The five-day Steering Committee Meeting of the 23-nation International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE) is being convened in the national capital during March 18 -22. The participants will hold discussions on new developments in hydrogen technology and identify key areas for further collaboration.

Speaking on the first day of the meeting organised as IPHE Academic Outreach at IIT Delhi, Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, Prof. Ajay Sood highlighted the fact 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 on the importance of skill development and R&D in the sector and mentioned that besides the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, various other Ministries of the Government of India are also making efforts for 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, Sudeep Jain highlighted the importance and challenging nature of climate change. He emphasised the work, collaboration and partnership that would be required from academia and research institutes for facilitating energy transition and development of the hydrogen sector. He highlighted the importance of moving away from grey hydrogen and bringing about a larger share of green hydrogen.

IPHE Vice-Chairperson Noe Van Hulst said that India was an economic powerhouse, an engine of the global economy and a decisive actor in shaping the clean energy future. He put emphasis on the requirement of skills, educational outreach and Research & Innovation in shaping the future of Clean Hydrogen and the role of academia in this regard.

Dean (R&D), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Prof. Naresh Bhatnagar highlighted the involvement of IIT Delhi in R&D of vehicles run on hydrogen, for the past two decades. He informed about courses offered by the institute at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels on various subjects in energy systems and also about the R&D being conducted at IIT Delhi on high-pressure storage at 750 bar Hydrogen cylinder.

The IPHE, established in 2003, comprises 23 member countries and the European Commission, and is dedicated to advancing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies globally. The biannual IPHE Steering Committee Meetings serve as a crucial platform for fostering international collaboration and coordination among member countries, stakeholders, and decision-makers. These meetings facilitate information exchange on policy and technical developments, helping to identify key areas for collaboration which inform subsequent initiatives in member countries.