What are the main drivers that could help India in adopting renewables?
I think, as a nation, we should first be proud of the pace at which we have advanced our green transition and adoption of renewables. We have really done very well.
The current thought process is to create a market where generators can produce green power and consumers have the freedom to choose who they want to buy their power from. In a sense, you are creating a market economy, allowing decisions to be made by the marketplace. Who should consume how much? Who is the producer? Who is the consumer? These are all better determined in the marketplace. And that is the direction in which we are heading. Therefore, we are seeing a very quick uptick in renewable consumption. So, my vote is for more pro-choice kinds of policies.
How are you contributing to India’s low-carbon journey?
It has been nearly 15 years of running CleanMax. Our mission from day one has been to be a net-zero partner to corporates. We serve corporates exclusively—who, incidentally, make up more than half of the country’s energy consumption—and they are very committed to both going green and saving costs, which can be achieved by going green.
What are the factors that helped CleanMax make this contribution in such a short span of time?
I think in any business, there are two main things. One, you’ve got to catch a big trend early. In 2011, we were literally selling the first few rooftop solar PPAs door to door. So, we did catch the trend early. And second, you’ve got to have focus because focus breeds excellence.
How have corporate needs evolved over time, and how are you catering to these?
A lot has changed, of course, when it comes to corporate needs and behaviour. One factor is cost. The other is: what percentage of my emissions am I abating with this? Because companies want to see material changes. That is what I like about renewables for corporates. Power is a big part of a corporate’s emissions. If you can substitute brown power from the grid with cheaper, green power—which is what companies like ours provide—then you can save the company a lot of money and also materially reduce their emissions.
What is your message for people?
All these big journeys we talk about for the planet—like net zero—are the sum total of billions of individual decisions. We all have our part to play in how we consume things and what preferences we express at home and at work. All those billions of choices add up for the planet. So, keep doing what you are doing.
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