Mercom India’s recently held C&I Clean Energy Meet 2022 in Bengaluru brought together solar sector stakeholders and commercial and industrial entities on the same platform to discuss the benefits of renewable energy and practical solutions to help lower power costs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted most commercial and industrial (C&I) businesses to go solar in order to cut costs and reap environmental and economic benefits.

Commercial & Industrial (C&I) entities, large institutions, and residential apartments are all in pursuit of energy sources that are clean, green, and cheaper than grid power tariffs.

The C&I segment, in the last few quarters, has been the driving force behind the demand for renewables, mainly rooftop solar and open access installations, considered the most viable option.

Rooftop solar has become popular among C&I consumers because of its easy availability and the savings on power costs as there are no transmission or distribution losses. Open Access, too, has been on the rise across the segment as it provides consumers the flexibility to purchase offsite power from projects within the state and outside.

The C&I Clean Energy Meet was able to bring prospective C&I entities who were either looking to expand their existing renewable capacities or add new ones, on the same platform as the solar industry specialists.

Consumers and industry experts discussed how substantial power users could utilize renewable energy for their power needs. Other key takeaways included insights on the environmental benefits of going green, open-access solutions in the current regulatory framework, and attractive options to finance clean energy.

The event attracted commercial and industrial entities from various sectors, including MTR foods, iD Fresh Food, Krishna Flour Mills, Nokia Networks, Aditya Birla, Emerson, and National Informatics Centre.

The meet included forums with industry experts discussing the benefits, policies, and processes related to rooftop solar and open access. Experts shared their views on what consumers should look for while opting for rooftop and open access. They spoke about costs, choice of developers, financing options, and operation and maintenance of the projects.

Commenting on his experience during the event, J.R.Bangera, Member of the National MSME Board, Ministry of MSME, said, “Events like these are insightful since a lot of information is exchanged, which I can take back to my organization. This event provided a good platform for end-users and industry developers to discuss the benefits and faster ways to transition to renewable energy. Mercom did well by putting together such a wonderful forum.”

Echoing similar views, Kushagra Gautam, Manager at Climate Policy Initiative, said, “Mercom organized event created a wonderful brainstorming platform and generated a lot of ideas for the C&I industries to consider. These events seldom happen, making them even more critical for the industry to know the end consumer to cater to their needs.”

Valuable insights were shared by Ashok Kumar, Narayana Health Manager of ESG. He spoke about how his company was saving over ₹40 million (~$514,423) every year through solar power. Representatives from Kurlon, a mattress company with rooftop solar installations at its manufacturing units in three different states with a combined capacity of 2.5 MW, explained how their company had saved more than ₹75 million (~$964,528) since its first solar installation in 2016.

After an overwhelming response in Bengaluru, Mercom India plans to host more industry-focused C&I events in Pune, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, and Noida.

Mercom India’s industry events offer deep market insights that help executives make informed, data-driven decisions and help India achieve the goal of installing 300 GW of solar by 2030.