New Delhi: New & Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday launched a Rs 100-crore scheme for startups to support innovations in green hydrogen production.
“The scheme will provide up to Rs 5 crore per project for pilot projects in innovative hydrogen production, storage, transport and utilisation technologies,” Joshi said at the first Green Hydrogen R&D Conference here.
At the two-day conference beginning Thursday, 25 startups are showcasing their innovations, ranging from electrolyser manufacturing to AI-driven optimisation and biological hydrogen solution.
Joshi emphasised that the conference is not just about sharing ideas but about turning research into practical solutions that can power industries, clean cities, and create lakhs of new jobs across India.
He underscored the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) in 2023, to transform India’s energy landscape and make the country a global hub for green hydrogen.
With an outlay of Rs 19,744 crore, the Mission rests on four pillars – Policy and Regulatory Framework, Demand Creation, R&D and Innovation, and Enabling Infrastructure.
Highlighting progress in research and development, the minister said that the dedicated R&D scheme under NGHM has already awarded 23 projects in the first round.
These cover key areas such as safety and integration, hydrogen production from biomass, hydrogen applications, and non-biomass hydrogen production routes.
Leading IITs, IISERs, CSIR labs and industry partners are implementing these projects. The second round of R&D proposals, launched on July 14 this year, remains open till September 15.
Internationally too, collaborations are expanding under the EU-India Trade and Technology Council, with over 30 joint proposals received on hydrogen production from wastewater.