India Fuel Cell News

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

1/18

India Fuel Cell News

This blog intends to provide fuel cell news of India

Thursday, June 23, 2011

ElectroChem Announces New Partnerships to Aid Integration of Fuel

Technology and Research in India and South Asia

(PRWEB) June 28, 2007 -- Although fuel cell research has been utilized for decades, recentexposure show fuel cell technology to be a potential leader in the alternative energyrevolution. And, ElectroChem, Inc.'s newly announced partnerships with K-PAS Instronicand Phadke Instruments of India will mean that ElectroChem's world class fuel cell testequipment and components will now be more readily available in India and South Asia.

President and CEO of ElectroChem, Inc., Dr. Radha Jalan, elaborates, "India is a growingresearch area that ElectroChem, Inc. has been observing for the past few years. The market ismoving forward, and we are happy to have KPAS and Phadke as partners based on theirexcellent quality and expertise. They will get close to the researchers in the field, and we willbe able to assist those researchers in moving the research and technology forward."

This integration of fuel technology and research in India and South Asia will be madepossible with ElectroChem's more than 300 product offerings for the development andcommercialization of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. Since beginning in 1986,ElectroChem has been providing these many proprietarily manufactured technologies to

NASA, DOE, DOD, NSF, and other esteemed government and private organizations.

Dr. Sanjeev Phadke of Phadke Instruments is thrilled with the new opportunities presentedwith the partnership, "We are really excited to be associated with ElectroChem products.ElectroChem is a pioneering company in the field of fuel cell products and known for thequality of their products. The fuel cell market is beginning to grow exponentially in India andas the ElectroChem products will be manufactured in India, this will give a big boost to thefuel cell market in India."

T. Sundararajan of K-PAS Instronics is also equally enthused. "It is exciting for us to be anauthorized dealer of ElectroChem's high quality electronic fuel cell test equipment. Theproducts will be a great addition to our own product line," he states.Posted byKuldeep at2:32 AM2 commentsEmail ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookLabels:ElectroChem,fuel cell test equipment,Inc.,K-PAS Instronics,Phadke Instruments

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Fuel cell opportunity in India

Drivers, limitations, and opportunities in the fuel cell market in India has been discussed inthis article. Fuel cells have been called as the microchip of the hydrogen age, this clean

renewable energy source is seen as alternative to fossil fuel used in running worlds

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

2/18

economy. Gaurav has written a paper looking at what is the current situation and potential ofthe fuel cell for an emerging economy like India who is heavily dependent upon importedfossil fuels for running wheels of its economy. The contents of the paper has been providedbelow and the link to the paper has been provided at the bottom of the article.

Why fuel cells are needed:As Indias economy grows, demand for energy will also grow, for example Indian power

sector has not been able to meet demand-supply gap, and this gap is expected to increase inforeseeable future (by 2010 it is expected that unmet power demand in India will be around52 B KWH), a big chunk of this demand is expected to come from alternative energy sourceslike small hydro projects, biomass gas, biomass power, urban and industrial waste power,wind energy, fuel cells, etc.

Drivers that can help the proliferation of fuel cells in IndiaIncreasing importance of renewable energy resources: in 2007, share of power generated byrenewable energy resources in India was only 8%, and Indian government has setup a targetto increase this percentage to up to 12% by year 2012, benefits like tax holidays, lowercustoms duties, sales tax, and exemptions from excise tax are offered to promote use ofalternative fuels. It is expected that fuel cells will have an increased share in this renewableenergy pie.

Increasing demand for captive power generation among Indian corporate: Power supply in

India face several problems like poor quality and reliability of grid supply, high tariffs, andhigh T&D losses, Fuel cells are modular and suit well for the captive power generation inindustries. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that as the fuel cell technology advances, itwill capture a decent share of captive power generation in India.

Environmental concerns: There has been a concentrated effort around the globe to curb risinglevels of pollution so as to control global warming and its possible adverse effect onhumanity in large. As fuel cell emits no harmful gases they are expected to be used in thiswar against climate change, resulting in there improved acceptance and use.

Energy efficiency: Several studies shows that in comparison to a traditional fossil fuel vehicle

having efficiency in the range of 20% (That is, only about 20 percent of the thermal-energycontent of the fuel is converted into mechanical work), fuel cells will be having efficiency in

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

3/18

the range of 65%, a concept vehicle from Honda (FCX Concept Vehicle), reportedly has 60%energy efficiency.

Limitations with Fuel cells:Cost: Cost is one of the most important problems with commercial production and use of fuel

cells, some of the component pieces are made from highly expensive materials. For examplethere are fuel cells which can be operated on or near room temperature - requires preciousmetal platinum as catalyst for the reaction to take place. One very important challenge is tofind a cheaper and alternative catalyst for the process. Significant research is being done inthis area and solutions are on their way.

Durability: Fuel cells which are used in automotive units needs to have specialized materialsas frequency of start and stop for a vehicle could be significantly high thus affecting stabilityand durability of the materials used in it, beside a slight impurity in fuel may raise thetemperature of the overall fuel cell, so we require high tolerance material for the cell.

Hydration: Due to the chemistry involved in the electricity generation it is required thathydration level of the system doesnt go below specific limits. Having a high pressurehydration system and maintaining seal integrity of the system in itself is not a simple task toachieve.

Infrastructure: Fuel required for fuel cells is either pure hydrogen or some other chemicalfrom which it can be produced easily, infrastructure required in generation, storing, deliveryis expected to be very costly as well as unstable, requiring huge investment from all thestakeholders involved. Only hope for this infrastructure being built is - development of ahighly efficient and successful marketable vehicle model - which is nowhere in sight as ofnow.

Storage and other considerations: A vehicle may need to run several hundred kilometers in astretch, and for such a journey to take place with the help of a fuel cell driven automobile, itis required that it has a robust and safe hydrogen storage system, built in a vehicle with lightweight, volume, cost, and high safety measures.

Opportunity in Indian Market:Though there are several problems with fuel cells being used on a wide scale basis in India,still it is considered a very promising technology. Several Indian and MNC firms are workingon its development.

Some of the agencies involved in the research and development of fuel cells in India areMinistry of New and Renewable Energy Sources (MNES) and Delhi Transport Corporation(DTC), Indian Railways, Indian Institute of Science and Central Glass & Ceramic ResearchInstitute, Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL), andReva Electric Car Company. Among these Reva is in most advanced stage of developing fuelcells whom company reportedly plans to use in its range of vehicles, company already has aleading position in electric vehicles in India.

A look at the value chain and players reveals that globally and in India players like A and Bexists. While A exists in component development and supply B exists across stackdevelopment and system development and integration.

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

4/18

There is an opportunity to play in different parts of the value chain of the fuel cell industry. Aprofit pool analysis should be done for Greenfield operations.

Captive power generation is also expected to drive growth of Indian fuel cell industry:

Source:http://knowledgefaber.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=42Posted byKuldeep at3:16 AM0 commentsEmail ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookLabels:drivers for fuel cell in india,fuel cell opportunity india,fuel cells in developingcountries,limitations of fuel cell

Joint research between UK and India on fuel cell

In September 2010 fuel cells had been identified by India and the UK as an area of significance in providingsolutions to the problem of meeting future energy needs. At least three million pounds from the ResearchCouncils UK Energy Programme with resources from India through the Department of Science & Technology(DST) has been committed to collaborative research projects addressing this area.

The four projects recommended for funding under the India-UK Collaborative Research Initiative in Fuel Cellsare:

Jetcell - led by Cambridge University and the Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre inHyderabad - will focus on developing solid oxide fuel cells, using ink-jet printing technology, that operate at muchlower temperatures, to address issues such as cost reduction, durability and reliability of the fuel cell.

Mind The Gap - jumping the hurdles limiting polymer fuel-cell performance and commercialisation - led byImperial College London and the Centre for Fuel Cell Technology in Chennai.

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

5/18

The team is researching into reducing the necessary quality of fuel needed for the fuel cell, cutting the cost androbustness of the catalysts in the system and improving overall efficiency.

Advancing Biogas Use Through Fuel-Flexible SOFCs - led by the University of St Andrews and the CentralGlass & Ceramic Research Institute in Kolkata. This will look to improve the performance of solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC) electrodes for converting biogas into electricity, thus generating energy from waste.

Using fuel cells in this way could potentially increase the efficiency of this process significantly compared with theprocess of thermal conversion employed today.

Modelling Accelerated Ageing & Degradation of SOFCs - led by Keele University and the Indian Institute ofTechnology in Madras - will be modelling accelerated ageing and degradation of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) toserve as a useful tool to understand the degradation mechanism.

The understanding gained from these experiments and the developed model can be used to develop materialsthat give improved performance or can perform at lower temperatures, reduced degradation and better toleranceto contaminants in the fuel.

References:

http://www.dst.gov.in/whats_new/whats_new10/cop_rcuk.pdf

http://www.londonpressservice.org.uk/lps/environmentenergy/item/147100.html

Posted byindiafuelcell at2:13 AM0 commentsEmail ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookLabels:Department of Science and Technology,fuel cell funding india,fuel cell research,India-UK funding results

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Fuel Cells in India: A survey of current developments 2007

Dr. Jonathan Butler of Fuel Cell Today has published a report in June 2007 on thedevelopments related to fuel cell in India. The article is provided in this blog.

India, with over a billion people, many of whom lack access to reliable power, represents ahuge prospective market for fuel cells. It is one of a number of countries including formerSoviet states, newly emerging economies and economies in transition that will increasinglyshape the 21st century supply and demand for energy. As a nation it has a history oftechnological innovation, a track record of technological leap-frogging and a highly skilledand adaptable work force. However, this is tempered by a huge gap between the wealthy andthe poor, an energy distribution system that is unreliable and non-pervasive and problems

with theft of electricity from the grid.

Market overviewIndia has experienced dramatic economic growth over the past decade, with GDP growth ofaround 6% per year since the early 1990s, when market liberalisations began, and peak GDP

growth of 8% in 2005-6. Some analysts have predicted 10-12% growth per year over the nextdecade, although many suggest more modest rates of 3-5%. Either way, given the vasteconomies of scale in India, even relatively modest GDP growth may result in large numbersof people being lifted out of poverty and joining the growing middle-class in India who arefuelling a consumer boom. Whilst aff ordability of conventional power resources (e.g. dieselgenerators) is out of reach for a large proportion of Indias population, there are tens to

hundreds of millions of people who can aff ord electrical power: a massive market by anystandards. One of the biggest challenges to Indias continued growth is the development of an

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

6/18

eff ective infrastructure. Two issues key to this are provision of reliable distributed power(particularly for remote locations) and energy for transport.

Remote power generation is important in India as many rural locations lack regular access togrid power. A variety of non-conventional energy resources are currently exploited to meet

the heating and power needs of rural populations. Some of these have severe drawbacks;wood and cow-dung burning stoves, for instance, have been linked to respiratory diseaseswhich are thought to cause 484,000 deaths per year in south east Asia. In 2004, 69% ofIndias population relied on biomass for cooking. There is a great need for clean, reliableprimary sources of power in rural communities but, above all, that power needs to be affordable. Power distribution is also a problem for urban India. Most businesses and better-offhouseholds have backup diesel generators, which add to urban air pollution, and are usedduring frequent power outages. The Indian Power Ministry estimates that around 40% ofpower is stolen from the grid by informal and illegal hook-ups to the overhead orunderground network, putting further strain on a system that is already struggling to meetexisting demand. The Indian government plans to build nine 4000 MW coal fi red power

plans in the next five years, although there is no concrete strategy to meet growing demand.Aware of the shortages of supply, many Indian companies have their own private distributedpower supply either for primary or backup power. The lack of reliable electrical power inIndia has a very real potential to curb future economic growth.

India has a large and growing market for personal transportation, particularly 2- and 3-wheeled vehicles. Around 1.3 million 2-wheelers are sold per month. Out of these, 750,000are bicycles, 500,000 are motorbikes and 100,000 are scooters. This gives a total of around16 million 2-wheelers sold per year in India. These figures are only expected to rise as Indiaseconomy grows. Indeed, the Indian automobile sector has been growing at a rate of 16% eachyear since 2001. Many of Indias cities suff er from severe air pollution caused partly by thelarge number of mopeds and scooters with ineffi cient and polluting engines. There have beenmoves by some companies to introduce battery-powered bikes (e.g. Ultra Motors, who haveproduced over 100,000 units in two years). The power requirements of bikes and scooters isrelatively small and could easily be met by Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) orhydrogen-powered Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. There is currently somediscussion as to whether DMFC should be the initial route for India, followed by hydrogen-fuelled PEM units for transport in the longer term. REVA electric car company, manufacturerof Indias fi rst electric car, has a fuel cell version of the REVA-EV at developmental stage.The large potential market for fuel cells in India raises the prospect for significant economiesof scale in the commercialisation of fuel cells, although this potential has yet to be realised.

There has been a concerted effort in some Indian cities to move to less polluting forms ofpublic transport. Delhi, which ranked as one of the worlds worst cities for urban airpollution, banned diesel buses from its streets following a Supreme Court ruling in 1998 andnow runs its 10,000-strong fl eet of buses on compressed natural gas (CNG). This is part of a

progressive plan to green all municipal vehicles, including taxis. In addition to buses, some

3-wheelers and taxis in Delhi already run on CNG and number in the tens to hundreds ofthousands. Eventually, Delhi plans to move away from CNG to using hydrogen in internalcombustion engines, and eventually to install fuel cells. A demonstration project for settingup a hydrogen dispensing unit at a fi lling station in New Delhi has been sanctioned betweenthe Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sources (MNES) and the Indian Oil Corporation.

This project would enable dispensing of neat hydrogen and hydrogen-CNG blends asautomotive fuel, but is still in the developmental stage. Cities such as Delhi have a history of

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

7/18

leapfrogging in technological innovations: diesel buses were replaced by CNG buses in just5 years. In 2004, it was announced that 8 fuel cell buses will be introduced in Delhi as part ofa UN Development Programme project, but this appears not to have materialised. The Indianmilitary runs a wholly-CNG fl eet of vehicles and there are moves to make all governmentvehicles run on CNG, again as a preliminary to establishing an all-hydrogen fl eet. A project

for the introduction of hydrogen- CNG blends on a trial basis in existing CNG vehicles iscurrently in the planning stage. Indian railways have plans to build a hydrogen fuel cellpowered train, using a 500 kW PEM module. In both public and personal transport, somepreliminary activities are ongoing in hydrogen/fuel cell development, but the market is stillfar from maturation.

Organisations involved in fuel cells are mainly grouped around the New Delhi/Maharashtraregion. Maharashtra is Indias most industrialised state, containing such manufacturing

centres as Mumbai, and sees the most activity on fuel cells. New Delhi, Indias centre for ITand telecommunications, is also home to several fuel cell companies and R&D organisations.Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are home to companies engaged in signifi cant fuel

cell development.

Indian fuel cell activityThe majority of organisations involved with fuel cells in India are R&D orientated, with asmaller number involved with distribution and manufacture. This refl ects partly the strengthin fuel cell research in some of Indias leading Institutes of Technology and partly the natureof several companies who are working on fuel cells but have yet to commercialise them.

Of the companies actively engaged with developing fuel cells in India, most are concentratingon small stationary units. Delivering distributed power is one of the key challenges for the

energy sector in India. Industrial users have long used conventional sources to supply theirown distributed power and are now looking towards fuel cells to provide either stationarybackup power or the main source of power in future. India currently struggles in effectivepower distribution in domestic and agricultural settings as well as some urban areas.Stationary fuel cells could fill this gap and are being promoted by various governmentprogrammes. The automotive sector is the next most common application focus of fuel cellmanufacturers in India.The Roadmap envisages that one million hydrogen fuelled vehicleswill be on Indian roads by 2020 and there will be 1,000 MW of aggregate hydrogen powercapacity in the country by 2020.

The development path outlined in the Roadmap would fulfi l several of the governments key

objectives, namely energy independence, rural electrifi cation, poverty reduction, andenvironmental protection. An investment of 2.5 billion rupees (around $6.1 million) isenvisaged between 2006 and 2020 in order to realise this. Of this, around 4% would be forresearch, development and demonstration, with the remaining 96% going towards creating aninfrastructure for hydrogen production, storage, transportation and distribution.The Roadmap was approved by NHEB in early 2006 and identifi ed two major initiatives; theGreen Initiative for Future Transport and the Green Initiative for Power Generation. The fi rstof these aims at developing hydrogen powered internal combustion engine and fuel cell basedvehicles ranging from small two and three wheeled vehicles, cars, taxis, buses and vans. Thiswill be done by a gradual shift to hydrogen fuel blended into the fuel of existing CNGvehicles starting with 5-10% hydrogen blends and increasing to 30%. This will be followedby 100% hydrogen ICE vehicles in the next 10-20 years. India hopes to leapfrogconventional technologies by introducing new hydrogen technology in markets such as 2- and

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

8/18

3-wheeled bikes and auto-rickshaws, which make up some 81% of the vehicles sold eachyear in India. By adopting established technologies early over short development cycles,India hopes to eventually be a regional leader in hydrogen powertrain vehicles. The secondstrand of the Roadmap aims to develop and demonstrate a hydrogen powered engine/turbineand fuel cell based decentralised power generating system of ~1000 MW aggregate capacity

by 2020. Both of these initiatives will be conducted as a public-private partnership and willbe an industry-driven planning process, guided by government with support from researchorganisations, academia and NGOs.

Given the ambitious timescale for the introduction of widespread hydrogen technology (lessthan 13 years), a loose interpretation of hydrogen technology will probably by used. Theobjectives in the Roadmap are deliberately vague; the commitment to 1 million hydrogenfuelled vehicles will probably include a large proportion of vehicles with hydrogen-CNGblends fuelling Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) powertrains, rather than fuel cellpowertrains. The commitment to 1,000 MW of aggregate hydrogen generating capacity by2020 is likely to include a large proportion of hydrogen used for combustion in conventional

thermal power plants. A smaller amount of power will probably come from PEM fuel cellsrunning on direct hydrogen and MCFCs running on natural gas although their widespreadintroduction will likely be later than 2020. Nonetheless, the Roadmap is an important step inthe direction of fuel cells and a hydrogen economy. Expertise in production and infrastructurewill have to be developed for hydrogen to be used in CNG blends. The resulting capacity forhydrogen production and distribution may pave the way for more widespread adoption ofhydrogen fuel cells.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sources (MNES), one of the worlds few

dedicated ministries focusing on alternative energy sources, is committed to increasing theuse of renewable energy sourcesboth in order to guarantee the countrys energy security andensure a more environmentally sustainable energy base. The Ministry has strengths inconventional renewables such as wind, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, small hydro,

biogas and biomass. From these sources, MNES has an installed capacity of around 7200MW, around 6% of the installed power generation capacity in the country. MNES estimatesthat there is a potential of around 80,000 MW of power from renewables. MNES alsosponsors a number of emerging and new technologies, in particular fuel cells and hydrogenenergy.

In 2003, the Ministry set up a National Hydrogen Energy Board (NHEB). NHEB is chairedby Ratan Tata, CEO of Tata Group, one of Indias biggest companies. The Board published a

National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap in 2005 which set out an ambitious transition to ahydrogen economy by 2020. This plan envisaged a move away from petroleum basedautomobiles and power generation at present to bio-fuel and synthetic fuel based vehicles,electric and hybrid vehicles and power generation to, ultimately, a carbon-free, hydrogenbased economy. The Roadmap addresses issues relating to hydrogen production, storage anddelivery, seen as key challenges to successful implementation of a hydrogen economy. Mosthydrogen in India is currently produced by steam reformation of methane. A smaller amountis produced as a by-product of the chlor-alkali industry, and indeed US-based HydrogenEngine Centre recently shipped a hydrogen fuelled generator to Grasim Industries chlor-alkali plant in India. In order to guarantee energy security and address environmentalconcerns, the roadmap sets out plans to research hydrogen production from coal gasifi cation,

nuclear energy, biomass, biological, photovoltaic electrolysis of water and other renewablemethods. Coal gasifi cation is commercially available and there are plans to set up a pilot

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

9/18

plant. The biological route for hydrogen production is still in a pre-commercial stagealthough a demonstration plant has been set up. Production of hydrogen from nuclear-

powered electrolysis has not yet been conducted and is partly dependent on Indias nuclear

programme and continued negotiations with the United States. Hydrogen production fromother renewable sources, such as solar energy (electrolysis, photolytic, photo-electrochemical

and thermal splitting) is proposed in the Roadmap but is not apparently being worked on atpresent. A recent Indian government report concluded that no single production technology islikely to meet the requirement of hydrogen for the new and emerging applications in powergeneration and the transport sector in the near and medium term. Therefore, all possibleproduction options should be pursued for now.

Hydrogen storage is seen as another key challenge, and various goals, including effi ciency ofstorage, useful life cycle, compactness and cost need to be met if the Roadmap is to achieveits objectives by 2020. Some of the Indian Institutes of Technology have been very active indeveloping techniques for hydrogen storage. Metal hydrides with 2.4% storage are claimedby Indian scientists. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras aims for 3-5% storage

in light metal hydrides and carbon materials. IIT Madras has been experimenting with carbonnanomaterials and has achieved reproducibility of 2% hydrogen storage. Metal hydridestorage currently shows most promise for small 2- and 3- wheel vehicles whilst compressedhydrogen storage tanks are more likely to be used for buses and larger vehicles.

Regarding hydrogen combustion and fuel cell technologies required to fully implement theRoadmap, a dedicated hydrogen combustion engine is said to be in development. PEM FuelCells for stationary applications and automobiles will be bought from commercialmanufacturers outside India (refl ected in the proportion of the Roadmaps budget set for

R&D). Solid oxide fuel cells for large stationary applications are in the early stages of beingdeveloped by the Central Glass and Ceramics Research Institute (CGCRI).

Several major motor manufactures are said to be entering into partnership with thegovernment on developinghydrogen power, including Asok-Leyland, Tata Motors and Mahindra Motors. Thesemanufacturers are actively looking for international partners. In December 2006, the Indiangovernment unveiled a roadmap for the development of the Indian automotive sector, a sectorthat employs over 13 million people and contributes 5% of Indias total GDP. India currently

produces 10 million vehicles per year (including 2- and 3- wheel vehicles).

The government believes the sector will continue to grow and account for more than 10% of

GDP by 2016. Within this context, the market for hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles is alsoexpected to grow, especially if the government sticks to NHEBs ambitious plans for 1million hydrogen vehicles by 2020.

A report on the energy R&D working group for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012)recognises that there is no silver bullet for solving Indias energy needs and that cle an coaltechnology, nuclear and solar will have to be pursued in parallel together with other energyresources. Steps recommended for uptake in the Five Year Plan include developing hydrogenproduction, storage and end use technologies as alternative energy carrier. However,hydrogen technology comes fairly low down the list of priorities for energy, and nuclear andclean coal technology appear to be given more priority. India is heavily dependent on

imported fossil fuels for meeting its ever-increasing energy demands. This is particularly truefor the transport sector, as India currently imports about two-thirds of its requirement of

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

10/18

petroleum products. There is great potential for replacing petrol fuelled vehicles with CNG,and eventually hydrogen. This does not necessarily fulfi l Indias key objective of security offuel supply since CNG and hydrogen are still largely derived from imported oil and gas andare also sensitive to variations in global prices. Ulimately, India hopes to produce hydrogendomestically and much R&D has focussed on ways to do this.

R&D, manufacturing and commercialisationThe last few years has seen considerable research activity in hydrogen and fuel cells in India,despite the apparent lack of funds available in the sector. In the fi rst 5 months of 2007, threeseparate workshops on fuel cells took place in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Fuelcell technology is taught as a subject at several Indian universities (see Key Players) althoughthere is perceived to be a skills shortage, particularly for fuel cell manufacture andmaintenance. Despite the strong R&D base in Indian universities, there is currently little fuelcell manufacturing expertise. It is likely that fuel cells would be manufactured outside Indiathen imported and sold with local partners, although eff ective maintenance may still be anissue. Already several companies in the stationary power and automotive sectors are said to

be looking for international collaborations on fuel cells for distributed generation andtransport applications.

Through the MNES, India has been supporting a broad-based research, development anddemonstration programme on hydrogen production, storage and use. Several research,scientifi c and educational institutions,laboratories, universities and industries are involved in implementing various projects onhydrogen energy technology.Some of the R&D work sponsored by the MNES includes solarhydrogen production from water; synthesising hydrogen absorbing alloys; development ofpolymer membrane gas fi lters and demonstration of stationary hydrogen generators andhydrogen fuelled agricultural engines. Much of this research seems to concentrate on thedevelopment of hydrogen for combustion, rather than for fuel cells, but this is seen as anecessary path to eventual adoption of fuel cells.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has established a Centre for Fuel CellTechnology (CFCT) located in Chennai with the specifi c objective of demonstrating andvalidating commercial applications of PEM fuel cells in collaboration with industry. Theirwork involves designing, developing and testing PEM fuel cell stacks for electrical powerand heat production. CFCT has created 1-10 kW stacks for remote power generation whichare expected to be available for commercialisation before the projects end in early 2009. TheCouncil for Scientifi c and Industrial Research (CSIR), an industrial R&D organisation

comprising diff erent institutes including the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) and theCentral Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), are actively researching PEM andother FC technology and have conducted several successful demonstrations.To date, no standard test procedures for fuel cells, stacks and systems exist in India, and thisis one service that would currently have to be carried out abroad. The Working Group onR&D for the 11th Five Year Plan recently recommended that research should be carried outon system as well as materials development for low temperature fuel cells (alkaline andPEMFC); high temperature fuel cells (MCFC and SOFC); high temperature reversible fuelcells; and DMFCs. In particular membranes, bipolar plates, catalysts and electrodes need tobe researched. Other materials that are being proposed for development are low costhydrogen sensors and heat exchangers. Whether funding will be made available and research

in these areas remains to be seen.

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

11/18

There are plans at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to develop PEMFCtechnology for decentralised power generation and automotive applications. At the CentralGlass and Ceramics Research Institute (CGCRI), a new generation of high temperatureSOFCs are reported to be under development. The Institute is working on SOFCs and isplanning activities in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd., one of Indias leading

companies. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore is working on the development of alkalineand DMFCs. The Council for Scientifi c and Industrial Research have a mission projectinvolving a number of laboratories including the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune,Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi and others. NCL and CECRIhave developed a PEM FC stack which they report is set for commercialisation.

Cost and durability remain the biggest challenges to successful fuel cell adoption. Economiesof scale are diffi cult to achieve from only a small number of fuel cell systems. High cost alsoremains a barrier to potential customers and the lack of manufacturing expertise in fuel cellsmeans that working fuel cells have largely been restricted to demonstration projects. Costreductions must be realised in raw materials, manufacturing of fuel cell stacks and

components, though the actual reduction in cost will be largely dependent on fuel cell typeand application.

Without a widespread tradition of fuel cell manufacturing in India (unlike in parts of Europeand North America) critical economies of scale have not been realised and it is more likelythat an Indian company wishing to use a fuel cell in its products would buy an off -the-shelffuel cell from abroad. This has happened with REVA motors who announced in 2005 itwould be buying fuel cells for its FC car from Canadas Hydrogenics. Despite the large

amount of R&D going on in Indian research institutes, it is more economical to buy criticalFC components overseas and import them (despite high import tariff s in India, some ofwhich are now being relaxed). This is refl ected in the allocation of budget by NHEB themajority of funding goes to commercialisation rather than fundamental research, despite whatvarious other reports may recommend. India has the potential for vast economies of scale iffuel cells fi nd commercial applications in transport and distributed generation - it is thispotential demand that could bring the price of fuel cells down, although like elsewhere, priceand demand for fuel cells is a chicken-andegg question. India has a history of leapfroggingin technology mobile phones replaced land lines in parts of India before the land lineinfrastructure was even built. The growth rate of mobiles in India now far exceeds that ofland lines - 50% per annum growth compared with 3% for land lines. India may do the samewith FCs, not for the novelty of the technology, but because there is a very real demand forclean, reliable distributed generation and urban transport.

Summary: challenges and opportunitiesDespite some investment in fuel cell technology and a good amount of expertise among theacademic community, India remains a relatively small market for fuel cells at present.Providing distributed and backup power generation are the two big immediate challenges inthe stationary power sector, with energy security and environmental sustainability being twoequally important longer term challenges. Indias government is committed to renewable

energy technology, including fuel cells. Despite high profi le objectives, such as the NationalHydrogen energy roadmap, the biggest challenges to fuel cell commercialisation remains affordability and the shortage of skills in manufacturing and maintaining fuel cells. However,with the potential for vast economies of scale and a history of technological leapfrogging, the

outlook for fuel cells is optimistic in the longer term.

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

12/18

Providing reliable electrical power to meet growing demand is one of the biggest challengesfacing Indias energy sector. India currently struggles to deliver power to the poor and to

agriculture those that need it most. Industry, long familiar with the insecurity of the gridsupply, has largely invested in private distributed generation systems. Many companies in thehigh tech service industry, including IT and call centres, also have their own uninterrupted

power systems, largely diesel fuelled at present. Given the problems of air pollution in Indiaand its commitment to environmental sustainability, there is a huge potential demand forclean forms of micro-generation, including fuel cells. The problems facing adoption of fuelcells for mirco-generation remain manufacturing fuel cells that are sufficiently durable andcheap that they are adopted on a widespread basis, and generating suffi cient renewablehydrogen or other fuel. Indian companies are beginning to buy fuel cell stacks fromestablished North American and European manufacturers and tailor them to theirrequirements, rather than build their own systems from scratch. At the same time,government sponsored R&D is continuing, although little commercial activity has so farresulted from this. However, in the immediate term the Indian government will attempt tomeet the growing demand for electricity by building large coal-fi red (and eventually nuclear)

power stations.

India estimates it needs to sustain economic growth at nearly 10% per year for at least 25years to end poverty and meet the demands of a population expected to reach 1.6 billion by2050. Meeting these twin challenges of sustained economic growth and a burgeoningpopulation means that the country will have a huge demand for energy over the next fewdecades. At the same time, India is committed to energy independence and environmental

sustainability. India imports 2 million barrels of oil per day and under a business as usual

scenario envisaged by the International Energy Agency, 5 million barrels of oil would beimported by 2030. There is a huge opportunity for hydrogen to replace oil in transport in thenext few decades and help meet the goals of sustainability and energy security. Indeed, theNHEB envisages 1 million hydrogen vehicles by 2020 (largely hydrogen-blend ICE initially,but with increasing numbers of FC vehicles). For this plan to be fully effective and in keepingwith the Indian governments goals of reducing its reliance on foreign oil and cuttingpollution, hydrogen would have to come from sources other than petroleum. Plans for coalgasifi cation and hydrogen production from photovoltaic electrolysis of water are alreadyafoot, but in the long term, hydrogen could come from biomass. There could also be potentialfor bio-alcohols to be used in fuel cells, although culturally this may not be acceptable in allparts of India. The NHEB and MNES also appear committed to investing in a hydrogeninfrastructure; initially for hydrogen-CNG blends to fuel automobiles in some of the largercities.

The strong government support being given to clean, efficient forms of power generation inthe stationary and transport sectors gives some room for cautious optimism for the Indian fuelcell market. Indian government, at city, state and national level, already has a history ofsupporting new and renewable energy resources, and the fact that India has a nationalMinistry committed to this is encouraging. India has a unique potential demand for remoteand transport power and the economies of scale possible in the Indian market makes meansthat hydrogen and fuel cells may have a promising future in the long term. This will partlydepend on the ambitious National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap being implemented fully(although its objectives are unlikely to be met by 2020); production, storage, and distributionissues being addressed and the cost of fuel cell technology being brought to within reach of

more people. All of this has to take place against a backdrop of growing demand for reliable

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

13/18

power, which will come from other forms of energy if hydrogen and fuel cell power is notavailable at point of need.

Key players engaged in FC development

Acme Telepower is a company founded in 2003 which provides power solutions in thetelecoms sector and services in the agriculture and environment sectors. There is a largerequirement for stationary power in the telecoms sector in India and the company is currentlylooking for collaborations with fuel cell companies.Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai (BARC) is carrying out basic research on anode,cathode, electrolyte and interconnecter materials for SOFC technology in conjunction withIndian Institute of Technology, Chennai.

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is carrying out research and development of metal hydride

storage methods for hydrogen and the use of hydrogen in internal combustion engines. In2001, the institute started a fi eld trial with 10 motorcycles and added a three-wheeler to the fleet in 2004. The demonstration programme is supported by Indias Ministry of New andRenewable Energy Sources (MNES).

Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BHEL) is working on developing PAFC and MCFC fordistributed power generation and also focuses on preparing catalyst and fuel reformers to beused in fuel cell power plants. They have demonstrated distributed power systems. BharatHeavy Electricals Ltd is involved in the development of PAFCs and plans to develop a 50kW stack. One possible application of this technology is in remote stationary power andbackup power for villages.

Birla Hitech focuses on the development of clean energy technology products with aparticular focus on PEM fuel cells. It is planning to set up dedicated manufacturing facilitiesfor the construction of PEMFC components (bipolarplates, stacks etc.) and systems in India.It is currently seeking partners for a joint venture, and is said to have initiated correspondencewith a number of US fuel cell companies. It has already forged links with leading R&Dagencies and institutions in India.

Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi is said to have has developedand tested a MCFC stack.

Eden Energy, an Australian producer of hydrogen fuels and equipment agreed to form a jointventure with Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L & T). The three-stage accord with Mumbai-based L &T, Indias biggest engineering company, will by late 2008 lead to a 50:50 joint venture for the

manufacture in India of Edens entire range of equipment for hydrogen and so -calledHythane, a mix of hydrogen and natural gas. The hydrogen produced will mainly go towardsproviding materials for glass production, food oil hydrogenation and metal annealing,although in the long term, Hythane could be used as a fuel for vehicles.

Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) is interested in promoting fuel cells for applicationsincluding industrial andresidential power and auxiliary power. It claims it could provide the fuel infrastructure inIndia for a wide range of suitable fuels, including hydrogen, natural gas, propane, butane and

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

14/18

methanol. It is also interested in taking part in fuel cell field trials. GAIL seeks to be activelyinvolved in establishing a fuelling infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles in India.

Haldia Institute of Technology, Chemical Engineering Department based in West Bengal iscurrently carrying out projects on solar hydrogen production and the development of PEM

fuel cells. They have developed one polymer electrolyte fuel cell and are currentlydeveloping microbial fuel cells.

Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) and BHEL, have developed catalysts and twofuel reformers for producing hydrogen from methanol. Performance tests are beingconducted. A heat recovery system has been attached to the fuel cell system to utilise wasteheat.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute(CGCRI), Kolkata are involved in developing SOFC systems. A methanol reformer wasdeveloped and integrated with a fuel cell system by IISc, Bangalore. Work on developing a

DMFC is underway at IISc. In addition, research on SOFC is being done at IISc and CGCRI.

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Department Metallurgical and MaterialsEngineering have been working on materials for solid oxide fuel cells since 2003. They havedeveloped SOFC anodes and electrolytes and are currently developing a complete SOFC unitof 5-10 kW capacity.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras (Chennai) in collaboration with the SouthernPetrochemical Industries Corporation Science Foundation (SPIC-SF) is developing a 250watt DMFC stack, under a government funded project. As part of an R&D project sponsoredby the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sources (MNES), SPIC-SF has alsodeveloped a PEM-based uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system. This system is to betested at the IIT Madras (Chennai) for its performance and reliability. IIT Madras also hasadvanced studies ongoing on hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes. It claims to be able tostore up to 5% hydrogen reliably. There are also some projects to produce hydrogen fromalternative sources, although these are at an early stage.

Indian Oil Corporation is participating in a project to introduce hydrogen-CNG blends on atrial basis in existing CNG vehicles. It has a hydrogen dispensing facility at its R&D centre atFaridabad, which would be used to fuel the vehicles. The project aims to optimise thehydrogen-CNG blend for maximum performance and minimum emissions.

Indian Railways is currently building a FC powered shunting locomotive using a 500 kWPEM stack and battery bank for research purposes. No date has yet been set for its unveiling.

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd is the second largest automotive manufacturer in India, producinga wide range of utility, light commercial and agricultural vehicles. The company is currentlyworking on alternative fuel technologies for automotive applications, including fuel cell andhybrid vehicles.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sources (MNES) is working with the DelhiTransport Corporation (DTC) and private sector partners in developing fuel cell buses for

New Delhi, although no fuel cell buses have yet appeared on the streets of New Delhi. MNESis supporting a number of projects on various aspects of hydrogen energy including

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

15/18

production, storage and utilisation of hydrogen as fuel. Research and development (R&D)projects have been advanced for producing hydrogen using eco-friendly methods andrenewable energy sources. A project for pilot-scale production of hydrogen by photo catalyticdecomposition of water using a semiconductor photo catalyst, which can be activated by solarradiation, was sanctioned to the Banaras Hindu University (BHU). For commercial

production of hydrogen using this technology, it is necessary to develop suitable catalysts,which are active and durable, and the Ministry is currently providing funding for this.

National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) has synthesised proton-conducting membranes usingsurface functionalisation. Membranes having good proton transport behaviour have beenidentifi ed for use as electrolytes in batteries and fuel cells.

Reva (Reva Electric Car Company). Based in Bangalore, Reva is a joint venture between theMaini Group India and AEV of California. The company manufactures Indias only electric(battery-powered) carthe Reva hatchback. The electric vehicles are exported, as the RevaEV is comparatively cheaper in the international market. Reva has been working on fuel cell

technologies. President Abdul Kalam launched REVAs fuel cell prototype on TechnologyDay in July 2004. However the fuel cell car is in developmental stage and currently pre-commercial.

Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Science Foundation (SPIC-SF) is engaged inPEMFC technology for applications such as stationary, portable and transportation purposes.It is also involved in designing PEM electrolyser and hydrogen sensors. SPIC-SF is workingon PEM fuel cells and has developed FC stacks. They have also demonstrated a fuel-cellbattery hybrid vehicle using a 10 kW PEM power plant. As part of another R&D project,SPIC Science Foundation has identifi ed a number of polymers and studied their suitability asan electrolyte in fuel cells. Modifi cation of Nafi on membranes is being carried out toimprove the operating characteristics of these membranes. Work on the polymericmembranes is in progress.Tata Motors, Indias third largest maker of passenger cars, is currently in talks with

manufacturers of hybrid engines and fuel cells, such as Ballard Power Systems, about thepossibility of using their technology in future car models. Tata group Chairman, Ratan Tata,who also chairs the National Hydrogen Energy Board, has said the company needed a partnerbecause it did not have the resources to develop ecologically friendly technology by itself.

Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI), a non-government research organisation, is workingon MCFC stack

development for power generation and developing manufacturing techniques for electrodes,electrolyte tapesand electrolyte carriers. TERI has in the past demonstrated the use of digester gas (biogas) forgenerating electricity from a 2.5 kW PAFC stack imported from ERC (Energy ResearchCorporation, now Fuel Cell Energy). In addition, MNES has funded the import of a 200 kWPAFC system to evaluate its operation. Work on a MCFC stack is underway at TERI and theCentral Electrochemical Research Institute. TERI has tested the operation of an MCFCmonocell on simulated coal gas. Development of a kW-scale stack is currently underway withthe aim of integrating it with a coal gasifier.

Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) has entered into a non-exclusive

agreement with US fuel cell manufacturer Plug Power to market, distribute and service Plug

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

16/18

Powers GenCore product line to government entities and companies requiring telecoms

power in India.

Source:http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/media/pdf/surveys/2007-India.pdf

Posted byKuldeep at2:08 AM1 commentsEmail ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookLabels:FC Companies,Fuel Cell SurveyHomeSubscribe to:Posts (Atom)

Followers

My report

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Petrochemical markets in Asia are likely to see increasing competitionin 2012, amid low levels of economic growth in developed nations, as product flows arebeing redirected towards emerging regions.

The emergence of the US as a key player in the chemicals export market on the back of lowerdomesticgasprices has changed the dynamic of global export flows, according to a report byHSBC Global Research.

Since 2008, the US has averaged polyethyelene (PE) exports of 2.5m tonnes/yearfour timesthe average level over 1990-2007, the research firm said.

This dynamic and the Middle Eastern capacity additions that have come on stream over the

same period have significantly added to the base of low-cost product available for export, itsaid.

Strong demand growth and restocking of chemicals over the last two years have also allowedthe increased volumes from the Middle East to be absorbed, with limited impact on themarket, HSBC Global Research said.

However, as developed market volumes shrink in 2012, we would expect to see product

rerouted towards growth markets, putting pressure on prices and volumes for high-costexporters, it said.

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

17/18

As this low-cost base now includes both the US and the Middle East, we expect to seeintensifying competition for business in export marketsparticularly in Asia, HSBC GlobalResearch said.

Asian chemical markets, meanwhile, will continue to be weighed by the expected slowdown

in the world economy in 2012, led by Western industrialised economies as the eurozonecontinues to struggle with its mounting debts and the US economy remains unstable.

While global growth forecasts remain positive, growth numbers are not sufficiently robust tosuggest anything approaching a solid recovery in economic activity, according to HSBCGlobal Research.

The problems are particularly acute in the developed world, where we now expect[economic] growth this year of just 1.3% with a further 1.4% in 2012, it said.

The emerging nations are not doing so badly. We remain positive on the outlook for China

and India, even if China has lost some of the momentum it exhibited in 2010, the researchfirm said.

However, some of the smaller emerging nationsparticularly some of the Asian exportersare doubtless vulnerable to the deteriorating external economic environment, it said.

If Europe goes into a recession, Asias income and exports will suffer, DBS Group

Research said in a research report.

Demand for petrochemicals will likely be flat in some sectors, and slower in others that aredirectly linked to consumer goods, said Jurong Aromatics Corp CEO Mehdi Adid, citing alag time in the effects on consumption during a financial crisis.

Adib said demand recovery will be underpinned by the strong momentum of growth inemerging market economies, such as China and Brazil.

I hope the 2014-2015 [petrochemical] cycle will be a good strong upward trend, to make upfor some of the losses were seeing now, Adib said.

However, the recovery is not expected to mean a full return to the boom years in thepetrochemical industry, he added.

Leading into 2012, China is expected to dominate the global chemical scene with the highestrevenue increases on a percent basis, with markets such as India, Brazil and South Korea notlagging far behind, according to analysts at accounting firm Deloitte.

Although Chinas chemical industry still has some challenges to overcome, including lowlevels of industry concentration, limited capacity for innovation and energy efficiency, theChinese governments 12th Five-Year Plan will play a vital role in advancing the countryschemical industry, they added.

China will continue to be a major importer of most chemicals as refinery capacity growth

fails to catch up with the domestic demand growth for petrochemicals and plastics, saidanalysts at UBS Investment Research.

7/31/2019 India Fuel Cell News

18/18

In the case ofcoal-based chemicalspolyvinyl chloride[PVC] andmethanol, we have seenenergy constraints drive China to increase imports at the expense of local production rates.Forurea, we see China swinging from being a net exporter to importer, the UBS analystsadded.

Due to the highly cyclical nature of the refinery and petrochemical industries and their strongcorrelation with GDP growth and oil prices, gross refining margins (GRM), gross integratedmargins (GIM) and petrochemical spreads in Asia are expected to fall in 2012, supported bylower demand and oil prices, according to Yousseff Abboud, an analyst at Thailand-basedThanachart Securities.

The restart of operations at refineries in Japan following the 11 March earthquake andtsunami will weigh on GRMs, with the remainder of shuttered units expected to come backonline by the summer of 2012, according to Abboud.

Shells refinery complex in Singapore is expected to return to its normal rate in early 2012,

he said.

No wonder GRM is starting to fall and we expect this trend to continue into 2012. This isalso supported by lower demand and oil prices, Abboud added.