IndianOil, the country’s largest refiner and fuel retailer is inviting bids to procure 15 Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell buses. This project is the first-ever attempt in the country to address all the aspects of hydrogen-based mobility as the ultimate green option.
The fuel cell buses would be evaluated in collaboration with the selected OEM partner through a wide-scale field validation exercise in Delhi-NCR on a structured scientific format.
One of the key ingredients of this IndianOil project is that the fuel cell stack/system technology would be developed and manufactured in the spirit of AatmaNirbhar Bharat, thus accelerating the creation of a local ecosystem to support further activities in the hydrogen energy domain.
To facilitate the hydrogen supply for refueling these buses, IndianOil is also setting up demo units of approx. 1 ton per day production capacity for different pathways to produce hydrogen, at its state-of-the-art R&D Centre in Faridabad.
The demand for hydrogen (H2) in India can grow five-fold by 2050. Further, by 2030, the costs of “green hydrogen” from renewables will fall more than 50% and start to compete with H2 from fossil fuels.
Hydrogen needs to be targeted in sectors where direct electrification is not possible. These are heavy-duty, long-distance transport sectors, some industry sectors, and long-term seasonal storage in the power sector. IndianOil is pioneering here.
Reference- IndianOil PR, Economic Times, The Hindu, Zee Business