The inaugural Green Hydrogen Research & Development (R&D) Conference, organized by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), marked a significant step forward in India’s energy transition. Bringing together scientists, industry leaders, policymakers and start-ups, this conference reinforced India’s commitment to making green hydrogen not just an aspiration but a driver of innovation, job creation and decarbonisation.
Key Highlights
- Launch of ₹100 Crore Call for Proposals
A new funding scheme aimed at start-ups and innovators was announced. Under this, projects in hydrogen production, storage, transport and utilisation may receive up to ₹5 crore each. (cCarbon)
- Start-up Expo with 25 Innovators
Twenty-five start-ups showcased cutting-edge work across areas like electrolyser manufacturing, AI-driven optimisation, and biological hydrogen solutions. This expo highlighted where real innovation is happening on the ground. (Change Started)
- R&D Under NGHM: Progress to Date
- The NGHM R&D scheme has so far awarded 23 projects (first round), covering domains such as safety/integration, biomass‐based hydrogen production, non‐biomass routes, and hydrogen applications. (Change Started)
- The R&D budget is ₹400 crore through FY2025-26. (ETEnergyworld.com)
- A second round of proposals opened 14 July 2025, with deadline 15 September 2025. (ETEnergyworld.com)
- Cost Reduction Targets & Market Signals
Minister Pralhad Joshi emphasised India’s ambition to reduce the cost of green hydrogen to USD 2/kg by 2030. Recent auctions are already delivering emergent signals: for example, a green ammonia auction yielded a price of ₹49.75/kg, significantly lower than the previous benchmark of ~₹100.28/kg in 2024. (ETEnergyworld.com)
- Ecosystem & Enablers
The conference also spotlighted several ‘enabling’ measures already in motion:
- Development of hydrogen hubs at ports (Kandla, Paradip, Tuticorin) (Change Started)
- First port-based hydrogen pilot at V.O. Chidambaranar Port, Tamil Nadu (Change Started)
- Pilot projects in steel, shipping, transport, fertilisers (Change Started)
Themes
On Day 2, the panels tackled actionable questions around:
- Technology Focus Areas: What next-gen electrolyser technologies need scaling? How can AI & automation optimise operations, lower costs and increase efficiency?
- Governance & R&D Frameworks: Learning from past R&D funding schemes, how to improve oversight, speed, collaboration between academia, labs and industry, especially to bridge the “valley of death” from prototype to commercial deployment.
- Commercialization & Integration: Strategies for accelerating prototyping, validating pilot projects, integrating hydrogen solutions into manufacturing, infrastructure, and ensuring market demand (both domestic & export).
Why This Matters?
The outcomes of this conference underscore key opportunities:
Collaboration: Increased scope for industry-academia-start-up partnerships. The funding schemes and pilot projects offer entry points for innovators.
Policy Certainty & Standards: Schemes like the Green Hydrogen Standard & Certification, along with institutional supports, will help mitigate risk and give confidence to stakeholders, both domestic and international.
Exports & Global Linkages: With joint proposals under EU-India cooperation, and hydrogen hubs being built, there’s real potential for India to not only serve its own decarbonisation goals but become a global supplier of green hydrogen & derivatives.
Conclusion
The 1st Annual Green Hydrogen R&D Conference significant indicator that India is pushing aggressively from policy declarations to tangible action. With ambitious targets, new funding, start-ups stepping up, cost breakthroughs, and clearer enabling frameworks, green hydrogen is stepping up from future promise to near-term reality.
Sources & References
Change Started – “Minister Pralhad Joshi inaugurates 1st Green Hydrogen R&D Conference”
https://changestarted.com/minister-pralhad-joshi-inaugurates-1st-green-hydrogen-rd-conference
Change Started – “First Green Hydrogen R&D Conference Concludes”
https://changestarted.com/first-green-hydrogen-rd-conference-concludes
Carbon Copy / CCARBon Info – “Union Minister inaugurates 1st Green Hydrogen R&D Conference; launches ₹100 crore call for proposals”
https://www.ccarbon.info/news/india-union-minister-pralhad-joshi-inaugurates-1st-green-hydrogen-r-launches-%E2%82%B9100-crore-call-for-proposals-for-start-ups
ET EnergyWorld (Economic Times) – “India targets to slash green hydrogen costs to $2/kg by 2030”
https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/renewable/india-targets-to-slash-green-hydrogen-costs-to-2kg-by-2030/123841705
MNRE Official Announcements / NGHM Updates (National Green Hydrogen Mission R&D Scheme background) https://www.mnre.gov.in
