarcity of freshwater. Similarly, IIT Roorkee has transferred its newly developed waste-to-hydrogen technology to the industry.