Maruti Suzuki starts green hydrogen pilot at Manesar
Maruti Suzuki has commissioned a 300 kW green hydrogen electrolyser at its Manesar facility, blending the hydrogen with natural gas for use as process fuel. The plant utilises surplus solar power generated on holidays to produce hydrogen, which is stored for later use. The company plans to apply lessons from this pilot to expand green hydrogen adoption at its Haryana and Gujarat plants.
The pilot's design tackles a common limitation of solar power—its intermittent availability. By channelling surplus electricity generated on non-working days into hydrogen production, the company converts otherwise wasted energy into a storable fuel. This hydrogen is subsequently mixed with natural gas and used to run manufacturing processes, partially displacing conventional fossil fuel consumption.
The initiative complements a separate biogas project announced for Maruti Suzuki's Kharkhoda facility in June 2026. That plant, expected to begin operations in the 2026–27 financial year, is projected to reduce carbon emissions by roughly 9,490 tonnes and supply approximately one-fifth of the site's gas demand. Together, these efforts reflect a broader move toward generating clean fuel on-site at the company's Haryana and Gujarat operations.
This pilot could demonstrate how large manufacturers can pair solar generation with hydrogen storage to smooth energy supply, potentially influencing similar industrial decarbonisation efforts across India. If scaled successfully, it may reduce fossil fuel dependence in production processes, lowering emissions and shielding operations from gas price swings. Local communities near the Haryana and Gujarat plants could see air quality improvements, while the biogas component offers a potential model for managing organic waste. The outcome may also inform policy discussions around green hydrogen incentives for the manufacturing sector.