India Needs Renewable Targets Beyond 2030 to Sustain Clean Energy Momentum, Says Mercom CEO New Delhi, Delhi, India – Business Wire India The fifth edition of the Mercom India Renewables Summit concluded last week at the Hyatt Regency in New Delhi, drawing record attendance from across India’s clean energy sector. The two-day event featured industry-leading speakers and panelists across critical sessions focused on policy, innovation, infrastructure, and investment in renewable energy. The Summit featured for the first time an Expo Hall with a curated selection of leading clean energy brands and technology innovators, highlighting India’s local energy ecosystem. PHOTO: Raj Prabhu, CEO, Mercom Capital Group at the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2025PHOTO: Raj Prabhu, CEO, Mercom Capital Group with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi at the Mercom India Renewables Summit India Urged to Announce Post-2030 Vision for Renewables In his keynote address, Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group, called attention to the looming 2030 milestone and the need for a long-term renewable energy target beyond it. “India has no formal renewable energy target beyond 2030. That’s less than five years away. For this industry to grow in a meaningful, predictable way, we need visibility for the next 5 to 10 years,” said Prabhu. “I urge the government to announce a long-term vision that outlines what the demand landscape looks like beyond 2030 so developers, manufacturers, and investors can plan and allocate capital with confidence.” Key Insights from the Summit • India’s Clean Energy Milestone: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said during his speech at the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2025, “We aimed for 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030. Today, we are proud to say that half of India’s installed power is already from non-fossil sources,” crediting the achievement to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. • Scaling Renewable Projects: With 500 GW of non-fossil capacity targeted by 2030, panelists emphasized the need for rapid infrastructure buildout, regulatory clarity, and streamlined execution to fast-track deployment. Grid readiness and storage adoption emerged as decisive factors. • Domestic Manufacturing Push: Experts agreed that scaling solar module production is not enough. India must develop a resilient, cost-effective local supply chain, including junction boxes, solar glass, mounting structures, and cables, to sustain long-term growth. "It’s essential for organizations like Mercom to promote domestic R&D. Strengthening R&D within India will reduce our dependence on imported technologies," said Sunil Sharma, Director (NRE RCM), Ministry of Power. • C&I Sector Evolution: Project developers are pivoting toward hybrid models, and traditional wind/solar projects are gradually being phased out. With 25 GWh of battery energy storage expected within 18–24 months, demand from data centers is forecast to surpass even that of the steel sector. • Energy Storage and Green Hydrogen: Battery assets are being recognized as multifunctional resources for grid services and commercial use, not just peak shifting. India is also laying the foundation for large-scale green hydrogen hubs with pilot projects along its western coast. • Financing Clean Energy: Investor confidence in India’s renewable sector has never been stronger, with lenders actively competing to fund high-impact projects. Private, public, and foreign institutions are actively funding solar, wind, hybrid, and round-the-clock power projects, with energy storage emerging as a key focus for investors. • Call for Local Skills Development to Accelerate Sector Growth: Across multiple sessions, there was a unified call for urgent investment in local skills development to support the rapid expansion of India’s clean energy sector. “The industry can grow by 10-20% if it had access to a skilled workforce,” said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group. Simarpreet Singh, Executive Director & CEO of Hartek Group, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that a skilled workforce could support growth across the industry. Mercom India Awards The Mercom India Awards 2025 ceremony was presided over by India’s Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, and Mercom Capital Group CEO Raj Prabhu. There were 13 award categories, recognizing the exceptional work of organizations that contributed to India’s clean energy industry and helped drive the country forward in its energy transition. The award winners can be found here. Mercom Startup Winner Enlog, an AI-powered energy management and IoT solutions provider, emerged as the winner of Mercom’s third startup pitch competition held during the event. Supporting Organizations The Title Partner for Summit was Hartek Group, and Platinum Partner was Emmvee Group. Gold Partners included: Howden, Enrich Energy, Engie, Envision Energy, Saatvik, Soleos Solar, Dashtech, Sunsure, Enfinity, Vikram Solar, Loom Solar, and JSW Steel. GameChange Solar, Ciel & Terre, SKV Law Offices, and Rays Power Infra sponsored the panel sessions. The Summit was also supported by: Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA), Renewable Energy Society of India (RESI), and Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA). Event participants were made up of the who’s who of India’s clean energy sector, including: • Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, Honorable Cabinet Minister, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy • Sudeep Jain, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy • Sunil Sharma, Director (NRE, RCM), Ministry of Power • Sarit Maheshwari, CEO, NTPC Green Energy • Sivakumar V Vepakomma, Director (Power System), Solar Energy Corporation of India • Ajay Kumar Sinha, General Manager, Solar Energy Corporation of India • Simarpreet Singh, ED & CEO, Hartek Group • Sanjeev Gupta, Director Technical & Projects, Hartek Group • Raj Prabhu, CEO & Co-Founder, Mercom Capital Group • Jonas Dalsgaard, Chief Commercial Officer, Sustainable Energy, Howden Group • Wendy Prabhu, President, Mercom Communications & Co-Founder, Mercom Capital Group • Prashant Mathur, CEO, Saatvik • Vikram Kenjale, Vice President India, GameChange Solar • Vinay Vyas, CEO EPC Business, Enrich Energy • Dhananjay Kumar, Director of Corporate Affairs, ENGIE India • Inder Bhambra, Chief Business Officer, Envision Energy India • Kartikeya Narain Sharma, Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, Sunsure Energy • Shri Venkatesh, Founding Partner, SKV Law Offices • Deepak Ushadevi, MD & CEO, Ciel et Terre Solar • Bhavesh Kumar Rathod, Founder and Director, Soleos Solar Energy • Sishir Garemella, Head of International Business Development, Kiwa PVEL • Suhas Donthi, President & CEO, Emmvee Group • Birendra Pandey, Head of Energy Commercialization, Enfinity Global India • Amod Anand, Director, Loom Solar • Vaibhav Roongta, Chief Business Officer, Rays Power Infra • Bhupendra Singh Rawat, CEO, Dhash PV Technologies • Purnendu Chaubey, Sr VP, ReNew • Chetan Amrutkar, AVP Sales and Marketing, GenX PV • Rahil Mehrotra, GM, JSW Steel • Sumit Kumar, VP Operations (Manufacturing) & Technology, Vikram Solar • Avinash Hiranandani, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, RenewSys India • Inderjeet Singh, VP Technology, Green Hydrogen & Derivatives, Adani New Industries • Ajay Shah, Director, Vishakha Group • Swati Bharadwaj, VP, Tata Capital Decarbonisation Fund • Amit Barve, CEO, Rayzon Solar • Divanshu Gupta, BU Head, C&I- Rooftop, Hartek Group • Twinkle Chandariya, Assistant Vice President Business, Aseem Infrastructure Finance About Mercom India Mercom India is a clean energy research, media, and communications firm in India recognized worldwide for its expertise in Indian cleantech markets. Located in Bangalore, Mercom has provided research and insights to clean energy organizations in India since 2009. Mercom India is a subsidiary of Mercom Capital Group, an integrated communications, research, and media firm focused exclusively on clean energy markets across the U.S., Europe, India, and the Middle East. Learn more at: www.MercomIndia.com Follow Mercom India on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI