Energetica India Magazine - November 2025

MNRE Minister Pralhad Joshi Announces INR 100 Crore Call for Proposals for Biomass-based Hydrogen Pilots RAYZON Solar and UNSW Lead India–Australia Initiative to Tackle UV Degradation in TOPCon Cells Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi has announced an INR 100 crore Call for Proposals for pilot projects to develop innovative technologies for producing green hydro- gen from biomass and waste materials at the 3rd International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH 2025) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Announcing the new initiative, Joshi said that MNRE will invite proposals for pilot projects using biomass and waste materials to produce green hydro- gen. “A total of INR 100 crore has been allocated for these pilots, in addition to INR 100 crore already sanctioned for start-ups under the Mission,” he said. The scheme will be implemented through the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) to encourage participation from in- dustries, start-ups, and research in- stitutions. The Minister said that the initiative would strengthen the innova- tion ecosystem and demonstrate new, cost-effective technologies capable of accelerating India’s hydrogen transi- tion. Highlighting rapid progress under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) pro- gramme, the Minister informed that incentives have been awarded for 3,000 MW per annum of domestic electroly- ser manufacturing and 8.62 lakh met- ric tonnes per annum of green hydro- gen production. India now records the world’s lowest green ammonia price at INR 49.75 per kg for 7.24 lakh MTPA production, he said. In addition, INR 132 crore has been invested in five pilot projects for green steel, INR 208 crore has been sanc- tioned for 37 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles and nine refuelling stations, and INR 35 crore has been provided for the coun- try’s first hydrogen bunkering and re - fuelling facility at V.O. Chidambaranar Port. RAYZON Solar and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia, have initiated a joint research project to study the impact of UV-induced degra- dation in TOPCon cells and explore ways to mitigate this risk. This collaboration is part of the Tech- nology Commercialisation Challenge (TCC), an initiative designed to facili- tate India–Australia technology collab- oration to diversify renewable energy supply chains and accelerate the energy transition. The TCC is a key compo- nent of the India–Australia Renewable Energy Partnership, supported by the Government of India and the Austra- lian Government. The TCC is funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and delivered by CSIRO, Austra- lia’s national science agency. As part of the project, RAYZON hosted a distinguished team from UNSW - Pro- fessor Bram Hoex, Dr. Michael Nielsen, and Mark Sterbic – for a lab and line visit, followed by a detailed discussion on the project scope, deliverables, and timelines. “On a broader scale, this partnership exemplifies how bilateral engagement can strengthen supply chains, acceler- ate technology adoption, and support India’s clean-energy ambitions under TCC,” said Amit Barve, CEO of RAY- ZON Solar Ltd. According to an official company state - ment, this partnership, which began with one project, has tremendous po- tential for scaling further by combining UNSW’s research capabilities, CSIRO’s facilitation under Dave Fleming, and RAYZON Solar’s robust lab infrastruc- ture and manufacturing capability. For stakeholders, this translates into more durable, high-performing solar modules that meet global standards. ENERGY UPDATES energetica INDIA- November_2025 10