2 days ago
AP charts green hydrogen future at summit
Vijayawada: India's push towards a sustainable energy future gained significant traction at the two-day Green Hydrogen Summit hosted by SRM-AP. The event, which concluded on Friday, brought together a distinguished assembly of policymakers, industry titans, and researchers, underscoring AP's unwavering commitment to sustainable energy development under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The second day of the summit on Saturday was marked by a series of engaging plenary sessions, an industry-academia conclave, and strategic discussions. Leaders from industry, science, academia, and policy engaged in robust dialogues covering technology innovations, infrastructural requirements, off-taker options, and critical funding and policy frameworks essential for India's green hydrogen journey.
Key discussions highlighted the cost-effectiveness, broad industrial applications, and inherent sustainability of green hydrogen. A dedicated panel also delved into the promising scope of fuel cells. Dr R Vijay, director-ARCI, emphasised the potential of metallic bipolar plates and the urgent need for establishing electrolyser plants to facilitate large-scale hydrogen production.
While the summit broadly championed the advantages of hydrogen production, it also served as a crucial forum for addressing the inherent challenges. Scientists and academicians presented the benefits, while industry leaders brought forth practical hurdles. Karthikeya A from APEDB notably pointed out the often-overlooked necessity of off-takers for the produced hydrogen, questioning whether sufficient market demand truly exists to consume the output.
Discussions focused on cultivating a collaborative ecosystem. Dr Mallikarjun Bhavanari stressed the imperative for synergy between academia and industry, identifying infrastructure, material accessibility, and robust research and development (R&D) as pivotal factors in positioning India as a global hydrogen superpower.
During the valedictory session, Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Ch Satish Kumar offered a thought-provoking perspective. 'Let's not just celebrate green hydrogen progress; let's also talk about the difficulties in production, the health implications, and community-level engagement,' he urged.
Prof D Narayana Rao, executive director-research, SRM Group of Institutions, said the summit was a success. He announced that under the directive of the Chief Minister, SRM-AP, in collaboration with NREDCAP, will host the Hydrogen Summit annually to review the progress made in Andhra Pradesh's green hydrogen journey.
