Green Hydrogen Testing Infrastructure and Facilities in India

REPORT

Developing the Ecosystem for Accelerated Implementation of the National Green Hydrogen Mission

11 September, 2024 | Industrial Sustainability

Aditya Khator, Karthik Shetty, Rishabh Patidar, and Deepak Yadav

Suggested citation: Khator, Aditya, Karthik Shetty, Rishabh Patidar, Deepak Yadav. 2024. Green Hydrogen Testing Infrastructure and Facilities in India: Developing the Ecosystem for Accelerated Implementation of the National Green Hydrogen Mission. New Delhi: Council of Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

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Overview

This report closely examines the readiness of India’s green hydrogen testing infrastructure and deliberates on the importance of strengthening this area to meet the goals of the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM). It examines the testing facilities already in place in India across the green hydrogen value chain and points out areas with significant gaps. The report highlights the need for the government and private sector to work together to build a more complete and reliable testing system. It reviews the status of testing infrastructure across major economies globally and identifies key learnings for India. The report suggests steps for India to boost its testing capabilities that will help to stay on track with its green hydrogen goals.

Key Findings

In Europe, we have identified 19 hydrogen testing labs spread across different stages of the hydrogen value chain. We have identified nine testing labs in North America. Within Asia, China, Japan, and South Korea have made progress in developing testing infrastructure.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) are the prominent agencies that will contribute to creating standards and guidelines for testing infrastructure on green hydrogen in India.
BIS has identified testing requirements for 53 of the 103 standards under its purview, and BIS and PESO have together identified testing requirements for three of the 14 standards.
The 53 standards covered by BIS significantly focus on end-use applications (28 standards) and storage and transport (14 standards).
India’s current testing infrastructure only supports 6 standards and 4 of those are only partially covered. There's work underway to develop facilities for testing 15 more standards.
Existing labs like Envirocare, CIPET, and BIS specialised labs can handle tests for hydrogen storage and end-use applications. CSIR - Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI) is developing tests for electrolysers and fuel cells. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is working on fuel cell testing, especially for cars and setting up dedicated facilities for this. With the growing demand for green hydrogen, India’s current testing infrastructure needs to develop rapidly. This requirement for testing infrastructure will require investments in upgrading existing facilities and building new ones. Just like in the solar sector, the private sector will need to play a crucial role in this growth. To keep up with global standards, India also needs to build stronger international partnerships, especially with countries that already have established green hydrogen testing systems.
With the growing demand for green hydrogen, India’s current testing infrastructure needs to develop rapidly. This requirement for testing infrastructure will require investments in upgrading existing facilities and building new ones. Just like in the solar sector, the private sector will need to play a crucial role in this growth.
To keep up with global standards, India also needs to build stronger international partnerships, especially with countries that already have established green hydrogen testing systems.

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Aditya Khator

Research Analyst

[email protected]

"Bridging the gaps in green hydrogen testing infrastructure is essential for India to realise its ambitious hydrogen economy goals. A concerted effort between government, industry, and international partners is needed to develop robust standards and facilities that will ensure safety, efficiency, and global competitiveness."

Executive Summary

The Government of India, through its National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), aims to position India as a global hub for the production, consumption, and export of green hydrogen and derivatives. Consequently, safety standards and testing infrastructure are fundamental for creating an ecosystem for scaling up the green hydrogen economy in India. The country needs to establish a strong network of testing infrastructure for achieving the targets set under NGHM. This will ensure quality, efficiency and safety across the green hydrogen value chain.

This report describes the status of testing infrastructure in major economies that plan to establish significant hydrogen production and outlines the current landscape of testing requirements in India. Besides, it lists labs that can perform various tests across the hydrogen value chain, such as production, storage and transportation, end-use, and general safety. This report also highlights the role of the government and private sector in scaling India’s testing infrastructure. Furthermore, it recommends policy actions required to address gaps and enhance India’s testing capabilities to align with its hydrogen goals.

Overview of global hydrogen testing infrastructure

Figure ES1 shows the major hydrogen testing laboratories in the world. The testing infrastructure is indicated across multiple layers – continent, research laboratories, and the components for which testing facilities are available. Our research shows Europe leads with 19 testing laboratories, followed by North America with nine laboratories. These laboratories can test almost all components across the hydrogen value chain. There is limited testing infrastructure in Asia, with most of it primarily located in China, India, Japan, and South Korea. The European Union (EU) has a significant diversity in testing infrastructure due to the presence of private laboratories and test setups. Electrolyser and fuel cell testing have the highest number of facilities across all the continents.

Indian hydrogen standards are at various stages of deployment; our previous publication provides a comprehensive listing of these standards (MNRE and CEEW 2024). In this report, we have included the new safety standards that were introduced by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) after the publication of our previous report.

The hydrogen safety standards are classified under four categories: those adopted or developed in India, those under development, those considered for adoption, and those with no global standards. India has already adopted or developed 86 standards, focusing significantly on storage and transport (36 standards) and end-use application (33 standards). Additionally, 60 standards are currently under development, while 58 are being evaluated for potential adoption.

India has identified testing infrastructure requirements only for 53 out of the 86 standards developed or adopted in the country. Among these, there is a significant focus on end-use application (28 standards) and storage and transport (14 standards). Recognised labs are available for testing only six standards, four of which are partially covered, and testing infrastructure is under development for merely 15 more standards. Testing infrastructure has only been identified for those standards still being developed or under consideration for adoption (see Figure ES2). Based on the research findings it is evident that either there are no or limited testing laboratories for components across the green hydrogen value chain. This reveals a significant gap in testing infrastructure of the green hydrogen value chain in India.

Testing infrastructure for performance evaluation

Performance testing of electrolysers and fuel cells is critical for ensuring the efficiency, durability, adaptability, and safety of hydrogen production systems and can be broadly classified into seven parameters. Figure ES3 lists the factors to be considered for the performance testing of electrolysers. Performance parameters include specific energy consumption (kWh/kg H2), stack efficiency, system efficiency, plant efficiency at peak load, optimal operating points, and degradation rate.

Durability testing involves testing the lifespan of an electrolyser and its components, such as electrodes and membranes. Adaptability to variable renewable energy (VRE) is measured in terms of cold start-up time, hot start-up time, and shutdown time.

The operating characteristics of the electrolysers and fuel cells that require testing include pressure, temperature, the relationship between voltage (V) and current density (A/cm2), operation pressure and the pressure drop, and the waste heat generated due to the operation of the electrolyser over the thermo-neutral voltage. Material testing involves testing the characteristics of pipelines, tanks, and vessels, including material composition, material fatigue, and stress testing of materials that handle hydrogen. Gas quality testing for fuel cell applications requires H2 purity of 99.99 per cent. Contaminants include O2, CO, and N2, which must be monitored and controlled within the limits. The hydrogen purity test involves gas chromatography, which evaluates whether the hydrogen produced meets the required purity standards (>99.99 per cent for fuel cells).

Role of the government and private sector in developing hydrogen testing infrastructure

The government and private sector have a pivotal role to play in developing and scaling up the testing infrastructure for the green hydrogen value chain. Additionally, Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA) like NABL (signatory to International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) as well as APAC) will also play a critical role in the accreditation process of these laboratories. Figure ES4 identifies the role of the government and private sector in accelerating the deployment of hydrogen testing facilities in India.

Action plan on green hydrogen testing infrastructure

Establishing safety standards and testing infrastructure will play a key role in accelerating the green hydrogen economy in India. The following actions are required to strengthen testing infrastructure in India:

Expedite standards development and identification of testing requirements by collaborating with standard-setting bodies to fast-track the adoption of standards under development. Additionally, identify necessary testing requirements and accredit relevant laboratories by NABL.
Develop a priority list of testing infrastructure requirements and estimate the budgetary requirements by collaborating with industry stakeholders to prioritise and develop testing infrastructure for critical standards.
Identify and develop performance testing infrastructure for critical components by focusing on the infrastructure needed for performance testing of key components such as electrolysers and fuel cells.
Pursue international collaboration to leverage expertise from developed countries in North America and the EU and ensure interoperability in testing procedures.
Incentivise private sector participation by encouraging investment in green hydrogen testing infrastructure, following the successful approach used in the solar sector.