Debmalya Sen is an energy sector professional with 14 years of experience across power generation, renewable energy, battery storage and energy policy. His career began in power plant operations and asset management at Apraava Energy. There, in 2017, he was first introduced to battery storage. “Not many people were talking about battery storage at that time. I have seen the sector grow as I have grown through my career,” he says.
In his present role as President of the India Energy Storage Alliance, Sen leads an industry body with nearly 200 member organisations. The alliance is focused on five verticals, namely, energy storage, green hydrogen, e-mobility, manufacturing and recycling. A key part of his role involves close engagement with government agencies to help shape policy, tenders and guidelines for sectoral growth. “It is an emerging sector that needs certainty and progressive regulation to grow,” he notes.
Sen believes India’s power sector is entering a critical phase of transition. While renewable capacity has expanded rapidly, renewables currently meet only about 10-11 per cent of overall energy demand. As this share rises, grid stability challenges will intensify. “That’s where storage becomes essential. It acts as a buffer,” he explains. Although storage capacity is growing, he believes the pace of deployment must also accelerate.
According to him, the sector’s main challenge is no longer adding generation capacity, but managing variability. Thermal plants are increasingly being used for ramping, which lowers utilisation factors and raises costs. At the same time, storage capacity remains inadequate and pumped hydro projects face long gestation periods and execution delays. Transmission has also emerged as a major bottleneck, with network expansion lagging behind renewable additions.
Sen describes his time at the World Economic Forum, where he led the energy division in India to accelerate deployment of emerging technologies, as a significant moment in his career. His early move into energy storage is another defining moment. “Not many people do what they love. I have had the opportunity to do that, which makes every day feel fulfilling,” he adds.
He holds an MBA degree from the SP Jain School of Global Management, where he received the Global Citizenship Award in Singapore. Sen believes in empowering his team and giving them the freedom to grow.
