NTPC has awarded a contract for a “Standalone Fuel Cell based Micro-grid with hydrogen production via electrolyser in NTPC Guest House at Simhadri (near Visakhapatnam)”.

It is India’s first green energy storage project based on hydrogen. It would serve as a forerunner to large-scale hydrogen energy storage projects and would aid in the study and deployment of several microgrids in various off-grid and important sites throughout the country.

The hydrogen would be generated utilizing a state-of-the-art 240 kW Solid Oxide Electrolyser with input power supplied by the neighboring Floating Solar project. The hydrogen generated during daylight hours would be compressed and then energized via a 50 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. The system would operate in standalone mode from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.

NTPC designed this one-of-a-kind project arrangement in-house. It is a unique project for India and will pave the way for decarbonising remote portions of the country such as Ladakh, J&K, and others that have historically relied on diesel generators. The initiative is consistent with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2070 and establishing a carbon neutral territory in Ladakh.