Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, announced a Rs 3.29 crore financial help to a Maharashtra-based Hydrogen startup for indigenous development of Hydrogen Sensing & Analysis Technology on August 19.
Singh stated that the Hydrogen startup funding is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of the National Hydrogen Mission (NHM), which was launched in 2021 from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India’s 75th Independence Day.
Turn India into green hydrogen hub
He stated that the NHM’s goal is to assist the government in meeting its climate targets and turning India into a green hydrogen hub. This will aid in meeting the minister’s target of producing 5 million tonnes of Green hydrogen by 2030, as well as the related development of renewable energy capacity.
Singh presided over the signing of an MoU between the DST’s Technology Development Board and Multi Nano Sense Technologies Private Limited, Maharashtra, to support the indigenous manufacture of Hydrogen sensors.
He stated that the company is working on an indigenous cutting-edge hydrogen analysis sensor for future applications. The advancement is also related to universal miniaturised core sensor designs for hydrogen leak detection and/or analysis. According to an official statement released by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the patented hydrogen gas sensor and analyzer is based on a core sensor that was conceptualised, developed, manufactured, and serviced entirely in India.
The minister stated that the country is currently heavily reliant on sensor imports, with all core sensor elements coming from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany.
Main advantage of the sensors
The main advantage of these sensors is that they do not suffer from cross interference from other combustible or reducing gases; they can operate in air as well as inert/vacuum environments; and they can analyse from 1 ppm to 100% pure Hydrogen. With this technology, India will be able to easily enter the global market to supplement domestic demand with Made in India products.
The sensor has several novel and ground-breaking features, including minimum detection in the parts per million (PPM) range, maximum detection in the pure hydrogen range, instant response in 3 seconds, and low power consumption for core sensor operation. Portable detectors can operate continuously for up to 36 hours on a single charge, are non-corrosive, and have a 5-year lifespan.
According to Singh, the demand for energy is increasing, and with existing resources limited, there is a need for an alternative fuel. Hydrogen is envisioned as the future fuel to replace fossil fuels, and thus the production of hydrogen fuel using renewable energy, dubbed green hydrogen, is one of the major requirements for the nation’s environmentally sustainable energy security.
According to the minister, according to the NITI Aayog report titled “Harnessing Green Hydrogen: Opportunities for Deep Decarbonisation in India,” hydrogen will provide a pathway to accelerate the emergence of a green hydrogen economy, which is critical for India to meet its net-zero ambitions by 2070.
