Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Sentient Labs has launched a hydrogen fuel cell bus that runs on an indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell and electric powertrain. The hydrogen fuel cell was developed in collaboration with the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) and Central Electro Chemical Research Institute under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. 

The project would be a test case to assess the potential of solar-powered hydrogen to displace costly and polluting diesel-based energy generation systems in far-off regions of the country like Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. 

Eight key developments are accelerating the advancement of electric vehicles. These range from the improvements in cost and performance of electric vehicle (EV) batteries to hydrogen-powered vehicles.

The Railways initially plans to convert diesel-powered trains in the 89km Sonipat-Jind section of Northern Railway to run on hydrogen. The hydrogen fuel cell retrofitment kit, along with the balance-of-plant and energy storage and hydrogen storage modules, will replace the existing power-train items onboard 1,600HP diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) rakes.

The Canadian clean energy solutions provider will supply its fuel cell modules for use in Tata Motors’ 15 hydrogen-powered buses. The buses are planned for deployment in Faridabad, in the National Capital Region of Delhi.

The diversified business group will invest over INR 60,000 crore ((US$ 8.1 billion) over the next three years to build Giga factories for solar, energy storage, electrolyzers, and fuel cells, respectively, to create a fully integrated, end-to-end renewables energy ecosystem. Additional INR 15,000 crore (US$ 2 billion) is planned to create a value chain, partnerships, and future technologies.

The state-run power company wants to explore the feasibility of using hydrogen instead of diesel for back-up power and micro-grid application.

India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and Greenstat Hydrogen India will collaborate on establishing a Norwegian Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen in India and supporting the development of green hydrogen technologies.

The Indian energy thinktank and the US-based consulting firm will research to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen as a sustainable solution for India’s energy needs. 

Researchers from India’s Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) have developed a coordination polymer based catalyst for hydrogen production that exhibited exceptionally high durability for 70 hours at a high current density of −300 mA/ cm2.