DirectH2 Inc., a US-based start-up developing modular direct solar-to-hydrogen systems, has signed a Letter of Intent with Shree Tuljabhavani Sugar Private Limited for business development and early-stage funding in India. Led by CEO Dr Vivek V Dhas and Chief Scientific Officer Dr Aditya Mohite, DirectH2 is advancing technology that integrates solar photovoltaics and electrolysis into a single module to produce low-cost green hydrogen at the point of use. The partnership aims to accelerate deployment of the innovation within India’s growing hydrogen ecosystem and support ambitions under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Dr Dhas, who hails from Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra and previously helped establish Hunt Perovskite Technologies while also serving as Director of Technology at Cubic Perovskites, said the collaboration reinforces the company’s mission. He noted that the LOI provides both early business development support and early-stage funding to speed up commercial delivery of scalable and efficient solar PV-based hydrogen solutions. He emphasised that STSPL will be a key partner in enabling DirectH2 to participate effectively in India’s national hydrogen programme.

Collaboration aligned with India’s Hydrogen Mission

STSPL is an established agricultural and industrial company in Maharashtra with activities across sugar production, ethanol distillation, power generation, compressed biogas and biomass. The firm sees the partnership as a strong complement to national clean-energy objectives. Chairperson and Founder Bhavna Bordikar said STSPL intends to provide land for DirectH2’s future expansion in India, act as an early investor and serve as an offtaker of green hydrogen produced by DirectH2 systems.

Dr Mohite, inventor of DirectH2’s PV-integrated electrolysis technology developed at Rice University, highlighted the significance of the agreement. He described the collaboration as a promising step toward commercial reality for a technology designed to bypass expensive electricity supply infrastructure. By combining solar PV and electrolyser functions within a single panel, the system avoids high-cost electricity inputs and grid-delivery constraints that limit conventional hydrogen production. According to Dr Mohite, the decentralised nature of the technology opens a wide range of market applications, including fleet refuelling, data centres and industrial facilities that require on-site hydrogen generation.

Source: 

https://fuelcellsworks.com/2025/12/17/clean-energy/directh2-signs-loi-with-indian-partner-to-scale-modular-solar-to-hydrogen-tech