The ZENERGY Podcast: Energy Leadership, Finance, and Technology

Hemant Sahai, the founding partner of HSA Advocates, which is one of India’s leading and most active law firms in the renewable energy space. In this conversation, Mr. Sahai provides insight into how the energy landscape is evolving from a legal standpoint, and how the courts have responded to instances where discoms have renegaded from contract commitments.  Hope you enjoy my conversation with Mr. Sahai!

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​Topics covered in this podcast:

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[0:09] Mr. Sahai introduces himself and his involvement in the energy sector in India

[5:35] The context around DISCOMs and their delay of payments to renewable generators

[13:21] What is happening with subsidies and will there be a switch to direct transfers from the State to the consumer instead of payments through a DISCOM?

[18:00] Will renewable energy be a great vehicle for India to improve is leadership position in the world and are Indian solar companies competitive on a global scale?

Sidharath Kapur is the recent CEO of Acme Solar, which is India’s largest utility scale solar development company. In this conversation Mr. Kapur discusses renewable energy financing in India — beginning with an assessment of how much investment is required to achieve India's renewable energy targets. In this conversation Mr. Kapur breaks down a key challenge in the India solar market, which is the deficiency of long term debt financing at attractive rates.  Mr. Kapur concludes by introducing a proposed concept of renewable financing obligations, which could be the key for sustaining this industry over the long term. ​

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​Topics covered in the on this podcast:

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[02:05] What are India's targets for renewable energy for the next years?

[3:57] Investment requirements needed to reach these targets

[5:32] What are the key sectoral challenges that need to be overcome?

[8:30] What is the problem with transmission infrastructure?

[10:19] What are the key hesitations for lenders?

[15:00] Is there significant international investment coming in?

[19:30] Mr. Kapoor's introduction of the renewable power financing obligation

[25:31] Will India remain and further become a leader in the solar sector?

One quick note - we had some wifi connectivity issues for the first ten minutes or so - please bear with us, as the insights shared by Mr. Khanna are too good to miss. I highly recommend you listen to this audio with headphones - and then everything should smoothen out after the ten minute mark or so. Thank you and hope you enjoy!

Ashish Khanna is the President of Tata Power - Renewables, which is now India’s largest integrated power company, that has helped transform the Indian electricity landscape. In this conversation, Mr. Khanna expresses his insight into the hurdles that the solar energy sector has yet to overcome to hit its potential, as well as the potential areas for US-India partnership in the sustainable energy sector. Mr. Khanna also provides advice to the younger generation on entrepreneurial opportunities in this space, and I hope you enjoy this conversation with Mr. Ashish Khanna!

Topics covered on this podcast:

[2:16] Future of Solar Energy:  facts on Indian electricity statistics over the coming decades and why solar is well-positioned to tap into this, plus the obstacles that the industry must overcome

[12:50] Where are the entrepreneurial opportunities for new companies in the renewable sector in India

[19:58] What insight would Mr. Khanna give to the younger generation?

[21:56] Could there be a potential US-India partnership in the renewable energy sector?

In this episode we will be speaking with Mr. Saurabh Agarwal, Managing Director of Infrastructure in the South Asia Practice at CDPQ. In this role, Mr. Agarwal directs CDPQ’s infrastructure investment efforts in South Asia, and leads business development in the region. We discuss CDPQ’s decision to acquire a majority ownership stake in Azure Power and how the investment climate is involving in the Indian renewable energy space. Hope you enjoy!

Topics discussed in this podcast:

1. When you are looking for projects to invest in. How do you locate these opportunities and how important do you believe having a strong network is to be able to find the opportunities?

2. CDPQ's majority stake acquisition of Azure Power - what led to this decision? 

3. Challenge associated with signing power sale agreements 

4. Overall investment climate in India 

Taranjit Singh Sandhu is the current Ambassador of India to the US and former High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. In this conversation, Ambassador Sandhu provides a historical overview of the relationship between India and the US, and talks about how the relationship has evolved over time. Ambassador Sandhu discusses the strengths of the Indian renewable energy market and what steps the government is taking to facilitate greater access for foreign investors.  I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ambassador Sandhu!

Topics covered in this podcast:

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[1:42] How has the US-India relationship evolved over time?

[5:03] How can the younger population engage to further strengthen this relationship?

[7:03] What are the specific strengths of India and the US in the development of the energy sector?

[11:53] What exactly is the “One grid, one world” vision?

[15:23] What are the key challenges that investors express, who are interested in Indian investments?

[19:42] What work has the embassy engaged in to address these investor concerns and what policies have been enacted to make investing in the Indian energy market more accessible?

[21:53] Ambassador Sandhu makes a call to action to potential investors interested in the Indian energy space