MARCH, 202619In an exclusive interview with Thiruamuthan, Assistant Editor at Industry Outlook, Deepak Thakur, MD & CEO of Hinduja Renewables, discusses the shift in India's renewable energy sector from project-based execution to platform-led models, emphasizing the integration of generation, storage, and digital layers. He highlights the importance of operational efficiency, customer-centric approaches, and strategic financing for scaling renewable energy enterprises. With over three decades of experience across energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors, Deepak Thakur is an expert in business strategy, operational efficiency, and P&L management. He has held leadership roles at Mahindra Susten, Honeywell, L&T, and Reliance Industries.INDUSTRY INSIGHTSFROM PROJECTS TO PLATFORMS: THE NEXT PHASE OF CLEAN ENERGYDeepak Thakur, MD & CEO, Hinduja RenewablesIndia has scaled renewable projects rapidly. What concrete market or operational signals suggest the sector is now shifting from asset execution to platform-led energy models?India's renewable energy sector is evolving, driven by factors like growing energy demand and the emerging need for structured grid integration. This shift is reflected in the increasing scale, from adding megawatts to focusing on gigawatt-level capacities. In the past, the primary goal was the installation of capacity, but the current focus is on reliable delivery through FDRE, RTC, and assured peak requirements. Developers are now integrating not only generation technologies but also storage and dispatch capabilities.Operational discipline has become more crucial, particularly in light of stringent grid stability requirements and DSM penalties. These are pushing developers to prioritize scheduling accuracy and operational efficiency to avoid curtailment and mitigate risks to cash flows. Managing risks effectively across the entire portfolio is now necessary to ensure operational reliability and debt servicing. Additionally, the design of renewable plants must align with the time of day energy needs in open access states, which demands better integration of generation and load profiles.The sector is also seeing greater interest in green hydrogen, ammonia, and storage solutions. Storage is now a structural requirement, not an option, with technologies like BESS and pump storage gaining prominence. There's a clear shift from asset execution to platform-led energy models, with innovations in storage, EPC capability, strong asset management focus, and diversified portfolios becoming critical for success.As portfolios scale, how are developers practically integrating generation, storage, and digital layers to unlock platform efficiencies beyond standalone project economics?Traditional project-level design provides a way to portfolio-level capacity optimization, which highlights combining PSP and co-locating solar, wind, and storage to produce complementary generation profiles. Developers are turning toward portfolio-level storage, which optimizes storage utilization and transmission efficiency through the ability of a single large storage system to fulfill specific energy requirements across numerous projects. Energy storage is growing more crucial for non-solar hour demands, and BESS is growing in importance as an integrated resource instead of a project-level add-on. This change makes it possible Deepak Thakur,MD & CEO
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