New Delhi – The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has unveiled a comprehensive ₹100 crore funding scheme to support startup innovation in green hydrogen technologies, announced by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi at the inaugural Green Hydrogen R&D Conference. The initiative offers up to ₹5 crore per project for pilot demonstrations spanning green hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization applications.
Strategic Framework for Technology Development
The call for proposals represents a significant expansion of government support for green hydrogen startups, complementing 23 existing R&D projects already awarded under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. The scheme targets critical technology gaps in the green hydrogen value chain, from electrolysis and storage solutions to sectoral applications including industrial processes, transportation, and energy storage.
Minister Joshi emphasized the strategic importance of green hydrogen in India’s clean energy transition, positioning the technology as essential for achieving energy security, industrial decarbonization, and export competitiveness. The funding scheme aligns with India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, which targets 5 million tonnes of annual green hydrogen production capacity by 2030.
Comprehensive Support for Innovation Ecosystem
The ₹100 crore allocation provides substantial support for early-stage technology development, with individual project funding up to ₹5 crore enabling meaningful pilot-scale demonstrations. This funding level allows startups to progress from laboratory concepts to commercial-ready technologies, addressing the critical “valley of death” between research and market deployment.
The scheme encompasses diverse applications including port-based pilots, green hydrogen buses, refueling infrastructure, and sectoral demonstration projects. This comprehensive approach ensures technology development across multiple use cases, accelerating the creation of a robust green hydrogen ecosystem that can support various industrial and transportation applications.
Industry Impact and Market Development
The government’s commitment to green hydrogen startup funding reflects recognition of the technology’s transformative potential for India’s industrial and energy sectors. Green hydrogen applications span steel production, ammonia synthesis, petroleum refining, and clean transportation, offering pathways for deep decarbonization across energy-intensive industries.
The funding initiative also supports India’s ambition to become a global green hydrogen hub, leveraging the country’s abundant renewable energy resources and growing manufacturing capabilities. By nurturing domestic innovation in green hydrogen technologies, the scheme positions Indian startups to compete in the emerging global green hydrogen market while meeting domestic energy security objectives.
