As part of its quest towards energy transition, the government has brought together stakeholders from India and across the world, in order to explore how we can establish a Green Hydrogen ecosystem and foster a systemic approach for meeting the global goals for decarbonization through Green Hydrogen. The three-day International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023), being organized during 5^th – 7^th July 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi by the Government of India, was inaugurated today, by the Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy Shri R. K. Singh. The conference brings together global scientific, policy, academic and industrial leaders to discuss recent advances and emerging technologies in the entire green hydrogen value chain. The conference will enable the sector stakeholders to explore the evolving green hydrogen landscape and innovation-driven solutions in the sector, thus strengthening the sustainability ecosystem of the sector.

The inaugural ceremony of the conference can be watched here.

The conference is being organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The fundamental aim of the Conference is to explore how we can establish a Green Hydrogen ecosystem and foster a systemic approach for meeting the global goals for decarbonization through Green Hydrogen. Apart from domain-specific research interactions on hydrogen production, storage, distribution and downstream applications, the conference will also discuss green financing, human resource upskilling and startup initiatives in this area. The conference will enable to share and learn from international best practices in the sector.

Check out the conference website here: https://icgh.in. A brief presentation on the conference can be found here. The conference brochure can be found here and the conference flyer here.

Various plenary talks, expert panel discussions and technical deliberations held at the conference will provide domestic and international participants from the industry and research communities an opportunity to dive deep into these national and global priorities, in line with the objectives embedded in India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, a Mission launched by the Government of India to help achieve India’s target of Net Zero by the year 2070.

National Green Hydrogen Mission provides roadmap for promoting research, development and deployment of green hydrogen across various domains: Prime Minister

The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi conveyed a message to the conference delegates, which was read out at the inaugural ceremony. In his message, the Prime Minister said that the conference provides an opportunity to global scientific experts, industrial community as well as academia to learn new perspectives and help establish a green hydrogen ecosystem. The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of sustainable energy solutions in navigating the challenges posed due to climate change. He said that green hydrogen will play a crucial role in our pursuit of sustainable growth, along with decarbonization.

The Prime Minister said that India is the only major economy to source 40% of our energy from non-fossil fuel sources nine years ahead of the target of 2030. “We have worked to enhance renewable sources of energy such as biofuel, ethanol, biogas, solar and green hydrogen. India has made significant strides in advancing green hydrogen technologies. Our National Green Hydrogen Mission provides roadmap for promoting research, development and deployment of green hydrogen across various domains. International collaboration is crucial in realizing our vision of a green and clean planet, and the ICGH 2023 provides a platform for fostering such partnerships. The deliberations will enhance engagement and exchange of ideas. May the conference succeed in aiding the creation of a flourishing green hydrogen ecosystem for the larger benefit of humanity.”

“India has some world-leading programmes in Energy Transition”: New & Renewable Energy Minister

The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri R. K. Singh  in his address said that there is now a global consensus that we need to make a transition to renewable energy. “India is one of the lowest carbon emitters in the world, our per capita emissions are about one third of global average. This stems out of our culture which emphasizes simplicity, this culture is reflected in Mission LiFE as espoused by the Prime Minister.”

The Power Minister informed that India has over-delivered on its Nationally Determined Contributions target, having achieved 40% of non-fossil electricity target in 2021, 9 years before the target of 2030. “We have some world-leading programmes in emissions reduction, such as the programme for LEDs, which has resulted in reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 103 million tons per annum. Our Perform Achieve Trade Scheme has reduced in emissions reductions of around 106 million tons per annum.”

The Minister informed that 42% of power generation capacity of India today is based on non-fossil-fuels and that we will overachieve the target of 50% capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2030.

“India has begun to emerge as a leader in adopting green hydrogen “

The New & Renewable Energy Minister said that India has begun to emerge as a leader in adopting green hydrogen as well. He said that under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, projects have been commenced for setting up 3.5 million tons of green hydrogen manufacturing capacity already. “We are able to do this because we have built up a huge robust ecosystem for renewables, we have now industries which are world leaders in solar and wind energy ecosystems. We have almost 25,000 MW of solar manufacturing capacity and another 40 GW – 50 GW under construction. We are going to emerge as the largest manufacturer of solar cells and modules outside of China.”

The Minister said that India’s cost of green hydrogen will be the lowest in the world, since the cost of setting up renewable energy capacity in India is the lowest in the world. We have connected the whole country under one grid, said the Minister.

“If you are in the business of electricity and energy, this is the place to be”

Recalling an industry report which called India as the most attractive destination in the world for renewable energy investment, the Minister said that every major fund is invested in India. “This is also because India is the fastest growing large economy in the world, which also means a growth in energy demand. So, we are the biggest growing market, and if you are in the business of energy, this is the place to be.”

Shri Singh said that the government has launched an incentive scheme for electrolyser manufacturing and for production of green hydrogen. Noting that we are just at the cusp of the growth, the Minister said that India has a huge steel manufacturing capacity, a big mobility market, and in fertilizers and cement, thereby providing big opportunities for green steel, green mobility, green fertilizers and green cement.

“Come and partner with us”

The New & Renewable Energy Minister told the industry that the government will partner with the industry in developing cutting-edge technology for fuel cells, hydrogen storage and other technologies needed for green hydrogen ecosystem. “The R&D roadmap will have cross-cutting partnerships among government, industry and IITs, so that patents too are owned by all of us in common. So, come and partner with us, this is the biggest market in the world, and we prefer solutions developed here in India.”

“Oil and gas PSUs have taken various initiatives for promotion of green hydrogen”

The Union Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Rameswar Teli said that as per the International Energy Agency, the world demand for hydrogen is expected to grow by 600% by the year 2050. He noted that India is one of the biggest consumers of green hydrogen in the world, with a demand of 6 million tons per annum. The Minister informed that the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, and oil and gas PSUs have taken various initiatives for promotion of green hydrogen. “The oil and gas PSUs are working towards achieving an annual production capacity of 230 kilo tonnes by the year 2024-25. In addition, these PSUs have set a production target of 7 lakh tonnes of green hydrogen per annum by the year 2030. Oil India Limited has started a pilot plant in Jorhat, Assam which produces 10 kg of green hydrogen per day.”

The Minister added that Indian Oil Corporation Limited has entered into an agreement with Tata Motors, for development of hydrogen fuel cell in India. The Minister informed that buses run by hydrogen fuel cell have begun to run on trial basis in Gujarat.

Stating the importance of utilizing the potential of hydrogen as a fuel, the Minister expressed the hope that India will successfully address the challenges involved in leveraging green hydrogen and thereby contributing to the global energy transition.

“ICGH 2023 will enable us to better plan implementation of National Green Hydrogen Mission”

Addressing the inaugural session, Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Shri Bhupinder S Bhalla said that this three-day International Conference on Green Hydrogen is the biggest event so far by Government of India on Green Hydrogen since the launch of the country’s National Green Hydrogen Mission. He highlighted the need for energy transition and how green hydrogen plays a critical role in the same. “India’s economy is growing rapidly, leading to increase in demand for energy and resources. Energy use has doubled in the last 20 years and is likely to grow by at least another 25% by 2030. India currently imports over 40% of its primary energy requirements, worth over USD 90 billion every year. Major sectors like mobility and industrial production are significantly dependent on imported fossil fuels. This necessitates a shift towards technologies that enable enhanced share of renewable sources in the energy mix, to enable us to progressively reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.”

The Secretary said that under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, it has been targeted to build capabilities to produce at least 5 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of Green Hydrogen per annum by 2030. Shri Bhalla said that the Mission will support replacement of Hydrogen produced from fossil fuel sources with Green Hydrogen in ammonia production and petroleum refining, blending Green Hydrogen in City Gas Distribution systems, production of steel with Green Hydrogen, and use of Green Hydrogen-derived synthetic fuels (like Green Methanol) to replace fossil fuels in various sectors including mobility, shipping, and perhaps aviation.

The Secretary informed that the Mission will be implemented in a phased manner, focusing initially on deployment of Green Hydrogen in sectors that are already using hydrogen, and evolving an ecosystem for R&D, regulations and pilot projects. The latter phase of the Mission will build on these foundational activities and undertake Green Hydrogen initiatives in other sectors of the economy.

The Mission aims to develop and scale up Green Hydrogen production technology and make it affordable and widely accessible. With an initial budget of nearly Rs. 19,700 crore or USD 2.5 billion, the Mission includes stimulating demand, incentivizing supply through financial incentives, and facilitating key enablers such as research and development and common infrastructure.

The Secretary told the delegates that pilot projects in the sectors like steel, long-range heavy-duty mobility, energy storage and shipping, are proposed under the Mission. These pilot projects will help identify operational issues and gaps in terms of current technology readiness, regulations, implementation methodologies, infrastructure and supply chains, he added.

The New & Renewable Energy Secretary said that the three-day International Conference on Green Hydrogen has been organized to discuss the recent advances and upcoming technologies across the entire Green Hydrogen value chain. “It is an opportunity to discuss the evolving Green Hydrogen landscape and network with global scientific community and industry. In this 3-day mega event, we have organised 7 Plenary Sessions providing perspective of different countries and Regions, 16 parallel technical sessions and 4 panel discussions around establishing the Green Hydrogen ecosystem and catalyzing a systemic approach for meeting the global goals for decarbonization through Green Hydrogen. We have seen a remarkable enthusiasm from stakeholders for participating in this conference and I am happy to share that we have over 2700 registered participants, from Government of India, States/UTs, Industry and Academia, including from other countries.”

The Secretary said that the government is hopeful that the conference will enable us to better plan the implementation of the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Inter-ministerial R&D Roadmap for Green Hydrogen Ecosystem Ready: Principal Scientific Advisor to Govt. of India

Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood said that successful deployment of green hydrogen requires an integrated approach, necessitating collaboration across borders, sectors and stakeholders. “All of us need to develop comprehensive regulatory frameworks, financial mechanisms and supportive policies, incentivizing investment and a level playing field for green hydrogen technologies.”

He informed that an advisory committee set up under National Green Hydrogen Mission has prepared a draft report on the R&D required to support a green hydrogen ecosystem in India. The report can be accessed here and is now open for public and stakeholder comments.

Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership on PPP Model to steer Applied and Breakthrough Research in Green Hydrogen Technologies

Presenting key findings of the draft report, the Principal Scientific Advisor said that the target set under National Hydrogen Mission, of producing at least 5 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of Green Hydrogen per annum by 2030, will require 60 GW – 100 GW electrolyser capacity and 125 GW renewable energy capacity. He informed that this will avert carbon dioxide emissions by 50 MMT per annum, create around 600,000 jobs and bring in 100 billion dollars of investment.

Prof. Sood said that the technology challenges identified in the draft report involve enhancement of efficiency, improving cost effectiveness, achieving scale, ensuring safety of green hydrogen technologies and integrating storage, transport and grid infrastructure. The R&D framework under the National Green Hydrogen Mission envisages a Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership (SHIP), which would be a Public Private Partnership framework with dedicated R&D funds with inputs from industry and government. The plan would involve building strategic international partnerships and long-shot research in breakthrough areas as well. Efforts will be made to spur innovation to enhance affordability, efficiency, safety and reliability of systems. Prof. Sood underlined the need for encouraging innovative MSMEs and startups, Centres of Excellence and broad-based solutions for addressing various research areas.

Grand Challenge Projects, Mission Mode Projects and Blue Sky Projects

The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India said that the draft roadmap envisages classification of projects into grand challenge projects, mission mode projects and blue sky projects. These three types of projects have been identified across three verticals, namely hydrogen production; storage and transportation; and end use applications. He said that after obtaining public comments and adoption of final R&D roadmap by the government, R&D project proposals will be called for and projects will be awarded based on the same. The Principal Scientific Adviser expressed that these efforts will help us make India a strong hydrogen economy in the coming years.

The presentation given by the Principal Scientific Advisor can be found here.

“Can you get Green Hydrogen from Waste Water?

Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Government of India, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi shared with the delegates that the most thought-provoking question facing us today is how and why we should handle hydrogen today. She said that climate change is a global problem, for which we need to address and leverage the potential of green hydrogen. She revealed how the seed for the International Conference on Green Hydrogen was sown by the Prime Minister of India. She said that while she was making a presentation to the Prime Minister, who is also the President of CSIR, the PM asked the DG: can you get green hydrogen from waste water? “The Prime Minister said that this is a question not only to CSIR, but also to the entire Indian community. So, you can have a conference with international participation where you can have a detailed discussion, to explore how hydrogen could be utilized as a solution to mitigate the problem of climate change.”

Also read:

• Three-day International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH) 2023 Concludes in New Delhi

• India is Betting Big on Green Hydrogen: New & Renewable Energy Secretary, at ICGH-2023 Press Conference

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PIB DELHI | AM / DJM