Air Products has inaugurated India’s first solar-powered renewable fueling station in an event this week that included chief guest Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy, along with Shri Upendra Tripathy, Secretary, Minister of New and Renewable Energy. With the addition of this SmartFuel station, Air Products now has three hydrogen fueling stations operating in India.

Air Products’ SmartFuel H70/H35 retail hydrogen dispenser provides the newest generation of hydrogen dispensing to meet consumer expectations of refilling fuel cell vehicles in a safe, fast and reliable manner.

The SmartFuel station is part of a mass public transport bus fueling and vehicle demonstration program, and according to Air Products generates 100 percent renewable hydrogen from solar energy via an electrolyzer. It is located at the Solar Energy Center near Delhi and part of a project managed by the National Institute of Solar Energy. The project was also implemented by India’s University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) and funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) of the Government of India.

“As a member of industry, Air Products is proud to be involved in a program that has received such crucial validation and support from public sector, educational institute and the regulatory authorities,” commented Ravi Subramanian, business development manager Asia for Air Products’ Hydrogen Energy Systems. “This project is an important, progressive step towards unlocking the potential of hydrogen as a sustainable transportation fuel and alternative energy source, not just for India but the rest of the world.”

UPES is executing this project and it is entirely funded by MNRE. “Although this is a demonstration project, this will be a major stepping stone for India to move towards the hydrogen economy,” added Dr. Niranjan Raje, former director of Indian Oil and the principal investigator for this project.