NEDO fuel cell survey report.pdf

A Survey Report for

New Energy and Industrial Technology

Development Organization (NEDO), Japan

Prof. Suddhasatwa Basu Abhijay Awasthi Department of Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

Potential of Fuel Cells in IndiaAn Analysis of Opportunities for Japan‐India Collaboration

ABOUT NEDO

The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) was established by the Japanese government in 1980 to develop new oil‐alternative energy technologies. Eight years later, in 1988, NEDO's activities were expanded to include industrial technology research and development, and in 1990, environmental technology research and development. Activities to promote new energy and energy conservation technology were subsequently added in 1993. Following its reorganization as an incorporated administrative agency in October 2003, NEDO is now also responsible for R&D project planning and formation, project management and post‐project technology evaluation functions.

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Potential of Fuel Cells in India

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

India, with over a billion people and a growing economy, is one of the countries which

will shape the energy supply and demand scenario in 21st century. With high growth

rates of the Indian economy, energy needs are also growing rapidly. A growing global

concern over environmental issues and the need for energy security of the country

requires India to pursue all options for diversification of fuels and energy sources. In

coming decades, hydrogen is poised to become a major component in India’s energy

mix for meeting the growing energy needs of economy. India’s national energy policies

acknowledge hydrogen as a promising candidate which will provide clean and efficient

energy to meet the requirements in power and transportation sectors.

A section of this report discusses India’s energy scenario and its national energy policies.

A National Hydrogen energy Roadmap, setup by National Hydrogen Energy Board, India

for the development of hydrogen energy related technologies including fuel cells, has

been covered in detail. The road map is an industry driven planning process that offers

long term hydrogen energy based solutions to India’s energy sector. It suggests suitable

pathways that will help government, industry, research organizations, academia and

other stakeholders to develop hydrogen energy technologies suitable for transition to

hydrogen economy. The roadmap also identifies fuel cells as a long term solution for

both power and transportation sector.

As a nation, India has a history of technological innovation and it has a highly skilled and

adaptive labour force. Various government and private sector organizations are involved

in the development and commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell based technologies

in India. A section of this report gives detailed information about the R&D activities in

the fuel cell sector in India. This covers the government research institutes, universities

and private sector organization. A majority of organizations are involved in fundamental

research with a very few involved in distribution and manufacturing. Various research

institutions are carrying out exciting research on membranes, catalysts and hydrogen

storage. Some institutions are involved in more application oriented research such as

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stack BoP development according to applications in local market. Some large Indian

conglomerates are interested in commercialization of fuel cell technology by licensing

the best technologies from overseas. They are carrying out fundamental research for

adaptation of these technologies in Indian market by addressing issues like affordability

and durability.

A part of the report covers the market potential for fuel cell based applications in India.

India, with a growing economy and a suitable national energy policy is a huge

prospective market for fuel cell based applications. Despite the strong R&D base of

Indian organizations in fuel cell sector, there is currently little fuel cell manufacturing

expertise. It is likely that in near future fuel cell would be manufactured outside India

and then will be brought to Indian market with the help of local partners. Some

companies in India are looking for partners in stationary power generation and

automotive sectors for fuel cell technologies implementation. . With huge skilled labour

force in India for maintenance, it is possible that the fuel cell applications in India may

not need be as sophisticated as that of developed world, where labour force is

dwindling and costly.

Stationary markets for fuel cells in India range from backup power for residential

applications to captive power generation for industrial applications. This report

discusses potential of fuel cell based power generation in luxury hotels, process

industries, dairy industry and telecommunication (& information technology) industry.

Fuel cell markets in standby/backup power are also covered in the report.

Fuel cell applications in automotive sector in India are of great prospects. Initial

penetration in this sector will be in buses due to their centralized operation,

maintenance and refueling. Light duty vehicle market also shows potential for fuel cell

technology implementation. India’s has a large number of organizations in the light duty

vehicle i.e. passenger car sector. Manufacturers in this sector are looking for alternate

fueling option including fuel cells. In two‐ and three‐wheeler vehicles category

government has already started phasing out conventional fuels in favour of

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environmentally favorable ones. Fuel cell related activities in these markets are also

discussed in the report.

The latter part of this report identifies the areas of collaboration between Japan and

India in fuel cell sector. It focuses on the business matching opportunities between the

two countries. Potential future collaborations of various Indian organizations are also

discussed. The exploration of potential business matching opportunities between the

two countries is expected to be beneficial for the development of fuel cell sector in both

the countries.

The study was carried out for New Energy and Industrial Technology Development

Organization, (NEDO), Japan.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors wish to thank The New Energy and Industrial Technology Organization

(NEDO), Japan for their financial assistance and support during the preparation of the

report. The authors would also like to thank representatives of various research

institutes and organizations who participated in the survey. Authors express gratitude to

people who participated in the interviews which were conducted during the visits to

various institutions by authors. Authors also thank representatives of various industrial

organizations for providing valuable information for the survey. Finally, authors wish to

thank faculty members and students at Department of Chemical Engineering, especially

Fuel Cell Laboratory, IIT Delhi for their valuable ideas and support.

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GLOSSARY

AFC Alkaline Fuel Cell

ARCI International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials.

BARC Bhabha Atomic Research Centre

BHEL Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited.

BOP Balance of Plant

CECRI Central Electrochemical Research Institute.

CFCT Centre for Fuel Cell Technology.

CGCRI Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute.

CNG Compressed Natural Gas.

CSIR Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

DMFC Direct Methanol Fuel Cell.

DST Department of Science and Technology.

GDP Gross Domestic Product .

IC Internal Combustion

IIT Indian Institute of Technology

IISc Indian Institute of Science

INR Indian National Rupee

kW kiloWatt.

MCFC Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell.

MNRE Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

MW MegaWatt.

NCCR National Centre for Catalysis Research.

NCL National Chemical Laboratory.

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NPL National Physical Laboratory

NMITLI New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative.

NMRL Naval Materials and Research Laboratory

NHERM National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap

NHEB National Hydrogen Energy Board.

PAFC Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell

PEFC Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell.

PEM Proton Exchange Membrane.

PEMFC Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell

R&D Research and Development

SOFC Solid Oxide Fuel Cell.

SPIC SF Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Science Foundation.

UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply

USD United States Dollar

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CONTENTS Page

About NEDO i

Executive summary ii

Acknowledgements v

Glossary vi

1. Introduction 1

2. Energy Landscape 3

3. Policy Landscape 6

4. R&D Situation in India 8

5. Markets for fuel cells in India 39

6. Fuel cell activities in Japan 50

7. Japan India Collaboration 53

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LIST OF FIGURES

PAGE

Fig 1.1 India’s GDP growth rate over the years 2

Fig 2.1 India’s fuel cell mix 3

Fig 2.2 Installed capacity requirement for power 4

Fig 4.1 Distribution of fuel cell organization by region in India 9

Fig 4.2 Distribution of fuel cell organization by application type in India 9

Fig 4.3 A 1 kW PEMFC stack at CECRI 12

Fig 4.4 DBFC stack at CECRI 12

Fig 4.5 CFCT‐Reva Fuel cell‐Battery hybrid Car 15

Fig 4.6 3 kW PEMFC stack at SPIC SF 18

Fig 4.7 Hydrogen‐air PEMFC stack at SPIC 18

Fig 4.8 A 12 seater van developed at SPIC SF 19

Fig 4.9 Interior of 12 seater van 19

Fig 4.10 PEMFC based UPS systems developed at SPIC SF 20

Fig 4.11 PEM methanol elecrolyzer at SPIC SF 21

Fig 4.12 PEMWE system at SPIC SF 21

Fig 4.13 Lab facility at IIT Delhi 23

Fig 4.14 Electric fuel cell bicycles at IIT Madras 25

Fig 4.15 8 kW PAFC system developed by NMRL 28

Fig 4.16 Trolley mounted PAFC system at NMRL 28

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Fig 4.17 An auto‐rickshaw with Hydrogen based IC engine developed by BHU 30

Fig 4.18 M&M hydrogen powered Alfa 3 wheeler vehicle 32

Fig 4.19 IOCL’s hydrogen/CNG dispensing station in Delhi 34

Fig 4.20 DRDO‐Reva fuel cell car 35

Fig 4.21 3 kW PEMFC power pack developed at BHEL 36

Fig 5.1 Two 750 kVA diesel generators at Taj Palace hotel, Rajasthan 44

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LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 4.1 Summary of fuel cell R&D Organizations in India 10‐11

Table 4.2 CFCTs PEMFC stacks 14

Table 5.1 Summary of key niche markets for stationary power generation in India 40

Table 5.2 Hydrogen producing capacity of some chlor alkali plants in India 43

1.INTRODUCTION

In recent years, global energy shortage and ecological pollution problems have created

opportunities for fuel cells to replace the existing technologies in variety of applications.

Some common areas of application of fuel cells include power for Stationary, portable

and transport applications. They are used to provide electricity and heat in large

stationary applications. They are also used to provide power in areas which are difficult

to serve by the national grid. In sectors like telecom, they find use in providing backup

power. Another promising area of application is their use in portable devices like mobile

phones. Due to their light weight and higher operating times they are seen as a good

alternative to solid batteries. Their application in transport finds its roots in their ability

to meet the stringent emission norms.

As far as the world fuel cell industry is concerned, most of the activities are

concentrated in regions of North America, Japan and Europe. The areas of expertise

range from R&D to component manufacture and system integration. Fundamental and

applied R&D is carried out in universities as well as by commercial players. A large

number of corporations are involved in component manufacturing and system

integration. The governments in these regions provide strong funding for the

development of fuel cell sector.

India’s fuel cell industry is not quite developed as compared to the above mentioned

regions. Even then it can be considered a very important and emerging market. An

economy growing at a fast pace and a country in need of energy to sustain the growth

are the factors that strengthen India’s position as a prospective market for fuel cells.

New national energy policies of the country that promote the growth of hydrogen and

fuel cell technologies add to the market potential of fuel cells in India.

1.1 India – a growing economy

India is the second most populous country in the world and the fourth largest economy

by purchasing power parity. India has seen dramatic economic growth over the past

decade with GDP growth rates going as high as 9 percent in the year 2007‐08 (fig 1.1).

Although due to the global economic slowdown, Indian economy has also slowed (GDP

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growth rate of about 6.1 %) down from its high performance but still it was one of the

few economies where impact of this downturn was minimum. India’s growth rate was

among the highest in the world along with China.

This high growth rate essentially signifies upliftment of large number of population from

poverty to India’s growing middle class. This growing middle class is causing a consumer

boom in Indian market which is contributing to India’s growth.

Agricultural sector still employs about 60% of population. A growing service industry is

the largest contributor to India’s GDP followed by industrial and agricultural sector.

Despite robust economic growth, India continues to face many major problems. One of

the major challenges that India is facing to sustain its high levels of economic growth is

lack of an effective infrastructure that can support its large population. A provision for

reliable power supply and a network for energy supply to India’s industrial and

transportation sector are the two key issues that need to be addressed.

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Fig 1.1 India’s GDP growth rate over the years

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2. ENERGY LANDSCAPE

India is world’s sixth largest energy consumer, accounting for almost 3.4 % of the global

energy consumption. Due to continuous high growth rates seen over the past few years

the demand for energy has been constantly growing in the economy. To sustain the

growth rate for the next 20 years, India needs to increase its primary energy supply to 3‐

4 times. By 2030 the power generation capacity must increase to about 8, 00,000 MW

from current levels of about 1, 60,000 MW. (Source: Integrated Energy Policy Report –

2006).A look at the current energy landscape shows India’s dependence on fossil fuels

for its energy needs.

About 76% of the electricity produced in India is generated by thermal power plants,

21% by hydroelectric power plants and almost 2‐3 % by nuclear power plants. India’s

fuel mix is heavily dependent on hydrocarbons. Figure 2.1 shows the contribution of

various fuels in supply of energy.

This heavily fossil fuel dependent fuel mix of India raises concerns over energy security

of India, particularly regarding imported oil. The main challenge facing India's energy

sector is to increase and improve the delivery of energy services to various sections of

the economy. A problem of disparity in demand and supply of energy is another big

issue that needs to be addressed.

CoalOil

Gas

Hydro Nuclear

Fig 2.1 India’s fuel cell mix

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2.1 Electricity Demand supply situation

Despite an ambitious rural electrification program and huge additions in power

generation capacities, millions of Indians still have no access to electricity. While 80

percent of Indian villages have at least an electricity line, just 44 percent of rural

households have access to electricity. The gap between electricity supply and demand

nationwide averages up to 16 percent at peak times, according to government figures,

and 25 percent according to industry estimates. And according to the Planning

Commission of India, around 600 million people ‐ more than the entire population of the

European Union ‐ are not even on the national grid. In some states, like poverty‐hit

Jharkhand, 90 percent of rural households have no electricity and still use oil lamps for

light.

India's industry incurs a direct loss of nearly 9 billion USD due to shortage of power. The

loss amounts to 1% of India’s GDP. The highest loss is incurred by the power intensive

sectors like manufacturing which accounts for 35 per cent of the total loss, small and

medium enterprises, second highest, at 16 per cent, hospital and hotel, retail at 12 per

cent, real estate and infrastructure at 10 percent.

Fig 2.2 Installed capacity requirement for power (Source: Planning Commission)

According to KPMG estimates India will have a rise in demand of power to 90 GW by

2012 (fig 2.2) and only 65 GW increase will be there in the installed capacity. To sustain

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150

200

250

300

350

2007 2012 2017

GW

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the GDP growth rate of 8 % India would need to increase its installed capacity to 220

GW by 2012 from around 130 GW in 2007.

Apart from high levels of disparity in demand supply situation India has other challenges

in its overall energy landscape. These include pollution and growing concerns over

energy security. Air pollution in particular is a concern in India’s some big cities like New

Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and some other urban cities.

Measures like restraining the use of gasoline and diesel vehicles had been taken to

address the environmental degradation problems. New Delhi has converted its public

transport system including city buses and 3‐whellers to CNG. This CNG is derived from

domestic natural gas, providing energy security. Similarly, cities of Kolkata and

Chandigarh have also converted their large autorickshaw fleets to run on LPG. Still,

measures to build a more sustainable energy infrastructure should be taken and this has

been realized by Indian government.

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3. POLICY LANDSCAPE

India’s policy regarding fuel cells and hydrogen technology development is largely

governed by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The authority being quite

active has set up a National Hydrogen Energy Board and a roadmap in 2006. The board

set up five expert groups on hydrogen production, storage, power, transport and

systems integration. It provided an integrated blue print for the long term public and

private efforts required for hydrogen energy development inside the country. This

roadmap was one of the measures taken in a series to improve energy supply situation

in India. The 2003 Electricity Act was responsible for developing an overall framework

for renewable energy. The 2005 National Electricity Policy recognized renewable as a

key option for areas where national grid is not feasible or cost effective.

The broad objectives of India’s National Hydrogen Energy Program are as follows:

1. Reduce dependence on imported petroleum products

2. Promote use of diverse, domestic and sustainable new and renewable

energy sources

3. Provide electricity to remote ,rural and far flung areas

4. Promote hydrogen as a fuel for transport and power generation

5. Reduce carbon emissions from energy production and consumption

6. Increase reliability and efficiency of electricity generation

The National Hydrogen energy Roadmap proposed two major initiatives in its Vision

2020 – Prioritized Action Plan. The Green Initiative for Future Transport (GIFT) aims to

develop hydrogen powered IC engine and fuel cell vehicles ranging from small (cars, 3

wheelers) to big vehicles through different phases of development and demonstration.

The Green Initiative for Power generation (GIP) was to develop hydrogen powered

turbine and fuel cell based decentralized power generating systems.

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National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap: Vision – 2020

Source: NHERM(2006) report, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Box 3.1 GIFT

Green Initiative for Future Transport (GIFT)

Hydrogen Cost at delivery point at Rs. 60‐70 per kg

Hydrogen storage capacity to be 9 weight %

Development of safety regulations, legislations, codes and standards

1, 000, 000 hydrogen fuelled vehicles on road

‐ 750,000 two/three wheelers ‐ 150,000 cars/taxis ‐ 100,000 buses vans

Box 3.2 GIP

Green Initiative for Power Generation (GIP)

Hydrogen bulk storage methods and pipeline methods to be in place

Support infrastructure including large number of dispensing stations

1000 MW hydrogen based power generating capacity to be setup

‐ 50 MW small IC engine standalone generators ‐ 50 MW standalone fuel cell power packs ‐ 900 MW aggregate capacity centralized plants

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4. R&D SITUATION IN INDIA

Past few years have seen a considerable activity in the area of fuel cell research in India.

Most of the basic research is done by India’s reputed academic institutions and a very

few industrial organizations are involved in research. A vast majority of this research is

funded by government under new energy policies of Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy. These research institutions are involved in more fundamental research such as

catalysis and MEA development. Some institutions are also involved in more application

oriented research such as stack development and BoP related work. Table 2.1 presents a

summary of fuel cell related activities of key R&D institutions in India.

Although, Indian companies are generally regarded as only manufacturers and service

providers with less emphasis on R&D, some big corporate houses of India have entered

the area of fuel cell research. Most of these industrial houses are carrying out applied

research which concerns with the adaptation of fuel cell technologies in Indian scenario.

Car makers like Tata and Mahindra & Mahindra are involved in making fuel cells a part

of Indian automobile industries.

Apart from these, several foreign companies have also entered the Indian market since

the market is still in nascent stage. Some of these organizations are focusing on bringing

the technologies developed in other countries to India, while some have focused on

using Indian expertise and resources to develop a strong R&D base. Some local players

are also involved in collaborations with these companies.

In the past few years India has seen a steep growth in fuel cell research activities with

several national and international conferences and workshops organized locally. Both

academic institutions and private sector companies are actively participating to organize

these events. These events have provided a good platform to Indian researchers to

interact among themselves and also with researchers from other countries. This is quite

important, as no active network of Indian researchers exists in the area of fuel cell

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Table 4.1 Summary of fuel cell R&D Organizations in India

Institute/Organization Main Focus Area(s) Achievements/Remarks

CECRI, Chennai PEMFC,DMFC,DBFC, Hydrogen Generation

Developed a 1 kW PEMFC stack, Developed a 5 kW PEMWE

CFCT, Chennai

PEMFC, Hydrogen Generation

Developed PEMFC stacks up to 5 kW, Grid independent power systems (3 kW), Fuel cell systems for transport applications with Mahindra and Mahindra and Reva

CGCRI, Kolkata SOFC Developed electrode and membrane materials for high performance SOFCs and Low Temperature SOFC

SPIC SF, Chennai PEMFC, DMFC, Hydrogen Generation

Developed 5 kW PEMFC stacks, 250 W DMFC Stack, PEM based Water and methanol electrolyzers, fuel cell based stationary applications like UPS

IIT Bombay, Mumbai PEMFC, DMFC, IT‐SOFC, hydrogen generation

Working on HT‐PEMFC and IT‐SOFC, Hydrogen storage in complex hydrides

IIT Delhi, Delhi

PMFC, DAFC, Hydrogen Generation

Developed DEFC with power density of 20‐30 mW/sq.cm, electrode‐catalysts, Working on Direct Glucose fuel cells. Anode materials for hydrogen generation using PEM water electrolyzer.

IIT Madras, Chennai

PEMFC, DMFC,SOFC, Hydrogen Storage

Developed a DMFC with non noble cathode catalyst with 340 mA/sq.cm (0.6 V) at 80 oC

NCL, Pune PEMFC Prepared thermally stable PBI membranes, Demonstrated a 350 W (15 cell) PBI based PEMFC stack.

NMRL, DRDO, Mumbai

PAFC, PEMFC, Hydrogen Storage

Developed and demonstrated 700‐1000 W capacity PAFC based UPS/generators. 1.2 kW PAFC system integrated in an electric vehicle developed under DRDO‐REVA joint project

BARC, Mumbai SOFC, PEMFC SOFC material and tubular SOFC under development

BHU, Varanasi

Hydrogen Storage, Hydrogen IC Engines, Hydrogen Production

Developed AB5 and AB2 type storage materials with improved storage capacity. Converted existing petrol driven IC engines to operate with hydrogen as fuel.

IISc, Bangalore PAFC,DMFC,PEMFC Developed PAFC with power density value of about 560 mW/sq.cm.

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Mahindra & Mahindra Hydrogen IC engines Developed hydrogen powered Alfa 3 wheeler vehicle. Developing battery powered electric hybrid vehicle

TATA Motors Fuel cell technology for transport applications

Developing a fuel cell based city bus, Projects on using hydrogen blends as fuels. TATA teleservices involved in demonstration of fuel cell technology for mobile backup power

Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. Hydrogen infrastructure, hydrogen for transport sector

Setup hydrogen dispensing stations. HCNG usage in 3‐wheeled vehicles and light duty buses.

Reliance Industries Ltd.

PEMFC for stationary applications, SOFC

Joined the NMITLI project for Indigenous PEMFC Technology Development as the industrial partner. Established a fuel cell R&D lab in Mumbai

REVA Fuel cell based small cars

Developed a car with NMRL with 1 kW PAFC stack on board. Involved in a similar project with CFCT.

BHEL PAFC, PEMFC,SOFC Developed a 50 kW PAFC power plant, developed 1 kW PEMFC modules and a 3 kW PEMFC power pack. Partner institute in the development of a 5 kW PEMFC system under the NMITLI project

Nissan India PEMFC technology for automobile applications

Working on membrane development for PEMFC technology. Studying membrane degradation

ACME Telepower Fuel cells for backup power

Joint venture with Ballard power systems Inc. (USA) and Ida‐Tech to setup a high volume low cost fuel cell facility in India. 30,000 systems to be delivered by 2013

Eden Energy (India) Pvt. Ltd.

hydrogen for transport sector

Involved in production of HYTHANE, agreement was signed with Ashok Leyland for the supply of Hythane to be used in natural gas powered buses

Gas Authority of India Limited

Hydrogen Infrastructure Main player for supply of suitable fuels, including hydrogen, natural gas, propane, butane and methanol

Bloom Energy (India) Private Limited

SOFC Working on test and characterization of SOFC technology

Daimler‐Chrysler Research Center (DMRC), Bangalore

Fuel cell for transport applications

Setup an outsourcing R&D centre in Bangalore. Considering launching a commercial fuel cell vehicle in India

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4.1. Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Chennai

CECRI is one of forty national laboratories under the aegis of the Council of Scientific

and Industrial Research (CSIR). In 2004, it was selected as one of the main laboratories

for development of hydrogen based fuel cells under the New Millennium Indian

Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI).

The main focus area at CECRI has been PEM based systems. A wide variety of work is

being done which includes catalyst development, membrane modification and alternate

membrane development, flow field design and stack development. CECRI has developed

a 1 kW H2‐air PEMFC stack (fig 4.3) with power densities approaching 0.5 W/sq.cm at 0.6

V. A 300 W PEMFC stack having 18 cells in series with MEA area of 200 sq.cm was also

developed. The system was self supported fitted with a humidifier, battery, PLC and a

solenoid valve.

Fig 4.3 A 1 kW PEMFC stack at CECRI fig 4.4 DBFC stack at CECRI

CECRI has also been working on development of DMFCs. It has developed and

demonstrated self supported DMFC systems in 30‐50 W range. They have been working

on reduction of methanol crossover and improvement of catalyst for the development

of DMFC systems. Apart from these some unique work related to use of sodium

borohydride as a fuel is also being done here. They have developed and demonstrated a

40 W DBFC 5 cell stack (fig 4.4) with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. This system can be

operated at locations where free convection of air is limited and thus can be used for

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submersible and space applications. Indian Military is said to have shown an interest in

the development of such DBFC systems.

CECRI has initiated R&D activity on PEM based hydrogen generator with an aim of

integrating these hydrogen generators with solar PV sources. Starting with 100 W PEM

hydrogen generators, they have developed a 5 kW hydrogen generator that has a

capacity to produce 1 NM3 of hydrogen per hour.

CECRI complex at Chennai has some state‐of‐the‐art facilities. Catalyst evaluation and

membrane preparation work is done at the ‘electrocatalysis lab’. Membrane is prepared

by both wet and dry processes. Materials characterization laboratory has membrane

testing stations and work on developing a mixed metallic membrane is being done here.

Preparatory laboratory has vacuum ovens of different temperature ranges (100 oC and

400 oC). Flow field design by machining graphite plates is done at the fuel cell design

office. Most of the work related to stack development is done at the fuel cell assembly

and testing station. Two test stations, one up to 500 W and other up to 5000 W, are

used to test both PEMFC and DMFC stacks.

Research at CECRI is focused on product development for Indian markets and the

institute has some strong industrial ties. CECRI has been working closely with Genex

Science and Technology Ltd, Mumbai on the fuel cell stack development. Several

PEMFC, DMFC and DBFC stacks have been delivered to the Genex, which has been

working on market implementation of fuel cell technology in India. CECRI recently

signed a MoU with Reliance for field testing of a 5 kW PEMFC stack under NMITLI

program.

In future, CECRI aims at working on decentralized power generation systems under the

NMITLI program. They are also planning to develop a 5 kW PEMFC stack for stationary

applications and field trials for such systems will be carried out by industrial partners.

On a more fundamental level, they will be working on reducing the catalyst loading of

platinum catalyst to a level of 0.75 mg/cm2.

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4.2. Centre for Fuel Cell Technology (CFCT), Chennai

One of Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) autonomous institutions, CFCT is

a part of International Advanced Research Centre (ARCI) for powder metallurgy and new

materials.

Research at CFCT has been focused mainly on PEMFC systems. They have developed and

demonstrated fuel cell systems in three application areas viz. uninterrupted power

supply systems, transportation and decentralized power generation. Apart from these,

work on hydrogen storage and hydrogen generation is also being done at CFCT. Fuel cell

research is being carried out in the areas of electrode and membrane development,

bipolar plate development and stack development.

CFCT has developed PEMFC stacks in the range of 200 W to 5 kW with in‐house

development of catalysts, electrodes, stacks and systems and using commercially

available membranes. The stacks up to 1 kW have been built with water and air cooling

options, while higher capacity stacks have only water cooling. On the electrode

development front, CFCT has developed electrodes which can work under the low

humidification conditions. They have developed three configurations of fuel cell stack

assembly as presented in table 4.2. CFCT has also developed 3 kW (20 cells) and 5 kW

(40 cells) stack using 770 sq. cm electrode configurations.

Table 4.2: CFCTs PEMFC stacks

Besides stack development, CFCT has also been working on system integration. Grid

independent power systems (GIPS) of capacity up to 3 kW have been developed. These

Capacity No. of cells Electrode Area, sq.cm

1 kW 50 150

3 kW 60 330

5 kW 50 770

15


systems contain thermal management modules, power controllers, humidification

modules, pumps and valves developed at the centre. These GIPS are used to power

lights, fans and small pumps whenever they are operated. For applications in

telecommunication sector, they have developed a 3 kW stack integrated with a DC‐DC

converter to deliver 48V DC power.

Fuel cell applications in transportation sector have also been an important area of focus

at CFCT. They have been involved in two separate development and demonstration

programs with industrial partners in this area. Earlier, they were involved in a 6 month

program with Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) for a 3 wheeler – 8 seater fuel cell‐battery

hybrid vehicles. Vehicle was provided by M&M including the installed battery while fuel

cell stack system for the vehicle was developed by CFCT. A 3 kW PEMFC stack was used

which consisted of 60 cells with 330 sq.cm electrode area. The vehicle used battery at

startup and when cruising smoothly it automatically switched over to fuel cell power.

The system had an option of using fuel cell power for charging the battery. The vehicle

was tested for over 1700 kms with about 750 kms logged from fuel cell power.

Fig. 4.5 CFCT‐Reva Fuel cell‐Battery hybrid Car

In a separate program with REVA electric car, CFCT has worked on the integration of fuel

cell stack in a battery operated 4‐wheeler electric car (fig 4.5). A 1 kW PEMFC stack with

reduced humidity requirements have been successfully integrated in the vehicle, with

over 600 kms testing in fuel cell‐battery hybrid mode. Work related to hydrogen storage

and decreasing volume‐weight characteristics of the system is being done at the centre.

16


CFCT has also started working on development of chemical hydride based hydrogen

generator from commercially available metal hydrides. Sodium borohydride based

hydrogen generators have been developed at the center with an in‐house developed

process which uses polyalcohol for release of hydrogen from the borohydride.

Facilities at CFCT include electrode fabrication, characterization and fuel cell testing

facilities. The centre has ultrasonic processors, vacuum ovens, wet ball mills, rheometer,

screen printing machine, hydraulic press and humidification chamber units in the

electrode fabrication laboratory. The instrumentation room contains characterization

facilities like impedance analyzer, SEM and gas chromatograph. The fuel cell test

laboratory has single cell and stacks test benches. It also has DMFC, AFC and DBFC single

cell test benches.

Future work at CFCT concerns developing expertise in the areas of DMFC, AFC and DBFC

and SOFC systems. They also plan on exploring fuel cell application in chlor‐alkali

industry. The centre has been given a grant of about 100 million INR (about 2.1 million

USD) and another 100 million INR will be given in coming 5 years from DST. They are

willing to work in collaboration with industrial partners for the large scale

commercialization of PEMFC stacks developed at the centre. In the area of hydrogen

production photo‐electrochemical routes are to be investigated at the centre.

4.3. Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), Kolkata

The thrust area at CGCRI has been development of SOFC units and stacks. The centre is

funded by CSIR and is also a part of NMITLI programme. In India, CGCRI has the

strongest R&D group for SOFC technology development and Ministry of New and

Renewable Energy (MNRE), Govt. of India has made CGCRI the lead agency for the

development of SOFC technology in India.

17


The institute works on electrode and electrolyte development, flow field design and

stack design. Initially, focus was on material development and the institute has

developed several materials for various components of SOFC. These include Sr‐

substituted LaMnO3 (LSM) cathode, NiO‐8 mol% YSZ anode and Ca‐substituted LaCrO3

(LCR) interconnect. Using these materials, the institute has developed SOFC units with

reasonably good power output of about 2 W/sq.cm (cell voltage 0.7 V) at an operating

temperature of 800 oC. Institute has also developed 3‐cell, 6‐cell and 10‐cell working

SOFC stacks using H2 as fuel and O2/air as oxidant.

CGCRI has also been working on electrode materials for high performance SOFCs. They

have developed a novel functional cermet (Ni‐YSZ) anode. Nanocrystalline lanthanum

ferrite‐based (LSCF) cathode materials have also been prepared at the institute. These

electrode materials have shown significantly improved results for planar anode

supported cells with current densities > 3.0 A/sq.cm at 800 oC and 0.7 V.

Box 4.1 LT‐SOFC activities at CGCRI

CGCRI has developed glass based sealants which are an essential component of planar

SOFC stack. Recently they have developed a glass ceramic sealant which can be sealed

at a much lower temperature than the SOFC operating temperature which reduces its

interaction with metallic interconnects.

Low Temperature SOFC Materials (LT‐SOFC)

CGCRI prepared nanocrystalline Gd‐doped CeO2 and pure LaGaO3.

Nanocrystalline and phase pure CeO2 powders with co‐doping of

cobalt and gadolinium (Ce0.79Gd0.20Co0.01O2‐δ) have also been

prepared. These powders have very high oxygen ionic conductivity

(about 0.021 S/sq.cm).

18


Facilities at CGCRI include ball milling, tape casting and screen printing machines. The

institute also has materials characterization facilities and fuel cell test stations. Recently

they have also established strong computational facilities for flow field design and stack

design.

CGCRI has established linkages with various national laboratories including NAL, IISc and

BARC. Apart from these CGCRI has also established many international linkages with

organizations like Karlsruhe University, RWTH Aachen University and

Forschungszentrum Julich Gmbh, Germany. CGCRI will also be involved in developing an

expertise base to carry out R&D activity on SOFC materials at Energy Research Institute,

KACST, Saudi Arabia.

In future, CGCRI is expecting a big grant of about 8 million USD for a project on SOFC

development from MNRE. Another NMITLI project of about 1 million USD is expected

which will be done in collaboration with NAL. CGCRI is also looking for collaborations of

mutual interests for development of SOFC technology in India.

4.4. SPIC Science Foundation (SPIC‐SF), Chennai

The focus of research at SPIC’s centre for energy research is on hydrogen technologies

development including hydrogen production, storage and utilization. The funding comes

from Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Limited (SPIC Ltd.) and MNRE.

Fig 4.6 3 kW PEMFC stack at SPIC SF Fig 4.7 Hydrogen‐air PEMFC stack at SPIC

19


Fuel cell related activities are focused on PEMFC and DMFC technology development.

Research ranges from fuel cell component development to stack development and

system integration. They have developed H2‐O2 PEMFC stacks of 5 kW capacity and H2‐

air PEMFC stacks of 1.2 kW capacity. Work related to fuel cell based application

development is also being done at SPIC SF. They have developed and demonstrated 3

kW PEMFC based UPS systems. They have also developed 3 W PEMFC systems

particularly for use in portable applications.

Research related to component development includes low Pt electrode development

and new membranes development. They have developed a Pt/CNT catalyst. They also

developed a membrane gas humidifier and a hydrogen gas sensor/leak detector.

They were also involved in the development of a 12 seater PEMFC battery hybrid van.

The project was funded by MNRE (fig 4.8 and fig 4.9).

Fig 4.8 A 12 seater van developed at SPIC SF Fig 4.9 Interior of 12 seater van

SPIC SF also has a strong R&D base in hydrogen production technology. They have

developed PEM water electrolyzers of capacity 0.5 Nm3/hr hydrogen and 1 Nm3/hr

under a DST‐TIFAC funded project. The catalyst and membrane were bought with in‐

house development of MEA.

They also developed an aq. Methanol electrolyzer with a capacity of 60 lit/hr hydrogen

with almost 1/3rd power consumption to that of water electrolyzer. The electrolyzer

20


stack of 40 cells had around 2 kWh/m3 load and used graphite bipolar plates instead of

titanium plates. The project (about 50000 USD) was funded by MNRE.

Fig 4.10 PEMFC based UPS systems developed at SPIC SF

Facilities at SPIC SF include frequency response analyzer, surface area analyzer, TGA,

TLC, gas chromatography equipments in instrumentation lab. They also have fuel cell

test stations and catalyst evaluation facilities. MEA fabrication lab includes hot press

unit, screen printing and spray printing facilities. Flow field design on graphite bipolar

plates is carried out in a mechanical workshop.

Future programs at SPIC SF are not clear. In last five years their activities in fuel cell

program had diminished.

21


Fig 4.11 PEM methanol elecrolyzer at SPIC SF Fig 4.12 PEMWE system at SPIC SF

4.5. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB), Mumbai

The department of energy science and engineering at IIT Bombay is mainly working on

fuel cells. Departments of chemistry, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering

are also involved in fuel cell and hydrogen technology related activities. A total of about

6 faculty members are part of the fuel cell program at IITB. They are working on

hydrogen generation, storage and fuel cell systems. IIT Bombay is also active in

developing specialized courses on fuel cells and offers professional development

courses to professionals. This is an important initiative as experienced workforce is

lacking in the many areas of fuel cell research in India. The funding at IITB comes from

various sources including MNRE, DST and CSIR.

IITB is involved in development of electrocatalysts for PEMFC and DMFC units. Various

groups at IITB are involved in the synthesis and characterization of new electrocatalyst

materials. Research is going on to find non‐noble metal catalysts and alloy catalysts. For

DMFC work is being done to increase the CO tolerance of electrodes.

Development of low cost durable and light weight fuel cells in kW ranges for transport

and portable application is another important program. Projects related to designing of

22


bipolar plates and flow field channels through CFD modeling has also been started at the

institute. The institute also has a strong R&D program on hydrogen storage. Various

metal hydrides incluing magnesium based hydrides and nano composites are being

studied. Complex hydrides such as ammonia boranes are also being investigated and

tested.

Facilities at IITB include fuel cell test stations, XRD, TEM,SEM and XPS facilities.

Electrohemical characterization facilities, RDE, RRDE and P C isotherm facilities are also

there at the institute. Future work at IITB will be focussed on high‐temperature PEMFC

technology and intermediate temperature‐SOFC technology development. Themal

mamagement of HT‐PEMFC is an important factor and a project has been started to deal

with this issue. IT‐SOFC development will be done by using micro‐tubular cells for stacks

of 1‐2 kW range.The focus of resarch at IITB will be to work for a wider development of

fuel cell technology in India.

The group at IITB has strong international links with FZ Julich in Germany, Los Alamos

National Laboratory.

4.6. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD), Delhi

IITD is working on a wide range of areas mainly on low and high temperature fuel cells.

The department of chemical engineering, center for polymer science and engineering

and department of mechanical engineering at IIT Delhi is mainly working on fuel cells. A

total of about 6 faculty members are part of the fuel cell program at IITD. The projects

are mainly funded by MNRE, DST, DRDO, UKIERI (Shell Hydrogen), KFUPM Saudi Arabia.

It is one of the few institutions in India where work on water electrolysis using proton

exchange membranes is being carried out. They have a strong research base mainly

looking at the fundamentals of fuel cells for portable and backup power applications.

The expertise is in the area of electrocatalyst, proton exchange membrane, membrane

23


electrode assembly development and mathematical modeling of different types of fuel

cell

They have developed 3 W stack based of direct alcohol flowing alkaline electrolyte fuel

cells and direct alcohol proton exchange membrane fuel cell. They are more focusing on

ethanol as fuel. They developed a direct ethanol fuel cell using Nafion membrane and a

novel bi/tri metallic catalyst with a performance of 40‐50 mW/sq.cm. Work on non‐

noble metal catalysts for oxygen evolution and reduction reactions is going on. They

have developed direct glucose fuel cells with power density of 1‐2 mW/cm2. They are

working on CO2 sequestration using electro‐reduction process in DMFC under potential

difference. The mathematical modelling of SOFC, PEMFC and DAFC is also carried out.

Recently, a program on PEM water electrolysis for hydrogen production has been

started. Experimental as well as computational modeling work is being carried out in

this area. Work related to decreasing the cost of catalysts of PEM electrolyzers by

investigating alternate catalyst materials in under progress. Also, alternate membranes

are being investigated for the high temperature operation of the electrolyzer.

Fig 4.13 A Lab facility at IIT Delhi

Apart from these, faculty members are working on membrane development for fuel cell

e.g., SPEEK (sulfonated polyether ether ketone) membrane doped with inorganic fillers

to improve proton conductivity and high temperature PEMFC operation. The work on

24


high temperature solid oxide fuel cell is addressing the problem on granulation of Ni

used as anode material. At present work on addition of Ti support to stop the

granulation on the basis of strong metal support interaction is going on. Work on new

anode catalysts e.g., Cu, Ce, for direct hydrocarbon SOFC is going in the fuel cell lab. IITD

is also working on development of electrolyte material for low and intermediate

temperature solid oxide fuel cell.

Facilities at IITD include fuel cell test stations, TGA‐DAT, XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, AFM, GC‐

MS, FTIR and XPS. Electrohemical workstation, RDE, RRDE facilities are also available.

Future work at IITD will be focussed on high‐temperature PEMWE, PEMFC, IT‐SOFC,

Micro Fuel Cell.

The group at IITD has strong international links with University Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

and University of Karlsruhe, Germany and EPFL, Switzerland through faculty and student

exchange programs specifically on fuel cell technology.

4.7. Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM), Chennai

Institute has various centres of fuel cell research which includes departments of

chemical engineering, metallurgy and mechanical engineering. Apart from these a

catalyst research centre was recently setup inside the institute.

Box 4.2 National Centre for Catalyst Research

National centre for catalyst research (NCCR), IITM

This centre at the department of chemistry, IIT Madras

was setup in 2006 by the funding of department of science

and technology (DST). The work here is primarily focused

on development of new catalyst and membrane materials

for fuel cells.

25


The work at IITM is mainly focused at PEMFC and DMFC technology development.

Recently they have also started working on SOFC development. Hydrogen storage is

another area of interest at the institute. As many as 10 faculty members are working on

different aspects of fuel cell technology.

The centre for catalyst research mainly focuses on DMFC technology and considers it to

be of significant importance to Indian scenario because of simpler fuel distribution

infrastructure than hydrogen. They mainly work on electrode and membrane

development. NCCR is looking to reduce catalyst loading as well as at new catalysts that

are electrochemically similar to Pt, in promoting both oxidation and reduction reactions.

They are also investigating non‐noble catalysts for cathode for a DMFC. NCCR has

achieved 0.3 mg Pt/sq.cm for a DMFC with satisfactory performance of 340 mA/sq.cm

(0.6 V) at 80 oC. A PVA/Sulfosuccinic acid membrane with additives (inorganic

fullerenes) is under investigation at the centre.

IITM has also started an ISRO project for the flow field design of PEMFC assemblies.

Another project was the humidifier development which was done in collaboration with

CFCT, Chennai. Work related to SOFC material development has recently started at the

institute. PEMFC and DMFC modeling work are also being done at the institute. A

project on development of cost effective schemes for design and control of PEM fuel

cells was done by department of chemical engineering

Fig 4.14 Electric fuel cell bicycles at IIT Madras

26


They also have an in‐house project for Electric‐Fuel cell cycles (fig 4.14) which used a

200W fuel cell stack. Hydrogen storage related work is also being done at IITM. H2‐

storage in carbon matrix and alanates is under investigation.

The research at IITM is funded by various government bodies including DST and MNRE.

The institute has completed several projects in collaboration with various national

laboratories and organizations including ISRO, CFCT. Columbian Chemical Company, USA

also funds the research and has patented various technologies related to fuel cell and

hydrogen storage developed at the centre.

4.8. National chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune

The New millennium technology leadership initiative programme of CSIR is being

coordinated by NCL Pune. It has collaborated with several industrial organizations in its

fuel cell research programme.

The institute is involved in new membrane development and catalyst preparation for

PEMFC systems. MEA development work is also carried out at the laboratory. Research

for lowering Pt loading in electrodes is under progress at the institute. Also PBI based

high temperature electrolyte was developed by NCL which was used in the development

of PEMFC stacks.

NCL is one of the member institutes under the NMITLI program of CSIR for the

development of PEMFC stacks. In the first phase of program (about 2 million USD) 1 kW

PEMFC stack was developed and demonstrated in collaboration with CECRI, NPL, BHEL

and SPIC SF. In the second phase a 5 kW PEMFC stack was developed in collaboration

with 3 other industrial partners including BHEL, NCL and Sud‐Chemie India Limited..

Recently, NCL (in collaboration with CECRI, NPL) demonstrated a 350 W (15 cell) PBI

based PEMFC stack. The stack was based on thermally stable PBI membranes prepared

at NCL while components like bipolar plates and porous conducting carbon were

27


fabricated at NPL and stack was assembled at CECRI. The stack was operated at around

140 oC using H2‐air. The high temperature operation of PEMFC allowed higher levels of

CO in the H2 fuel and the membrane was proton conducting without any need of

external humidification. The system is expected to be superior in performance in terms

of cost, durability and simple design.

Apart from electrode and membrane development work , NCL is also involved in the

processing of various fuel gases to make them suitable for fuel cells. One such program

is development of fuel processors to process syn gas to convert it into H2‐rich gas

suitable to be used in PEMFC operations. In future NMITLI project, they are planning to

develop 25 kW PEMFC stacks for stationary power applications

4.9. Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL), DRDO, Mumbai

Fuel cell research at NMRL is aimed at developing indigeneous fuel cells for militiary and

commercial application. Work varies from developing fuel cell components to fuel cell

stacks and systems. The main focus area are Phosphoric Acid fuel cells (PAFC) and

PEMFC. PEMFC development is mainly done for use in mobile and small systems.

NMRL has been working for the development of PAFC systems for quite some time.

They have developed catalysts, carbon papers, electrodes and low cost graphite gas

distributor plate materials. They have also developed auxillary systems like power

conditioners, thermal management systems and humidifiers. They developed and

demonstrated 700‐1000 W capacity PAFC based UPS/generators with built in compact

methanol reformer. They also demonstrated a trolley mounted PAFC technolgy (fig 4.16)

of 10 kW. A 1.2 kW PAFC system was integrated in an electric vehicle developed under

DRDO‐REVA joint project detals of which are covered later in this report.

Reforming industrial alcohols for use in fuel cells was another area of focus which led to

development of several generations of methanol reformers. These reformers were

developed for stationary power and transportation applications.

28


Fig 4.15 8 kW PAFC system developed by NMRL Fig 4.16 Trolley mounted PAFC system at NMRL

NMRL has also developed alloy catalysts for PEMFC and DMFC systems. Novel low cost

membranes as substitutes to Nafion® are also under investigation. They have also

developed MEAs and graphite gas distributor plates for PEMFC and DMFC

systems.Recently work related to hydrogen storage has started at NMRL.

4.10. Bhabha atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai

Fuel cell activity at BARC is aimed at developing SOFC and PEMFC technology. They have

been working on developing thin ceramic films for SOFC and also on membranes and

electrodes for PEMFC technology.

A 5 kW SOFC system is to be developed at the centre having a multi tubular design. They

developed indigensouly cathode supported tubular design for SOFC. The system will

have an output voltage of 42 volts Dc and output current of 120 A DC. The fuel used in

the module will be reformed natural gas (CO<11% , rest hydrogen) with air/O2 as the

oxidant.

BARC is in the process of developing fuel cell component materials. A cell testing facility

is being created for fuel cell development work at BARC.

29


4.11. Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi

BHU is carrying out research in hydrogen storage methods and use of hydrogen in

internal combustion engines. Majority of work is focused on hydrogen storage methods.

More applied research is carried out in terms of making existing vehicles compatible

with hydrogen as a fuel. Some new projects regarding hydrogen production with

renewable energy sources are also being undertaken. Most of the work is funded by

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

BHU has been working on inter‐metallic hydrides for hydrogen storage. They have

developed AB5 (LaNi5) and AB2 (ZrFe2) type storage materials with improved storage

capacity by tailoring materials. Substitution of Ni by Fe in LaNi5 to LaNi1‐xFex has

resulted in enhancement of storage capacity. Simultaneously, work on other storage

materials like carbon nano‐tubes, carbon nano‐fibres and complex hydrides is also being

done at BHU.

BHU has also been doing work related to hydrogen applications mainly in the area of

hydrogen IC engines for vehicles. They have converted existing petrol driven motorcycle

IC engines (100 CC, 4 stroke) to operate with hydrogen as fuel. This has been done by

storing hydrogen in a metal hydride powder packed in a heat exchanger. This exchange

releases hydrogen when it gets heated from exhaust gases. The motorcycles developed

have a range of about 50‐60 km and top speed of around 50 kmph. BHU also worked on

converting existing gasoline driven 3 wheeler IC engines (175 CC, 4 stroke) to operate

with hydrogen (fig 4.17).

Future work at BHU involves development of solar photo‐electrochemical technology

for hydrogen production. Also development of hydrogen storage technology for

applications in Indian automobiles will be the prime area of focus.

30


Fig 4.17 an auto‐rickshaw with Hydrogen based IC engine developed by BHU

4.12. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore

The solid state and structural chemistry unit of IISc is involved in fuel cell research. The

institute has completed several projects mainly in the area of PAFC and DMFCs. They

also had a project on developing conducting polymers to replace conventional PEMs.

Work related to development of high performance PAFC has also been carried out at the

institute.

They developed a PAFC with power density values as high as 560 mW/sq.cm by

employing a combination of SIC and ZrSiO4 as an electrolyte matrix, and Pt‐Co/C as a

cathode catalyst. Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) with power densities between 0.2

and 0.4 W/cm2 at operational temperatures in the range 95‐130 °C have been

developed at the institute. They also developed a Nafion‐Mesoporous Zirconium

Phosphate Composite Membrane for PEM Fuel Cells.

Future work at IISc involves study of conducting polymer PEDOT as an alternative to

conventional membranes. Few promising results have already been achieved by using

PEDOT with electrochemical deposition of PtRu for the oxidation of methanol. Now the

31


research will be more focused on using PEDOT for hydrogen based fuel cells and also to

meet the end use device requirements.

Apart from the above organizations and research institutes, several other Indian

universities and organizations have small fuel cell related programmes which are worth

mentioning. University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, has been working on carbon nano tubes

doped polymeric membranes for hydrogen purification. University of Pune,

Maharashtra, has been working in collaboration with DRDO for the development of

aero gel silica and storage of hydrogen for fuel cells. At Haldia Institute of Technology,

West Bengal, researchers have been working on PEM fuel cells. Also, ongoing projects

include the development of microbial fuel cells and hydrogen production using solar

energy. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Delhi, is a non government research

organization which is funded by a variety of sources including Indian government.

Although currently not very active in this area, it has completed a number of projects

concerning adaptation of fuel cell technology to Indian conditions.

Several industrial organizations and private sector companies have also joined the area

of fuel cell research. The research is more applied and application specific, focused on

adopting fuel cell technology to conditions in Indian market. International players,

having experience in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, have identified India as a

potential future market. Some of them have setup research centres in India to

understand the local market and then develop applications accordingly. A brief

description of companies involved in fuel cell research in India is presented in the

following section.

32


4.13. Mahindra & Mahindra

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), one of the automobile giants of India, have been active

in the area of hydrogen technology development for the past few years. They conducted

a feasibility study on hydrogen based transportation in India. This was done as a joint

venture with global energy major Shell. They have been also working on the

development of hydrogen internal combustion engines and recently unveiled their

hydrogen powered alfa‐3 vehicle (fig 4.18). They have announced projects on battery‐

electric hybrid vehicle, bio‐fuel vehicle and an electric passenger vehicle. The company

is working in collaboration with several international organizations including United

Nations Industrial Development Organization and International Centre for Hydrogen

Energy and Technology, Turkey.

Fig 4.18 M&M hydrogen powered Alfa 3 wheeler vehicle

4.14. TATA motors

India’s largest automobile company in terms of revenue, TATA motors, is working on

several projects involving alternative fuels, hybrid and electric vehicles. They have been

developing hydrogen IC engines for developing a hydrogen based transportation

network in India. Projects on using bio‐fuels, ethanol‐gasoline blends and Hydrogen

blends are a part of TATA’s R&D program.

Significant work on development of fuel cell technology in vehicles has been done. They

are in the process of developing a fuel cell based city bus with a range of around 250 km

before fuel refilling. The bus will have an on board compressed hydrogen storage

33


system. Currently they are planning to use commercially available fuel cell stacks for the

bus. The technology will be further developed for small cars and SUV’s.

They have developed a TATA motors alternate propulsion systems road map which will

deliver fuel cell buses around 2012‐13. The work on fuel cell based bus is being carried

out in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Apart from this,

TATA Teleservices has been working, in collaboration with Hindustan Petroleum and

Plug Power (a leading fuel cell company based in N.Y., USA), on using fuel cells for

telecom backup power.

4.15. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL)

IOCL has been active for development of hydrogen infrastructure in India by setting up

hydrogen dispensing stations. IOC setup India’s first hydrogen dispensing station in 2005

which produced hydrogen through electrolysis. They also setup dispensing stations (fig

4.19) for HCNG which is a 80:20 blend of hydrogen and compressed natural gas (CNG).

They initiated projects related to hydrogen production through natural gas/naphtha

reforming, coal/biomass gasification and photo catalysis of water.

IOCL started projects related to HCNG usage in 3‐wheeler vehicles. Performance of

vehicles was studied with different HCNG blends (12% to 25 % hydrogen). A fleet of

vehicles was converted to operate with HCNG as a fuel. The use of HCNG is expected to

reduce CO, HC and NOx emissions. A similar project was started with light duty

commercial buses.

IOCL also signed an MOU with Harit Energy Solution Pvt. Ltd. To develop gas injection

based passenger car for achieving lower emissions and minimum power loss with HCNG

operation.

34


Fig 4.19 IOCL’s hydrogen/CNG dispensing station in Delhi

Indian Oil has also been organizing a series of workshops on hydrogen safety and

development of codes and standards in India. They have also been involved in

international networking with NREL (USA), NEDO (Japan) and KOGAS (Korea) on

hydrogen technology related projects.

4.16. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)

RIL has recently established a fuel cell R&D lab in Mumbai, to develop PEMFC

technology and natural gas‐fueled solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for stationary captive

power applications. In the long term, the company will be looking to develop its own

fuel cell technology; but currently it is open for collaborations with other organizations.

It has formed links with Bloom Energy (a US‐based SOFC developer), General Electric,

and the Indian power utility National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). They are a

member of NMITLI group. Recently, they joined the NMITLI project for Indigenous

PEMFC Technology Development as the industrial partner, along with NCL, NPL and

CECRI as institutional partners from CSIR.

35


Reliance, being involved in businesses of shopping malls and retail outlets, can

demonstrate its natural gas based SOFC units. These fuel cells would provide electrical

base load, and also potentially space heating and cooling.

4.17. Reva electric car company

The Reva electric car company has developed a fuel cell version of its electric car in

collaboration with the Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) of DRDO which has

a long experience with PAFC technology (as described in the previous section) and its

use in vehicular applications. In the joint venture, Reva provided the necessary

framework and expertise to modify its electric vehicle to be used with integration of fuel

cells and NMRL developed the fuel cell technology comprising a mini methanol

reformer, fuel cell, the necessary micro control systems and power conditioner.

Fig 4.20 DRDO‐Reva fuel cell car

The developed car (fig 4.20) has a 1 kW PAFC stack on board and can attain a maximum

speed of around 65 kmph. The PAFC power source in the car is developed for

continuous use and when the car is parked it can be used as a power source for

domestic loads.

36


4.18. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL)

BHEL has been involved in PAFC technology development in India since 1987. They

developed a 50 kW PAFC power plant, one of the largest systems developed in India.

This 50 kW PAFC system (2 stacks of 25 kW capacity) was tested in a chlor‐alkali plant.

They have also started working on PEMFC and SOFC technologies. They developed 1 kW

PEMFC modules and a 3 kW PEMFC power pack (fig 4.21). They were also a partner

institute in the development of a 5 kW PEMFC system under the NMITLI project. A

program on using coal gas as a fuel in SOFC is under progress.

Fig 4.21 3 kW PEMFC power pack developed at BHEL

4.19. Nissan

They have recently setup a research centre in joint venture with Renault in Chennai –

Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India Pvt Ltd (RNTBCI Pvt. Ltd.). The

centre started in May 2009 and is totally funded by Nissan.

The centre is working on membrane development for PEMFC technology which being

suitable for automotive applications is the main focus area for Nissan. More applied

aspects of membrane electrode assemblies for applications in automobile applications

are under investigation at the centre. Vehicle start‐stop cycle causes membrane

37


degradation and this phenomenon is being studied at the centre. Currently no work on

stationary applications of fuel cells is being done at the centre.

The centre has all membrane and catalyst characterization facilities including fuel cell

test stations, potentiostats, RDA setups etc. the centre is looking forward to work in

collaboration with Indian universities for development of new catalyst and membrane

materials.

4.20. ACME Telepower

The company has been involved in a joint venture with Ballard power systems Inc. (USA)

and Ida‐Tech to setup a high volume low cost fuel cell facility in India. They have

received an order of around 310 fuel cell backup power units for telecom sector in India.

These fuel cells will consist of units with hydrogen and natural gas fuel variants. The

direct hydrogen fuelled systems will use Ballard’s FCgen‐1020 ACS fuel cell stack and the

natural gas systems will incorporate Ballard’s new FCgen‐1300 fuel cell stack

4.21. Eden Energy (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Company is involved in a joint venture with Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Ltd. to produce

HYTHANE – a mix of hydrogen and natural gas. Hythane will be used in vehicles and fuel

cells as a fuel. An agreement was signed with bus manufacturers Ashok Leyland for the

supply of hythane to be used in natural gas powered buses.

4.22. Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL)

The organization will be a major player in developing hydrogen supply infrastructure in

India. The organization has shown interest in supplying suitable fuels, including

hydrogen, natural gas, propane, butane and methanol, for fuel cell based industrial and

residential power applications.

38


4.23 Bloom energy India Pvt. LTd. (BEIPL)

The company has setup an outsourcing facility in software technology park , Mumbai.

The centre will be mainly involved in SOFC modeling work. BEIPL is working on test and

characterization of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) to understand and improve product

quality and reliability. The R&D activities at BEIPL include performing short term

experiments to collect data, analyzing data and incorporating it in phenomenological

models, and writing software code based on experimental data and models to predict

useful life.

4.24 Daimler India

The company setup a R&D centre in Bangalore which will assist in fuel cell related

activities in their global program. The centre will mainly be involved in computational

modeling activities. The company considers India as a potential market for fuel cell cars

in future. The centre is also involved in activities related to hybrid and plug‐in vehicles.

Daimler has been actively involved in biodiesel R &D in India.

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5. MARKETS FOR FUEL CELLS IN INDIA

A fast growing economy, with a large gap in demand and supply of power, makes India a

good potential market for various power generation technologies including fuel cells.

Favourable national energy policies for hydrogen and fuel cell technology development

in stationary power and automotive sectors strengthen India’s position as a future

market for fuel cell based applications. This section of the report describes some of the

markets for fuel cells in stationary power and automotive sectors.

5.1. Stationary Power

Stationary power generation sector in India can be considered to have the most near

term potential market for fuel cells. The rapid growth in Indian economy demands for a

growth in infrastructure facilities and energy supply. Currently, India is suffering from

severe power shortages which can affect the growth levels of economy as it affects both

the domestic and industrial sectors. In India, several industrial and commercial

enterprises use some form of captive power and are potential customers for fuel cell

based stationary power plants. An unreliable grid system and prolonged power black

outs in urban areas in India add to the market potential for fuel cell applications in

stationary power sector. A study conducted by TERI, Delhi, on the market assessment of

fuel cells in India, identified several key markets for fuel cell stationary power plants in

India. These include chlor‐alkali industry, luxury hotels, paper and pulp industry, dairy

industry, telecommunication industry and stationary backup power. Study identified

availability of fuel for fuel cell power plant as one of the key factors in selection of

potential consumers. Also, potential use of waste heat from fuel cell power plant was

another important factor considered in the selection of consumer. Table 5.1 presents

some of the key niche areas for stationary power generation indentified from the study.

Another market application for fuel cell base power plants could be in distributed power

generation in Indian rural areas. Due to the unavailability of grid connected power

supply these areas can be seen as a potential market for distributed power generation

40


systems. Government incentives and support in this area can be seen as an advantage

for the market players.

Table 5.1 Summary of key niche markets for stationary power generation in India

5.1.1 Telecommunication Industry

India has emerged as one of the fastest growing telecom markets in world. Mobile

services in telecom industry have been growing at a much faster pace mainly in urban

areas with an all India subscriber base of around 525,147,922. Still, the total wireless

tele‐density remains at around 40.3 % which shows a huge untapped potential for

market growth. The main future market for these services lies in non‐urban areas where

penetration of these services remains low.

A growing telecom industry presents itself as a potential market in mobile towers

backup power. Currently there are around 2,50,000 mobile telecom sites and it is

estimated that about 5,00,000 sites will be required by 2011. One of the main

infrastructure requirements for mobile towers is the provision of backup power which is

a necessity due to frequent power cuts in both urban and rural areas. The issue of

irregular power supply is more pronounced in the rural sector, where a number of

Indian villages either do not have an electricity grid connection or face limited power

Potential Markets

Power Requirement,MW

Potential fuel cell types

Remarks

Luxury Hotels 0.5 ‐5 PAFC,SOFC,MCFC Availability of natural gas or LPG a big advantage

Chlor alkali 5‐45 SOFC,MCFC Hydrogen available as a by‐product

Pulp and Paper 2‐50 SOFC,MCFC Availability of natural gas is required

Dairy Industry <5 AFC,PAFC,PEMFC Use of biogas from rural areas will be economical

Telecom & IT <5 AFC,PAFC,PEMFC Fuel availability a big issue

41


availability. Mobile towers use backup power in the form of diesel powered generators.

Although the start‐up costs for diesel based power generators are low, the operating

costs are quite high due to high costs of crude oil in recent times. It is estimated that

over 35% of rural cell site’s network operating expenses are due to costs associated with

electricity and diesel.

Fuel cells are being offered as a viable option to telecom customers in place of diesel

generators. Telecom infrastructure companies are willing to pay a premium for reliable

power especially in remote rural areas. Fuel cells offer clean, noise free and most

importantly they can be run on a variety of fuels. These fuels can be cheap bio‐gas

which is available in remote rural areas and thus can provide a solution to telecom

companies looking for a replacement to diesel based generators.

Box 5.1 Recent fuel cell activities in Indian Telecom market

In May 2008, agreement between Ballard Power systems and ACME Telepower for

supply of fuel cell stacks for telecoms backup power

A development and supply agreement between ACME, Ballard and IdaTech for supply

of 5 kW natural gas PEMFC stack

30,000 systems to be delivered by 2013

A minimum order of 10,000 systems to be completed by 2010, rest order after

evaluation of these units

In august 2008, Plug Power demonstrated a LPG fuelled telecom power backup unit in

partnership with Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. and Tata Teleservices

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5.1.2 Chlor alkali Industry

Chlor alkali industry in India mainly comprises manufacturers of caustic soda and soda

ash. In the process of manufacturing caustic soda, some valuable by products are

produced. A tonne of caustic soda produces 860 kg of chlorine and 25 kg of hydrogen.

Chlorine and hydrogen produced can be combined to make hydrochloric acid. These

basic chemicals are used by many industries. Table 5.2 shows the hydrogen producing

capacity of various chlor alkali plants in India

The manufacturing process of caustic soda is quite energy intensive (load 5‐45 MW). The

load requirements are met by grid supply as well as captive power plants.

Hydrogen as a major by product of the manufacturing process finds little usage in

chemical industry. Although some hydrogen is used in the manufacturing of HCl and

some is sold after compression and storage in bottles, a significant amount doesn’t find

any use. Compression of hydrogen and storage into cylinders is a labour and energy

intensive process. Also, market for HCL is limited so conversion of hydrogen to HCl is

restricted by demand.

Caustic soda is transported to long distances after it is converted to caustic flakes by an

evaporation process, which consumes fuel. Use of hydrogen in this process is also

difficult as it requires sophisticated burners and controls. It has been also estimated that

all the hydrogen produced as by product in the plant cannot meet the energy

requirements of the flaking process. So, use of additional fuel is necessary in any case.

Due to above mentioned factors use of hydrogen in fuel cells presents itself as a

promising option. In recent times due to liberal import policies of Govt. of India,

domestic chlor alkali industry is facing stiff competition from overseas manufacturers

which sell caustic soda at significantly lower price. So, domestic manufactures are

looking for technologies which can give them an advantage in terms of overall cost

reduction inside the plant. Several domestic manufacturers have switched to more

43


efficient technologies of production namely membrane cell processes and are incurring

large capital investments.

For fuel cell technology adoption in this market economics of fuel cell power plant and

particularly the capital investment would be of utmost importance. Thus, fuel cells

which also generate waste heat in the form of steam can be thought of as a good option

as they can satisfy some of the energy needs of the plant. SOFC and MCFC power plants

could be the ideal fit in these cases. The steam from the fuel cell power plants can be

used in the flaking process of the caustic soda. Benefits of the fuel cell power plants

depend on how effectively the waste heat is utilized in the plant.

Table 5.2 Hydrogen producing capacity of some chlor alkali plants in India

5.1.3 Luxury hotels

There is a need of reliable primary and backup power in large commercial premises. The

five star hotels of India can be viewed as a prime candidate for the adoption of fuel cell

Manufacturer, State H2 ,Nm3/day Excess H2 ,Nm

3/day Century Rayon, Maharashtra

11000 11000

Hukumchand Jute Inds Ltd, M.P.

23100 11100

DCW Ltd. , Tamilnadu

48160 16800

Indian Petrochemicals Corpn Ltd., Gujarat

120000 50000

Grasim Ind. Ltd.

112000 50000

Tata Chemicals, Gujarat

29500 4720

Punjab Alkalies & Chemicals

84000 11866

44


technology in stationary power generation. The load requirements range from 500 kW

to 5 MW depending upon the capacity of hotels. The load is distributed lighting

requirements, kitchen load, operation of lifts and mainly space conditioning.

These hotels require heat for various purposes which include hot water for guests,

kitchen, and laundry. Some hotels also have sauna baths and health clubs which also

require steam.

The hotels are well connected by grid but due to frequent power cuts they also maintain

some form of captive power generation which can meet the energy requirements. Most

commonly diesel based generators are used as captive power plants in the hotels.

Fig 5.1 Two 750 kVA diesel generators at Taj Palace hotel, Rajasthan

Fuel cells which can simultaneously supply electricity, steam and hot water will be an

attractive option to hotel owners. PAFC, MCFC and SOFC power plants are best suited

for this case. A clean and noise free energy generation process with ease of operation

can be considered as factors which will drive fuel cells entry in this market.

45


Availability of fuel for such plants will be another important factor in this market. Some

of the cities in India, mainly metropolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai have a good

infrastructure of natural gas distribution. This infrastructure is being extended to

commercial hotels in these cities. These large hotels also have a good supply of LPG gas

for their cooking requirements. So, availability of fuels is another advantageous factor

for the adoption of fuel cell technology in this market.

5.1.4 Other stationary power generation markets for fuel cells

The pulp and paper industry in India have the electricity requirement in the range 2‐50

MW. The industry also requires low and medium pressure steam in the chemical

processes of cooking raw material for making pulp, for drying of paper and evaporation

processes. The bleaching plants also require saturated steam at around 200 oC. The

industry uses captive power generation systems mainly in the form of diesel generators.

Sometimes gas turbines or steam turbines are used for power generation.

Fuel cell system with the capacity to produce heat (PAFC, SOFC and MCFC) can be useful

in the industry. Again the capital cost of the fuel cell systems would be critical in their

entry into this market.

Another area of fuel cell application in stationary power sector is in the dairy industries

most of which are in the western and north‐western parts of the country. These

industries currently use diesel generators or gas turbine based captive power generation

systems. These dairy industries in western India have easy access to natural gas. Other

fuels such as biomass and biogas are also available in these areas. Thus, fuel availability

is a major advantage for fuel cell applications in these industries.

Power cuts in the urban area have created a market for standby/back up power

generation systems used by domestic users. The backup power load ranges from 0.3

kW to 5 kW depending upon the requirements of the domestic user. Diesel, petrol and

kerosene generators and battery banks (DC to AC inverters) are the most commonly

adopted power generation systems used by domestic users. The problem with diesel,

46


petrol and kerosene based generators lie in the pollution and noise caused by these

systems. The inverts are also not very efficient while charging and discharging cycles.

PEMFC based systems can be good alternative for domestic users but they face a stiff

competition from conventional generators in terms of their costs.

5.2 Fuel cell markets in automotive sector

The automobile industry in India is one of the India’s fastest growing industrial sectors.

Still, the penetration in this sector is quite low which indicates towards a huge potential

for growth. The Indian automobile industry can be classified as follows:

• Light duty 2‐ and 3‐wheeled vehicles, passenger car

• Heavy duty vehicles including buses and trucks

The following section discusses the market potential of fuel cells and recent market

developments in both of these categories.

5.2.1 Light Duty Vehicles

Majority of light duty vehicles in India belong to 2‐ and 3‐whelled vehicles category. Two

wheeled scooters and motor‐cycles are the main mode of transport for the Indian

middle class homes which constitute a large market. As per the NHERM, activities

related to adoption of hydrogen based technologies in this vehicle segment have

already started. Currently the focus is on the development of hydrogen powered IC

engines rather than adoption of fuel cells.

Domestic manufacturers such as Mahindra & Mahindra have developed a hydrogen IC

engine based vehicle ‘HyAlfa’ (as described in the earlier part of the report). Bajaj have

developed hydrogen powered three wheeler vehicle. Companies are involved in

developing hybrid versions of 2‐ and 3‐wheeled vehicles. But lack of hydrogen

infrastructure in majority of Indian cities has kept these vehicles from coming into the

market. Most of such vehicles are in the demonstration stages in Delhi, where they have

47


developed a hydrogen/CNG infrastructure. Fuel cell application in this area would not be

possible in the near term. This is due to high capital costs associated with fuel cell

systems, which makes it hard for the consumers in this category to adapt this

technology. Indian middle class consumers would find it hard to invest a substantial

amount on a two wheeler where the gasoline based vehicles are available at

substantially cheap prices. Similarly, fuel cell costs may be prohibitively high for an

Indian autorickshaw operator. With huge skilled labour force in India for maintenance, it

is possible that the fuel cell applications in India may not need be as sophisticated as

that of developed world, where labour force is dwindling and costly. This may bring

down the cost of fuel cell and may become competitive with the IC engine based

vehicles. Another important issue will be the durability of fuel cell based vehicles given

the near continuous operation of 3 wheelers and bad condition of Indian roads which

are often filled with potholes. So, market potential for fuel cell based 2‐ and 3‐ wheelers

in quite limited in India.

Passenger car market in India presents an interesting picture. This sector is growing at a

very rapid pace which has led to many international automobile manufacturers to enter

the Indian market. Apart from a number of large domestic players, Indian automobile

sector now has several world known automobile manufacturers, which sell their

products in the premium segment of the market.

The domestic manufacturers in this market are looking for alternate fuelling options.

Various activities regarding the development of alternate fuelled vehicles are being

carried out by these car companies. Details of these activities have been covered in the

previous section of the report.

Again a look at the hydrogen fuel infrastructure condition in India tells us that

commercialization of fuel cell based passenger cars in not an immediate term option.

Also the capital costs related with these systems make it hard to commercialize such

vehicles in Indian markets. Although, fuel cell based vehicles can be a good option to

battery based electric vehicles as range extenders which have a very small market in

48


India at present. Delhi government gives tax sops to manufacturer and users of battery

operated vehicles, which is a good sign to start with. Such benefits may be extended to

fuel cell operated vehicles in future during implementation stage.

5.2.2 Heavy Duty Vehicles

Buses in India show a promising future for the adoption of fuel cell technology. A

number of manufacturers in this industry in India are showing a lot of interest for the

development of fuel cell based demonstration units. Operation of buses in many cities is

by state run enterprises. Also, in many metro cities government is planning to impose

some environmental constraints on public transport systems of which buses are an

integral part. A good example of this is the conversion of city buses in Delhi to CNG

fueled buses in 2001. In near future buses seem to be the most promising option for fuel

cell technology implementation. Although, high capital costs will still hinder this

technology to come in the market, but fuel cell buses for demonstration purposes have

sufficient scope.

Two of the biggest manufacturers (TATA and Ashok Leyland) in this sector have started

developing buses based on hydrogen technologies. A brief summary of their activities is

shown in box 5.2

Box 5.2 Recent fuel cell activities in heavy vehicles market in India

TATA

Working on a fuel cell bus to be demonstrated in commonwealth games 2010

PEMFC stacks for the bus to be imported from Ballard

Developing fuel cell battery hybrid vehicle for commercial markets by 2015

Ashok Leyland

Working with Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers on guidelines of NHERM

Working for the development of low cost hydrogen IC engine technology

49


The other kind of heavy vehicles in India, trucks show very little scope for fuel cell

adoption. These trucks are mostly operated by private owners. Fuel cell operated trucks

should be affordable and operation wise less expensive so that the owners do not incur

loss. These owners would not be willing to invest in this technology unless the capital

costs become low. Also, the operation of these trucks is very rough and runs for long

hours. The fuel cell systems in such vehicles should be rugged and reliable with low

maintenance costs. These factors impose further restrictions for the fuel cell technology

to be implemented in such vehicles. The only option is to run fuel cell for auxiliary

power unit required in truck with the present state‐of‐art of FC technology.

There is a small window for the entry of fuel cells in the niche vehicles market. These

vehicles can be forklift trucks in the warehouses of the industries like food processing

and microelectronics manufacturing. Such industries require zero emissions vehicles and

mostly use battery run electric vehicles to which fuel cell based vehicles will be a good

alternative. Also, some airports in the country can switch to fuel cell operated vehicle

fleet to decrease the noise and air pollution inside the airport premise. Some

monumental sites like Taj Mahal in city of Agra impose severe restrictions on the use of

fossil fuel based vehicles near the premise. Sites like these can be a good market for fuel

cell operated vehicles as they are already using electric vehicles.

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6. FUEL CELL ACTIVITIES IN JAPAN

R&D in fuel cell sector of Japan has progressed very much as compared to that of India.

Where PAFC and MCFC technologies are already in the market, PEFC systems for

vehicular and mobile applications as well as for standalone systems in residential use

are ready for applications. All the basic kinds of fuel cells including SOFC systems are

likely to be commercialized in the near future. A brief overview of status of various fuel

cell technologies in Japan is as follows:

PAFC: Research regarding PAFC technologies started in 1980s, which led to their early

commercialization as compared to other fuel cell technologies. Several hundred units

including prototype have been sold.

MCFC: The research on these systems also started around 1981. The government

programs initially saw them as replacement of thermal power plants but after seeing

that the systems won’t be able to compete with conventional thermal power plants on

cost basis, the government decided to develop the MCFC units in the mid sized range for

distributed power generation. They had a decent demand in market owing to their fuel

adaptability and high power generation efficiency.

PEFC: The systems will see large scale commercialization in coming few years. These

systems suitable for vehicular applications and for stationary power generation for

residential purposes are in the process of developing practical application for the

introduction in the market. This is the most developed technology in Japan. Non‐noble

catalysts based on C, N, O, H alloy and proton exchange membrane based on

Poly(paraphenylene)S are used leading to higher PEMFC efficiency and durability. Based

on this technology several companies are working on development of FC based light

duty vehicles and back‐up power with heating facility for house‐hold use. Honda FCX car

with twin 100 kW PEMFC stack claiming life time of 5000 h, cruising range of 620 km and

60,000 start‐stop cycle is one of the finest example of development FC based vehicle in

Japan. Toshiba, Eneos‐Celltech, Ebara‐Ballard, Tyota Motors, Panasonic installed 3307

51


units of 1 kW PEMFC stack work on LPG, LNG using reformer. The 1 kW PEMFC stack

works with 40% electrical efficiency, produces hot water with claimed life time of 40,000

h and 4000 times start‐stop cycles. The cost of both PEMFC operated FCX Honda car and

1 kW PEMFC system is exorbitantly high.

SOFC: This technology is still under the development stage. Several demonstration

projects have been completed and commercialization in the near future is very likely.

Some salient points regarding the recent fuel cell and hydrogen technology

development activities of NEDO, Japan are as follows:

1. Strategic development of PEFC technologies for practical applications: This project

aims at developing the PEFC technology for practical applications, including vehicular

applications, at various fronts. First, on a more basic level, it will try to address the

issues of durability, efficiency and performance of PEFC fuel cell units and stacks. A part

of the project will aim towards the development of next generation PEFC electrode and

electrolyte materials which will reduce the costs of PEFC systems much below the cost

of conventional PEFC systems and will Have a significant improvement in performance..

This will help in the large scale commercialization of such fuel cells.

2. Research on nano‐materials for high performance fuel cells: This project concerns

the use of cutting edge nano‐technology for the development of new catalyst,

electrolyte and MEA materials which will be used in the development of vary high

performance PEFC systems with low costs and high durability.

3. Development of highly durable membrane LPG reformers: This research program is

for the development of highly efficient fuel cell based co‐generation systems which will

are necessary in order to conserve energy and improve environment.

52


4. Development of systems and elemental technology for SOFC systems: This projects

aims at developing the fundamental technologies to introduce the SOFC technology in

the market. In this project some basic research regarding the development of efficient

and low cost stacks, and issues of good operability, durability and efficiency will be

addressed.

5. Research regarding hydrogen handling and storage: Projects in hydrogen technology

will study the basic properties of hydrogen in liquid and high pressure stages which will

be very useful in the development of technologies for hydrogen storage. Projects

related to investigation of various advanced materials for the storage of hydrogen have

been started. A number of projects will focus on development of technologies for

production and delivery of hydrogen.

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7. JAPAN‐INDIA COLLABORATION

Although there is a significant difference in the (R&D as well as market) status of fuel

cell technology in both the countries, still one can find some common areas of interests

to work together. Some of the weaknesses in Indian fuel cell sector should be coupled

with corresponding strong areas in the Japanese fuel cell sector, so that the partnership

is beneficial for both the countries

7.1 Partnership in R&D of fuel cell technology

In the previous section, on the overview of fuel cell activities in Japan, it can be seen

that projects on the development of PEFC and SOFC technology are under progress in

Japan. Some of the potential collaborators in these areas are discussed below:

Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI)

CGCRI has the expertise in development of SOFC technology in India. They are currently

investigating some high performance SOFC component materials. These research

activities can be of significant interest to Japanese organization involved in the

development of high performance catalysts and electrolytes for SOFC systems.

Collaboration in this area with the institute can be beneficial for both the countries. In

past, CGCRI has worked with BHEL on the development of SOFC technology for

stationary applications. CGCRI has an ongoing interaction with German institutes

including Karlsruhe University, RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Julich

Gmbh.

Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI)

As described in the previous section of the report, CECRI expertise lies in developments

of components for PEMFC and DMFC systems and designing stacks. CECRI has been

working with some industrial partners in India for the development and

commercialization of fuel cell technology. The institute is looking forward to collaborate

with overseas industrial partners to license their fuel cell technology and adapting it to

54


Indian market conditions. The adaptation process will include addressing issues of cost

reduction and durability for Indian markets.

Centre for Fuel Cell Technology (CFCT)

CFCT has a long tradition of working in collaboration with other research institutions

and industrial organizations. Centre has worked on transport applications of PEMFC

systems with Indian automobile industries such as M&M and REVA electric vehicles. The

institute has worked with BHEL on various aspects of fuel cell technology development.

CFCT is actively looking for industrial partners for large scale commercialization of fuel

cell systems in stationary application sector such as chlor‐alkali industry.

IIT Bombay

The institute being involved in a wide area of research that includes hydrogen storage,

generation, DMFC and SOFC is interested in fundamentals of these technologies. It has a

good record of linkages with national and international research organizations. A strong

fundamental research base of the institute could be attractive for Japanese

organizations working in the area of investigating materials for hydrogen storage, DMFC

and SOFC technologies.

IIT Delhi

The institute is involved in the development of catalyst, electrode materials and MEA

technology for the DMFC, PEMFC, SOFC. The institute is working on the development of

PEM membranes. The institute focuses on the fundamental research with strong Ph.D.

and masters program funded by industries and have strong established international

linkages and can be seen as a potential partner in many of Japanese ongoing fuel cell

R&D projects.

IIT Madras

The institute has a National Centre for Catalysis Research, where work on development

of materials for catalysts is under progress. Other departments of IIT Madras also being

55


involved in the fuel cell research add to the wide variety of R&D work being conducted

at the institute. The institute has a track of establishing several international linkages.

Another important area of collaboration could be cost reduction of fuel cell systems.

Utilizing the skills of low cost ‐ high volume production in India, the cost of fuel cell

systems can be brought down. India has a number of manufactures specialize in the low

cost manufacturing of fuel cell system components like pumps, valves and blowers. A

partnership with these companies and fuel cell manufacturers from Japan could help

cutting the costs of fuel cell systems.

Japan has already reached the stage for commercialization of fuel cell technology and

can look towards India as a potential market. PAFC and MCFC technologies

demonstration projects can be undertaken in India with help of local partners. These

local partners will help in the adoption of Japanese technologies in the Indian market.

For example, developing PAFC or MCFC technologies with biogas (a prevalent fuel in

Indian rural area) as a fuel could be a done in partnership between the two countries.

Some Japanese technologies like LPG reformers can be of use to Indian fuel cell sector

where some institutions are working on fuel cells with LPG as a fuel.

There is a need for joint funding of research between the two countries. A network of

key institutions of India and Japan in the form of consortia needs to be formed. The

consortia should include R&D institutes and Industrial organizations. The consortia will

work towards the better communication of needs, capabilities and status of fuel cell

sector in both the countries. This would help in allotment of funds to institutions in an

effective way to commercialize fuel cell in India and world at large.

NEDO fuel cell survey report.pdf

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Transcript of NEDO fuel cell survey report.pdf