IIT Kanpur to establish green hydrogen Centre of Excellence in Uttar Pradesh

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur is set to establish a Centre of Excellence on Green Hydrogen under the Uttar Pradesh Green Hydrogen Policy 2024. The proposal, titled "Centre of Excellence on Innovative and Integrated Ecosystem for Green Hydrogen (ECOGEN)" has been cleared by the authorised committee constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government and sanctioned by the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA).

The CoE aims to promote research and innovation across the entire green hydrogen value chain, supporting the state's goal of achieving net-zero emissions through green hydrogen technologies. It will undertake interdisciplinary, collaborative research to build an end-to-end green hydrogen (GH2) ecosystem spanning generation, storage, utilisation, and system integration.

A key objective of the centre is to bring down the production cost of green hydrogen, alongside strengthening India's clean energy research base. Officials said the initiative is expected to boost innovation in hydrogen energy technologies and support the development of sustainable energy solutions in the country.

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IIT Kanpur: Sustainable energy dept lead

The CoE will be led by Prabodh Bajpai, professor in the Sustainable Energy Engineering Department at IIT Kanpur, as Principal Investigator. The research team comprises investigators with interdisciplinary expertise and established collaborations with leading industrial organisations, aimed at supporting collaborative research and development from lab to application.

"Our goal is to build an end-to-end green hydrogen ecosystem in India, from generation to utilisation, while bringing down production costs through collaborative research," said Bajpai, principal investigator and professor.

The initiative aligns with India's broader push towards clean energy and the adoption of green hydrogen technologies, says the statement. "Through collaboration between academia and industry, the Centre of Excellence aims to support research, innovation, and cost reduction across the green hydrogen ecosystem in upcoming years.