KPIT Technologies, a leading global automotive solutions provider, has partnered with a number of automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to produce hydrogen from biomass such as wheat and rice straw.
Biomass hydrogen can be produced by microbial action on wheat and rice straw, as well as by burning wood.
Unlike batteries, which take up a lot of space and reduce transporter payloads, hydrogen as a biomass-based fuel can address two major issues in the industry: high battery costs and limited battery space on vehicles.
"The price of hydrogen produced from biomass is a lot more economical at around $3 per kg compared to $5 per kg for green hydrogen," Ravi Pandit, chairman of KPIT Technologies, informed. Furthermore, the fuel cell takes up less space than electric vehicle batteries, which has an impact on the transporter payload. According to him, the company has two plants that run on biowaste.
India generates around 200 million tonnes of biowaste, excluding earth waste, according to the technology provider, and has the potential to meet its clean fuel needs.
"Because hydrogen can be produced anywhere in the country, distributed generation and consumption centres are possible." "I believe it will be the most cost-effective form of energy in the future," Pandit said.
If hydrogen adoption is accelerated, it will be able to meet the entire intercity travel requirement of 4.5 million tonnes of fuel by 2030.
According to Pandit, the use of abundant waste can not only address issues such as pollution and fuel import substitution but also provide a long-term source of income for farmers.
Sentient Labs, an innovation hub founded by KPIT Technologies in collaboration with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the National Chemical Laboratory, unveiled a hydrogen-fueled bus on April 3. "We believe the bus design we demonstrated is highly efficient and can help India transition to a hydrogen economy," Pandit said.
