Pune: Venture Center has formally inaugurated the CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations at the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) in Pashan, Pune, marking a significant development in infrastructure aimed at supporting India’s clean-energy innovators.
Established at Venture Center in partnership with the Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS), with support from CSIR-NCL and Rao Family Trust (RAFT), the CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations brings together specialised infrastructure and technical capabilities to help clean-energy and green-hydrogen innovators progress from promising prototypes towards real-world applications.
The CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations is designed to help innovators generate reliable performance data, identify technical gaps and strengthen their technologies before certification, scale-up and commercial deployment.
The inauguration brought together leaders from government, research and the innovation ecosystem, including Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, FRS (Padma Vibhushan); Manisha Verma, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra; Dr. Shrikant Patil, CEO, MSInS; and Dr. Ashish Lele, Director, CSIR-NCL. The event also brought together 16 startup founders, researchers, industry representatives, investors, incubation professionals and other stakeholders.
CSIR-NCL Highlights Green Energy and AI Opportunities
Dr. Ashish Lele, Director, CSIR-NCL, highlighted emerging opportunities at the intersection of green energy and artificial intelligence, particularly in long-distance transport, data centres and the use of renewable-energy curtailment for green hydrogen production.
“When we merge these two very interesting domains—green energy and artificial intelligence—there are some very interesting technology opportunities emerging.”
Dr. Lele pointed to hydrogen-powered heavy transport as a particularly promising application. He noted the potential for a pilot along the Samruddhi Mahamarg connecting JNPT and Vadhavan Port, where initial estimates indicate a requirement of 7–9 tonnes of hydrogen per day.
He also highlighted the potential for fuel-cell-based, low-emission data centres and the conversion of curtailed renewable power into green hydrogen.
The CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations builds on the wider clean-energy and hydrogen capabilities available within the Pune ecosystem. Dr. Lele highlighted CSIR-NCL’s longstanding work in fuel-cell development and deployment, including collaborations that led to India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered fuel-cell bus and car.
He also pointed to a 50-passenger fuel-cell catamaran that is now operating commercially on the Ganga.
Dr. Lele further highlighted the Pune Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster, which is working on pre-commercial hydrogen technologies spanning production, storage, transportation, mobility and industrial applications.
Also Read: MeitY Taps PhonePe PulsePro for Hyperlocal Data Intelligence Under PM GatiShakti
MSInS Calls for More Thematic and Regional Innovation
Dr. Shrikant Patil, CEO, Maharashtra State Innovation Society, emphasised the importance of creating a more distributed and inclusive innovation ecosystem across Maharashtra, with thematic and regional capabilities capable of addressing local challenges.
“I am pushing and requesting every incubator: you have to work for a thematic cause.”
Dr. Patil highlighted Venture Center as an example of a thematic incubator focused on energy. He outlined MSInS’s plans to strengthen thematic incubators at universities and institutions, develop regional innovation hubs to address district- and region-level problem statements, and expand support for rural entrepreneurs through district-level micro-incubators.
He also pointed to the planned Mumbai 3.0 innovation city as part of Maharashtra’s broader effort to strengthen its startup and innovation infrastructure.
The CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations will focus on several key areas linked to India’s energy transition, with applications across agriculture, mobility, power and urban sustainability.
Its focus areas include:
- Green hydrogen
- Renewable energy generation
- Energy storage
- Industrial decarbonisation
- Carbon capture and utilisation
- Sustainable mobility
- Energy efficiency
- Circular economy solutions
The Centre will also strengthen industry capacity through training on the safe handling and application of emerging clean-energy and hydrogen technologies.
Venture Center CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations Addresses Pre-Certification Testing Gap
Reflecting on the significance of the Centre, Dr. V. Premnath, Director, Venture Center, said: “The clean energy and green hydrogen transition is a defining opportunity for India to take the global lead in the coming decades—a foundation on which the future of major emerging sectors, including AI, will rely.
However, pre-certification testing has long remained a critical bottleneck for innovators. This new Centre of Excellence addresses that gap by offering an open-access facility where deep-tech startups can validate, refine, and de-risk their prototypes before undergoing expensive formal certification and market entry.
At Venture Center, our mission is to build a complete ecosystem that accelerates the translation of lab research into commercial success and raises the ambition of India’s energy entrepreneurs.”
The CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations is intended to provide an open-access facility where deep-tech startups can validate, refine and de-risk their prototypes before moving towards formal certification and market entry.
By bringing together specialised infrastructure, technical expertise, incubation support and ecosystem linkages, the Centre is positioned to support innovators at a critical stage between experimentation and commercial deployment.
Dr. R. A. Mashelkar: ‘We Are Launching a New Ambition’
Speaking at the inauguration, Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, FRS (Padma Vibhushan), said: “We are not opening up a new facility. We are launching a new ambition.”
Describing the inauguration as an opportunity to position Pune as a leading centre for the development, demonstration and deployment of clean-energy technologies, Dr. Mashelkar emphasised the importance of taking ideas from laboratories to real-world impact.
“Innovation is all about not only doing things differently, but doing things that make a difference.”
Dr. Mashelkar highlighted Pune’s concentration of scientific institutions, engineering and manufacturing capabilities, testing infrastructure, startups and industry partners.
He described the region as having the potential to take technologies through the entire journey—from an idea in a scientist’s mind and laboratory experimentation to prototypes, pilot plants, validation, manufacturing and global markets.
The CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations adds to this ecosystem by bringing specialised infrastructure and technical capabilities together for innovators working on clean-energy and hydrogen technologies.
Dr. Mashelkar also referred to the legacy of NCL’s early work in fuel-cell technologies under the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI), emphasising the importance of taking bold technological risks.
Reflecting on the public-private partnerships that enabled early fuel-cell development, he described the approach as “adventure capital” rather than conventional venture capital.
Energy Innovation Talk Series and Startup Showcase Launched
The inauguration also marked the launch of the Centre’s website and the Energy Innovation Talk Series, with inaugural discussions on The Future of Hydrogen Energy and The Future of Energy Storage.
The seminar series will bring industry leaders, policymakers, investors and founders working in the green-energy ecosystem into conversations with innovators and startups. The series will focus on practical lessons from building and scaling technologies.
A CleanTech Startup Showcase also highlighted more than 10 startups working across clean energy and green hydrogen. The startups presented their prototypes to stakeholders from across the ecosystem.
The CoE for Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Innovations brings together specialised infrastructure, technical expertise, incubation support and ecosystem linkages to help promising technologies move from experimentation to demonstration and, ultimately, deployment.
Its launch forms part of Venture Center’s broader effort to strengthen Pune’s position as a hub for science- and technology-led innovation in clean energy and green hydrogen.
