Lucknow. With the aim of encouraging green transportation and clean energy, the Uttar Pradesh government under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken an important decision in the field of green hydrogen. Approval has been given to set up two Centers of Excellence (COE) to promote green hydrogen research, technological development, human resource empowerment and industrial utilization in the state.

COE will be established with IIT Kanpur and IIT-BHU

The first Center of Excellence will be set up by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in collaboration with Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU), Kanpur. The second center will be set up by IIT-BHU in collaboration with Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology (MMMUT), Gorakhpur. Both the centers will operate from the campuses of their respective partner institutions.

Center will work on hub-and-spoke model

According to Inderjit Singh, MD and Director of UP NEDA, both the institutions will take turns leading the projects running in these centres. This center will work on the hub-and-spoke model, under which other engineering and technical institutes of the state will also be connected to it. Here, research and technological development on biomass based and electrolyzer based green hydrogen will be done.

Incubation Center under Green Hydrogen Policy-2024

Under the Green Hydrogen Policy-2024, an incubation center will also be established in the Center of Excellence. Through this, support and guidance will be provided to 10 startups every year and to at least 50 startups in 5 years. For this, a provision of assistance of ₹ 25 lakh per year (for 5 years) has been made.

Cooperation in technical education and policy making also

These centers will assist in curriculum development, mentoring, organizing technical exhibitions and conferences for the engineering colleges and polytechnic institutes of the state. He will also give policy suggestions to the state government on issues related to production, storage, transportation and use of green hydrogen.

Preparation for green hydrogen based trains and buses in UP

To promote green transportation, efforts will be made to run green hydrogen based trains in collaboration with the Railway Ministry. Along with this, there is a plan to run green hydrogen buses on Kanpur-Lucknow, Varanasi and Gorakhpur routes through Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC).

Uttar Pradesh will become the center of green hydrogen innovation

At least 50 percent industrial participation in the Center of Excellence will be ensured from Uttar Pradesh, so that the state can get more benefits in industrial and commercial use of green hydrogen. This initiative is an important step towards establishing Uttar Pradesh as a leading innovation and industrial hub in the field of green hydrogen. With the collaboration of research, startups and industries, this scheme will help in promoting clean energy, reducing carbon emissions, attracting investments and creating new employment opportunities.