Tata Power seek opportunity in the fuel cell business

Tata Power is scouting for partners to pursue opportunities in the area of fuel cell technologies, as part of efforts to strengthen its presence in clean energy space.

Tata Power, which has an installed generation capacity of about 8,500 MW, including 852 MW from renewable energy sources, said it is actively looking for fuel cell technology partners to pursue opportunities in the Indian market.

Fuel cells run on variety of fuels such as hydrogen, methanol and ethanol, and are seen as a replacement for diesel generator sets.

“Tata Power is working on putting together a workable business model in place to seek technology partners for fuel cells,” it said in a statement.

Considered as highly efficient and a good source of clean energy, fuel cells in India have the potential to make a real impact for back up applications.

According to the company, using hydrogen directly for fuel cells is a challenge since it involves cost and safety issues, among others.

The company is also evaluating new technology for fly ash utilisation and opportunities in overseas markets are also being explored in this regard.

Fly ash is a byproduct of burning coal for electricity generation.

“Some of the other aspects of fly ash utilisation being explored by Tata Power include extraction of iron content, extraction of silica, and usage of ash as a substitute for cement,” the company noted.

Tata Power Managing Director Anil Sardana said the company is continuously evaluating and reviewing various upcoming and innovative clean and renewable energy technologies.

“We intend to have 20-25 per cent of our total generation capacity from clean power sources,” he added.