Sunil Barnwal is heading the customer operations of the B2B team at ReNew Power, where he has been working for the past seven years. He has over 17 years of experience in the power industry with expertise in power distribution, policy and regulation, energy audit, power market reforms and risk mitigation strategies. He has expertise in the testing and validation of electrical and mechanical components as per the Indian standards and is involved in demand side management of discoms.
His current role involves identifying workable net-zero pathways for commercial and industrial (C&I) clients, ensuring regulatory compliance, providing support in model contract drafting and enforcement, and revenue optimisation, and outlining the IT automation needs of the company. He is also involved in identifying risks and providing inputs for strategic and timely mitigation.
Barnwal believes that it is important to look for different ways to mobilise green finance across the economic value chain. Promoting green energy open access is key to overcoming the challenges faced by IPPs. He quotes his company’s chairman and CEO, Sumant Sinha on India’s renewable energy sector, “The government has been proactive in helping the renewable industry scale in recent years. For instance, it allowed up to 100 per cent FDI in renewables through the automatic route and recently announced a PLI scheme to boost manufacturing in the sector. Overall, the focus on public-private partnerships and a conducive policymaking environment have helped create a strong renewable energy base, which can be ramped up.” On his management style, Barnwal says that he highly values participation by his peers in the decision-making process. Active participation helps in foreseeing transformations to achieve organisational objectives. He tries to delegate initiatives to his team members based on their commitment to the desired outcome. He guides them in identifying different pathways and tackling challenges in a time-bound manner.
He believes in proactive incentives-linked policies and formulation of regulations for stakeholders as the way forward for the power industry. He looks forward to playing a pivotal role in the development of simplified and customised pathways for every business in the organisation, especially the C&I segment, to attain net-zero carbon emissions.
Barnwal likes to stay updated on relevant regulatory regimes and latest trends in the field of sustainability and net-zero goals. He enjoys playing badminton for fitness, and spending time with family and friends.
