Here are some noteworthy cleantech updates from around the world:

NTPC and Gujarat Gas (GGL) commissioned India’s first green hydrogen blending project in the piped natural gas (PNG) network of NTPC Kawas township of Surat in Gujarat. The project is set up to supply hydrogen-natural gas (H2-NG) blend to homes in the Kawas township. The green hydrogen produced through water electrolysis uses power from an existing 1 MW floating solar project. The project has received approval from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board for 5% vol./vol. blending of green hydrogen with PNG, which will later be scaled phase-wise to reach 20%.

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the transmission system for Solar Energy Zones in Rajasthan, on January 3, 2023, during her scheduled visit to the state. The President laid the foundation stone for SJVN’s 1,000 MW Bikaner Solar Power Project on the first day of her visit.

NTPC generated a record 295.4 billion units (BU) of power during April-December 2022, posting a growth of 11.6% year-on-year. The state-owned power producer’s total installed capacity to date is 70,824 MW, while the company’s renewable capacity recently breached the 3 GW mark. The company recorded an increase of 16.1% generating 254.6 BU of power on a standalone basis. NTPC’s coal plants recorded a plant load factor (PLF) of 73.7% for the initial nine months (9M) period of the financial year 2023 compared to 68.5% in 9M of FY 2022.

Arms and automotive manufacturer Rheinmetall bagged an order amounting to over a quarter billion euros from a premium German automaker in the electromobility segment. Under the order terms, the automaker will procure Rheinmetall’s newly designed contactors –which help switch electric vehicles on and off safely — that will be embedded into the new 900V generation of electrically powered vehicles. Rheinmetall’s 900V technology is essentially aimed at improving the efficiency of the next generation of battery-powered vehicles, by enabling faster charging and enhanced range, further making it the standard for future electric vehicles.

India-based pharmaceutical manufacturing company Granules India entered a strategic partnership with Greenko ZeroC, a subsidiary of Greenko Group, to enable carbon-free energy and green molecule solutions. The two companies will initially collaborate to develop and promote state-of-the-art integrated Green Pharmaceutical Zones in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh for which Granules will build a green field facility spread across 100 acres. The facility will be commissioned in a phase-wise manner with an estimated cost of ₹20 billion (~$241.1 million) over five years.

Hydrom, a Green Hydrogen project developer owned by Energy Development Oman (EDO)issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the first round of its public auction process for developing large-scale integrated green hydrogen projects in the country. Developers submitting their proposals are expected to suggest a wind/solar mix energy supply for these projects that ensures a competitive Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH), and the technology mix can evolve over time. To produce 1 MTPA of green hydrogen by 2030, Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals will collaborate with EDO to award land blocks for the projects in two rounds.