Lucknow: In a move aimed at bolstering clean energy innovation, the Uttar Pradesh govt held advanced talks with Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on green hydrogen in the state.Senior officials from Invest UP, the University of Yamanashi, and the Yamanashi Prefecture govt held a high-level virtual meeting on Wednesday to deliberate on the proposed collaboration. The discussions focused on developing a roadmap for research, technology development, and industrial application of green hydrogen. Both sides agreed to meet again soon to finalise the framework and identify areas of joint work. According to officials, the proposed CoE will serve as a multidisciplinary hub bringing together experts from leading Indian institutions and co-opted faculty from technical universities. The University of Yamanashi will act as the technology partner, while several industry stakeholders and start-ups—four of whom already expressed interest—will contribute to prototyping, testing, and pilot-scale deployment. The centre will focus on hydrogen generation, storage, and distribution systems, renewable energy-based microgrids, and techno-economic studies of the hydrogen value chain. It will also facilitate training, research, and entrepreneurship to promote industrial decarbonisation and sustainable growth. Officials said the Indo-Japan collaboration will deepen bilateral ties, encourage technology indigenisation, and support start-up ecosystems under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, positioning Uttar Pradesh as an emerging hub for green hydrogen innovation.
