MNRE Hosts Hydrogen Startup Exhibition

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) organized a one-day Hydrogen Startup Exhibition aimed at strengthening and showcasing India’s growing hydrogen startup ecosystem. The event served as a platform to highlight innovation and foster collaboration across the green hydrogen value chain.

The show had 18 new startups working on a wide range of projects, including electrolyser technologies, fuel cell applications, turning biomass into hydrogen, and digital solutions for hydrogen systems. These new businesses showed off their goods and services while talking to people from the government, business, and research communities.

According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), India had 249 hydrogen-focused startups as of September 2025, reflecting the sector’s rapid growth and increasing entrepreneurial interest.

Key Highlights from the Exhibition:

18 startups took part in the hydrogen value chain.
5 new companies that make electrolysers and stack parts for electrolysers
Two new companies that make hydrogen
1 startup for fuel cells and 1 startup for hydrogen applications
1 safety startup that focuses on MEMS-based sensors
2 new drone companies are looking into using hydrogen to power their vehicles.
Three new businesses that cook with hydrogen
One startup in AI and ML
Two new bio-hydrogen companies

One of the most important people who came to the event and talked to startup founders was Prof. Ajay Sood, who is the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. Other important people who came were Shri Santosh Sarangi, the Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE); Dr. Parminder Maini, the Scientific Secretary in the PSA Office; and Shri Abhay Bakre, the Director of the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM).

MNRE had previously launched the scheme for “New and Novel Uses of Hydrogen Production and Applications,” under which Part B allocates ₹100 crore for startup funding through pilot projects. Each startup is eligible for financial support of up to ₹5 crore.

After the program started, the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) sent out a Call for Proposals (CfP) in September 2025. There was a lot of interest, with 111 applications received. Earlier this year, 58 of these startups were chosen to present to the Project Appraisal Committee, and the results should be out soon.

This exhibition is a follow-up to MNRE’s startup expo at the R&D Conference at the Dr. Ambedkar Centre in New Delhi last September, which had more than 25 startups take part. This is part of MNRE’s ongoing effort to speed up innovation in India’s hydrogen sector.