Shyam Ragupathy, director, strategy, Customised Energy Solutions (CES), has over 20 years of experience in the Indian power sector. He has been a part of several large projects such as the DFID-funded power sector reforms for discoms in Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, process consultancy for Power Finance Corporation, and strategy and process development for the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme. He also has extensive experience in business planning, strategy development, business transformation, and change management. Prior to joining CES, Ragupathy worked for Indo National Limited, KPMG Advisory Services, Arthur Andersen Business Consulting and Polaris Software Labs.
At CES, he is involved in assisting clients in the implementation of corporate strategies, in the creation of new opportunities through policy advocacy support, due diligence for technology selection, and rules for interconnection and market participation.
The power sector is set to undergo a major transformation with its ambitious plans to install 175 GW of renewable capacity. The now-famous duck curve is proof of the renewables industry’s ability to meet early afternoon peak power demand, an opportunity to prove the storage industry’s value during fast-ramping periods, and shows the challenges faced by utilities due to grid constraints. In this respect, he is certain that energy storage will reshape the sector and enable widespread adoption and grid integration of solar and wind energy. He believes that the impact of energy storage will be far-reaching, as it not only addresses the issues of variability and uncertainty of renewable energy, but also presents an opportunity to modernise the grid with real-time communication and control automation in grid systems.
In the present scenario, the regulators and stakeholders are beginning to recognise the value of energy storage and are undertaking discussions with CES to create policies that further improve the business case for adoption. CES expects several hundreds of MWhs of energy storage implementations in India in 2017.
Ragupathy describes his management style as a democratic one. He involves his team in decision-making as he believes it motivates them to own their deliverables and stay committed. He also likes to lead by example. Ragupathy spends most of his Sunday mornings on Marina Beach, Chennai, cleaning up with the group, Angels of Marina. He is also a part of the Taarana Sanga initiative started by his family and well-wishers to help the poor and needy by serving them clean, hygienic food.