Dr Debajit Palit is currently professor of energy at the NTPC School of Business (NSB), Noida. Prior to this, he was with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) from 1998 to 2022. He joined TERI as a research associate and progressed to become director and senior fellow, leading its social transformation/rural energy and livelihood division from 2012. Currently, he is also vice president (Hon) of the Indian Association for Energy Economics, and a member of the LVDC Distribution Systems Sectional Committee under the Bureau of Indian Standards. Over a 26-year-long career in the energy sector, he has worked as a researcher, practitioner, author, columnist and educator in domains like energy transition, clean energy access, distributed renewable energy and micro grids, in 17 countries. He has authored several books and research papers and featured in Stanford University’s List of World’s Top 2 per cent Scientists for the past four years.
“I teach two core courses at NSB – Energy in Transition and Power Sector Management – and one elective course on Distributed Generation and Microgrids. While teaching, I try to focus on clarity, patience and adaptability by breaking down complex concepts into understandable parts, using analogies from real life to make ideas accessible to students. I also try to tailor my approach to the students’ learning styles, whether they prefer case studies, visual aids, interactive exercises or verbal explanations,” says Palit. In terms of management style for the projects he undertakes, Palit emphasises collective planning, discipline in implementation, communication and flexibility. “I believe in a clear communication of goals and expectations, providing support and resources for team members to succeed, and I am open to feedback and new ideas,” he says.
As an associate editor and a member of the editorial board of two prestigious energy journals, Palit dedicates significant time to reviewing manuscripts. “Whenever I get time beyond these activities, I like to watch movies,” he says.
As an educator and researcher, Palit’s objective is to create a cohort of informed and empowered students and researchers who can contribute to India’s twin goals of becoming a developed nation by 2047 and achieving net zero by 2070.
Palit has a master’s degree in physics from Gauhati University, a postgraduate diploma in Non-conventional Energy Technology from Tezpur University and a PhD in Energy Policy from the TERI School of Advanced Studies.
