ABSTRACT
Direct electrification will likely dominate urban buses and short-distance trucking, but hydrogen fuel cell vehicles may play a major role in the long-distance truck sector. Electrifying India’s huge railway system should be a high priority, but for some routes using hydrogen as an energy source may be more economic. Work by the Energy Transitions Commission shows that renewables will increasingly be a cheaper power source than coal, and that power systems could run efficiently even if 80% to 90% of electricity came from intermittent renewable sources. In India as across the world, the most cost-effective route to a zero-carbon economy is thus certain to include ‘green molecules’ as well as ‘green electrons’. Some continued fossil fuel use — perhaps 10% to 15% of final energy demand, might be possible if Carbon Capture and Storage or use can be made a cost-effective and safe technology.
