Hydrogen has a long history from powering the first combustion engines over 200 years ago to becoming an integral fuel of the modern refining industry. However, due to safety concerns and the advent of alternate energy sources, hydrogen in the past never became mainstreamed as a viable fuel choice.

But in the last few years, hydrogen technologies have seen unprecedented momentum from both policymakers and industry players as part of deeper decarbonization efforts. According to the Hydrogen Council, hydrogen technologies are expected to provide 18% of the world’s total energy needs and will power more than 425 million vehicles worldwide by 2050. Hydrogen, if generated through renewable means, can play a significant role in accelerating the clean energy transition in Asia in majorly all energy end-use sectors – transportation, commercial, industrial, and residential. India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have recently launched specific national missions, programs and demonstration pilots on green hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cell technologies. As several countries strive for net-zero carbon by 2050, new applications of hydrogen technologies stand to revolutionize the approach towards energy supply and use infrastructure.

USAID India, under the Asia EDGE initiative is starting a capacity building workshop series named “South Asia Energy Masterclass” where the focus will be to provide in-depth and hands-on training on topics of emerging interest. With an aim to enhance the awareness on latest technology and policy trends, the first installment of the master class is focused on hydrogen which will have sessions on fundamentals of hydrogen, introduction to technology and applications, coupling with renewables, economics, and global standards and policies. The masterclass, conducted through the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ, India), is designed to include firsthand case studies that provide evidence and experience sharing on application of hydrogen for power generation.

This approximately nine-hours masterclass is designed to help participants to:

1. Learn fundamentals and basics of hydrogen
2. Gain understanding of hydrogen industry technologies and terminologies
3. Understand key applications of hydrogen based on global trends
4. Know about the production, storage, and conversion technologies in the industry value chain
5. Know about the global trends on standards and regulations related to safety, certification of origin, and other enabling regulations  
6. Takeaways from project examples and case studies from around the world

Please see attached for the final agenda. Below are the links to the masterclass recordings: