Germany’s GIZ, PHDCCI to collaborate to promote renewable energy

New Delhi

Industry body PHDCCI said on Friday that it will collaborate with GIZ (German Corporation for International Cooperation) to promote the expansion of renewable energy (RE) and a smooth energy transition.

Speaking at the PHDCCI–GIZ workshop on energy transition with discoms, Salil Gupta, Chair, PHDCCI Power Committee, emphasised that energy transition is not merely a technological shift but a comprehensive transformation of the energy ecosystem— one that demands new business models, regulatory frameworks, and operational paradigms.

India’s power distribution sector faces unique challenges that demand innovative solutions. Despite significant reforms over the past decades, many discoms continue to struggle with financial viability, operational inefficiencies and the complex task of balancing social obligations with commercial sustainability.

PR Kumar, MD & CEO of Noida Power Company, opined that India should not copy the energy transition and sustainability path in power sector of developed countries as their per capita incomes are much higher.

Grid infra modernisation

Discoms should take a lead in renewable purchase obligation (RPO) compliance for which grid infra needs to be modernised. They have to act as an enabler for energy transition.

A BSES spokesperson said that discoms are the link between grid and customers and have the most important role to play in sustainability in power sector.

BRPL has started installing energy storage projects in Delhi, which are essential for creating sustainable discoms. The discoms are inking green PPAs and also adding distributed RE, he added.

As a next step, the spokesperson suggested district cooling and Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) in new colonies to decongest the grid. He termed Peer-to-peer power trading as a game changer and called for creating an energy trading system on the lines of UPI to create equitable and sustainable power distribution in India.

Kuldeep Sharma, Head of Energy Transition with discoms at GIZ India gave a brief about the initiatives of GIZ in transforming discoms in India. GIZ has worked with 13 States and 26 discoms and has been supporting the decarbonisation journey in the transport and energy sector. He conveyed that India can only achieve net zero by 2070, if the discoms are sustainable.