India’s First Green Hydrogen Microgrid Project To Be Set Up At NTPC Plant Near Visakhapatnam

NTPC has awarded a project of Standalone Fuel-Cell based Micro-grid with hydrogen production using electrolyser in NTPC Guest House at Simhadri thermal station near Visakhapatnam.

According to the company, it is India’s first green hydrogen-based energy storage project. This project could be a precursor to large scale hydrogen-based energy storage projects and would help study and deploy multiple microgrids in various off-grid and strategic locations of the country.

“The hydrogen would be produced using the advanced 240 kW Solid Oxide Electrolyser by taking input power from the nearby Floating Solar project,” the Ministry of Power said.

“The hydrogen produced during sunshine hours would be stored at high pressure and would be electrified using a 50 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. The system would work in standalone mode from 5 PM in the evening to 7 AM in the morning,” it added.

This unique project configuration, designed in-house by NTPC, would open doors for decarbonising the far-off regions of the country like Ladakh, J&K etc., hitherto dependent on diesel generators. The project aligns with India’s vision of becoming carbon neutral by 2070 and making Ladakh a carbon-neutral territory.