Green Hydrogen for a Sustainable Society
For many years, natural gases such as methane have been used to power systems that heat homes and businesses, and stations that generate electricity because they are readily available and cost-effective. Waste products from these gases, however, include carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change when released into the atmosphere. Dr Saumyakanti’s research is at the forefront of research and innovation in green hydrogen production technology, which explores the production of hydrogen, a clean alternative to methane, from solar energy with the potential for near-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr Saumyakanti is leveraging collaborative research to amplify the development, adoption and global impact of his recent work on a new nanoparticle-driven green hydrogen production technology which is powered entirely by sunlight.
A Career Dedicated to Chemical Research
Dr Saumyakanti earned his Doctorate in Chemistry from Rice University, USA, in 2011, after which he spent three years in postdoctoral research at the Leiden Institute of Physics in the Netherlands. He joined the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar in 2015, establishing a flourishing research group that focused on solar to hydrogen technology, especially important for sustainable development in India. His innovative research has been published in respected international journals and a small-scale portable system for testing in a rural setting is currently being developed through a collaborative effort with the faculties in the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar.
Dr Saumyakanti was appointed associate professor of chemistry by IIT Gandhinagar in 2020. He is a member of the Indian Society for Radiation and Photochemical Sciences (ISRAPS) and the American Chemical Society. He has more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in journals, books and conference proceedings. He is also a recipient of several professional awards and fellowships including the Welch and Stauffer-Rothrock Fellowships by Rice University, the Excellence in Research Fellowship by IIT Gandhinagar, and the Excellence in Research Award by Rice University.
Powering Communities with Hydrogen Produced from Sunlight
Dr Saumyakanti’s project, supported by the DIA programme, focuses on developing innovative hydrogen-production strategies that use sunlight as the only energy resource. The project aims to achieve wider promotion and a more significant impact of green hydrogen in building a sustainable society that works for everyone.
Dr Saumyakanti believes collaborative research significantly impacts innovation, especially in the green hydrogen field. The DIA grant allows him to collaborate with Professor Kenneth Grattan FREng of City, University of London to upscale and develop a safe monitoring system to quantify the rate of hydrogen production and monitor any leakage to ensure safety. Dr Saumyakanti is also leveraging international collaborations to develop a nanoparticle-driven hydrogen production system with a capacity to produce up to 300 litres of green hydrogen from water and an organic waste material under sunlight.
The DIA programme offers me a platform to promote innovation in the green hydrogen field and address long-term issues to enhance sustainability.
Providing Rural Populations Access to Clean Energy Sources
Dr Saumyakanti believes that harnessing renewable resources such as solar power for green hydrogen production can provide a large fraction of neglected rural populations access to a reliable and low-cost clean energy source. He is facilitating knowledge exchange and capacity building in green hydrogen production through workshops in India and the UK. He is also working on publishing new research papers in the best international media to promote innovations in green hydrogen to industry and academic communities. Through collaborations with industrial partners such as City Optotech Ltd and Cellegant Energy Systems, Dr Saumyakanti is exploring the scope for commercialisation of hydrogen production technology globally.