On April 26, 2020, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of India’s largest energy conglomerate NTPC Limited (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited), has called for a global expressions of interest (EoI) to buy 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) based electric buses & 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell based electric cars to operate them in Delhi and Leh.
Key Points:
i.Aim: The procurement is the first of its kind project in India to develop a complete solution ranging from green energy to fuel cell vehicles & aims to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector.
Other cities for release of FCEVs (fuel cell electric vehicles) at other locations may also be included.
ii.Pilot project: For this initiative, consent has also been taken from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for production of hydrogen and its storage and distribution facilities. The EoI has been issued by NTPC’s wholly-owned subsidiary, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited.
iii.How does Hydrogen fuel cell work?
Here, the hydrogen is passed through a fuel cell, where hydrogen breaks down into electrons and protons within the cell. At the same time, the separated electron is sent into a circuit, which produces electric current and heat, which in turn helps reduce carbon emissions.
iv.Steps taken by the NTPC for e-vehicles:
- NTPC is working on different technologies to make electric vehicles fully available under e-mobility as public transport.
- In this regard, 90 public charging stations in various cities & battery charging and swapping stations for e-three wheelers in Faridabad (Haryana) have already been commissioned. Similarly, e-bus solution scheme has been implemented for Andaman and Nicobar administration.
About NTPC Limited:
Headquarters– New Delhi
Chairman & MD– Gurdeep Singh
About MNRE:
Minister of state ( Independent charge) )– RK Singh
