Mercom India conducted a series of exclusive interviews with top executives from the renewable energy sector and government agencies, bringing out their insights on the industry and the way forward.

Here is a look back at some impactful interviews that delve into renewable energy policies, the rooftop solar sector, smart metering innovations, commercial and industrial (C&I) solutions, and parametric insurance for the renewables sector.

Supportive Policies for Corporates to Adopt Renewable Energy: Climate Group

Several large companies have signed up to RE100, a global corporate renewable energy initiative bringing together hundreds of businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. In India, the RE100 program is driven by the Climate Group.

In this exclusive interview with Mercom India, Divya Sharma, India Executive Director of Climate Group, outlines Climate Group’s activities in India, including the progress achieved under the RE100 program and other decarbonization initiatives aimed at reducing emissions by industries in various sectors.

Discussing Climate Group’s initiatives in India and the participation by Indian companies in RE100, she said, “We’ve been in India for over 15 years, worked with 15 governments, and engaged with more than 190 businesses. We believe in the power of collective action. We’ve brought governments and companies together to drive climate action where emissions are highest. We’ve been running large initiatives on renewable energy procurement (RE100), energy productivity (EP100), decarbonization of the steel industry (SteelZero), and making electric vehicles the new norm (EV100 and EV100+ for medium to heavy-duty vehicles).”

Parametric Insurance for Weather Risks in Renewable Energy: WRMS Global

Weather vagaries can adversely impact wind and solar generation. Weather-based parametric risk insurance is gradually gaining ground in India’s renewable energy sector.

In an exclusive interview with Mercom India, Sarathy Srinivas, Head of International Projects, WRMS, shares his insights on parametric insurance and his company’s insurance offerings for the renewable energy sector.

Talking about how parametric insurance help mitigate the adverse financial impact of weather-vagaries in the renewable energy sector, he said, “Parametric insurance helps mitigate revenue volatility and ensures operational resilience by providing swift payouts during extreme weather events, reducing the financial burden and risk associated with power generation interruptions. Using advanced data technologies, such as real-time monitoring and historical data analysis, parametric insurance delivers timely, dependable financial responses that enhance the viability and resilience of renewable energy investments, making the sector more resilient against climate challenges.”

Future of Indian Rooftop Solar Sector: SolarSquare

In an exclusive interview with Mercom India, Shreya Mishra, Co-Founder of SolarSquare, a residential rooftop solar solutions firm, explains how recent programs for accelerating rooftop solar installations are driving the market and what policy modifications in certain states could help for wider adoption of rooftop solar.

She elaborates on the installation process and the factors customers should consider when installing a rooftop solar system.

She believes that the PM Surya Ghar Yojana is an example of governance excellence.

Discussing steps that the government can take to streamline and achieve its 40 GW target by March 2026, she said, “To further bolster this program, the most important enabler now will be further easing solar approvals in every state. Currently, in many states, there is still scope for improvement in the approval process. It can take up to 60 days for a consumer to get all approvals and have the solar system up and running. The best approval process is in Gujarat, where the whole process can be completed in just 15-25 days. To make India’s #HarGharSolar dream a reality, solar approvals for homes and residential welfare associations should be 100% online, paperless, and fast-tracked. This will be very important if we want grassroots adoption of solar in every district and city.”

Providing Uninterrupted Green Power Through a Mix of Renewables: Serentica

In an exclusive interview with Mercom India, Akshay Hiranandani, CEO of renewable energy developing company, Serentica Renewables, delves into the company’s plans for installing 4 GW of green energy projects, their customer-centric approach, financing strategies, challenges in the green energy open access market, and insights into the future growth trajectory of this dynamic sector.

Talking about Serentica’s plan to differentiate itself in the market, he said, “Through a mix of solar, wind, long-duration, and short-duration energy storage technologies, along with digital tools for optimization, we ensure customized and efficient energy solutions for our industrial customers.”

He said Serentica is addressing the critical need for uninterrupted electricity in industries such as metals and mining, oil and gas, cement, pharmaceuticals, and textiles.

“Moreover, our shift in procurement strategy, transitioning from conventional power purchase agreements to service level agreements (SLAs), showcases our dedication to adaptability and our ability to respond promptly to customer requirements. The diversity lies in our ability to connect these industries to the central grid, facilitating a transition from state routes to centralized power supply. This specialization is particularly valuable for industries requiring a large quantum of power, as our expertise ensures a stable and reliable energy supply and strategically builds a project development pipeline of an additional 4 GW that will enable us to deliver power within 12 to 15 months of power purchase agreement signing,” said Hiranandani.

 A Watershed Year for Smart Power Metering: Airtel Business (India)

Smart meters are a critical component of the government’s power sector reforms and are expected to contribute significantly to improving the billing and collection efficiencies of distribution companies.

In an exclusive interview with Mercom, Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, CEO of Airtel Business (India), shares his thoughts about smart metering solutions in India’s power sector and Airtel’s offerings in the smart metering space.

Lakshminarayanan informed that Airtel connects 27.9 million devices on its network across multiple use cases, including smart metering. He said, “Airtel empowers all its IoT customers with the Airtel IoT Hub, a platform to centrally manage and control the SIMs and devices deployed on the field. The platform gives customers complete control of all aspects of the SIM lifecycle – provisioning, billing and payment, network configuration, issue management, and support – and is at the core of our engagement with IoT customers. We are also building an ‘IoT-grade’ network, which means that our network is being designed to support the scale and behavior of IoT devices. We are investing in rolling out our Narrowband IoT network, which is geared towards low throughput devices such as smart meters, which require deep indoor and rural coverage. We are using these strategic investments in our IoT platform and network to build differentiated offerings for our smart metering customers.”

Opportunities and Challenges of Renewables in C&I: BluPine Energy

In an exclusive interview with Mercom India, Rahul Mishra, Senior VP and Head of C&I at BluPine Energy, shared his views on the recent trends in the green energy open access market and the C&I energy transition in India.

Mishra spoke about the current opportunities and challenges the C&I segment consumers must consider when transitioning to renewables.

Discussing the challenges that hinders C&I consumers from transitioning to green energy, he said, “A primary obstacle hindering the transition to green energy is the regulatory framework, which frequently restricts the amount of energy sourced from renewable sources. These regulations differ among states and can substantially impact the extent to which C&I consumers can embrace renewable energy.”

Mishra stated that the energy market is slowly embracing hybrid solutions, where real-time settlements of renewable energy displace approximately 70% to 80% of current consumer consumption. The progress and adoption of these solutions hinge on expanded power purchase agreements and stable energy exchange market volumes.

“Achieving 100% displacement faces challenges without supportive banking regulations and economically viable energy storage solutions. Nevertheless, it is anticipated that in the next 2-3 years, advancements in energy storage technology will pave the way for a substantial shift towards renewable sources, allowing for a more significant displacement of conventional energy consumption,” said Mishra.