IPHE Meeting On Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Begins In New Delhi

IPHE Meeting On Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Begins In New Delhi

The 41^st Steering Committee Meeting of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE) is being convened in New Delhi from March 18 – 22. The first day of the five-day meeting was organised as IPHE Academic Outreach at IIT Delhi, on March 18, where the conference delegates provided valuable insights into the future of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

Addressing the inaugural session of IPHE, Principal Scientific Advisor, Govt. of India, Prof. Ajay Sood pointed out that while hydrogen is not a very new technology, there is a need to work together to make it more economical and cleaner. He emphasised the importance of skill development and R&D in the sector. He mentioned that besides the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, various other Ministries of the Government of India are also making efforts for the adoption of Green Hydrogen. The Principal Scientific Advisor highlighted that the major areas of work in the hydrogen value chain include five components, namely, Production, Storage, Transportation, Distribution & Consumption.

Additional Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Shri Sudeep Jain highlighted the importance and challenging nature of climate change. He emphasized the work, collaboration, and partnership that would be required from academia and research institutes to facilitate energy transition and development of the hydrogen sector. He mentioned about the importance of moving away from grey hydrogen and bringing about a larger share of green hydrogen.

The IPHE Academic Outreach also featured two insightful panel discussions. The first panel discussion titled “Empowering Expertise: Cultivating Skill Development in the Clean / Green Hydrogen Arena,” focused on the development of the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in the clean/green hydrogen sector. The panel highlighted the requirement of skilled personnel in the field of Green Hydrogen, requiring different sets of safety, security, and regulatory standards. The need for new skill interventions for the thematic areas and for hands-on training for the green hydrogen sector was also highlighted by the Panel.

The second panel discussion titled “Unveiling the Future: Clean / Green Hydrogen Technologies and Its Transformative Applications,” explored the frontiers of clean/green hydrogen research and innovation, discussing its transformative potential across various industries. Considering the present cost of production of hydrogen, its storage, transportation, and consumption, the panel expressed the need to bring down these costs through technology improvement, efficient production/utilization through R&D, and by increasing the demand through a regulatory framework.