In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline’s Rishi Ranjan Kala speaks with Naveen Khandelwal, CEO of BrightNight India, a leading renewable energy company based in the U.S. with a strong presence across India, Australia, and Bangladesh. Khandelwal has led the development of over 7 GW capacity and helped raise over $3 billion for various renewable projects. 

The episode starts with Khandelwal discussing India’s role in achieving the goal of 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel power by 2030. He highlights the country’s growing energy demand, electrification of industries, and adoption of green technologies such as green hydrogen and green ammonia. He stresses the importance of U.S.-India collaboration in clean energy, focusing on technological exchanges, supply chain cooperation, and financing. 

Khandelwal addresses the challenges in India’s renewable energy sector, including land acquisition, policy stability, and infrastructure development, while also noting the vast opportunities available. He discusses how Bright Night’s AI and machine learning tools can optimise large-scale renewable projects throughout their lifecycle, continuously evolving to meet high-quality standards. 

The conversation shifts to the complementary strengths of India and the U.S., with technology and financing from the U.S. and India’s skilled workforce and low-cost engineering. Khandelwal emphasises integrating innovation to accelerate the energy transition. 

He suggests key areas for improvement: enhancing storage solutions, optimising capital flows, boosting distributed solar, and promoting value-added manufacturing. He advocates for more private sector participation in transmission infrastructure and calls for an ambitious renewable energy target, noting the global need for 4000 GW of renewables by 2045. 

(Host: Rishi Ranjan Kala; Producer: Prethicshaa Gurumoorthy)

About the State of the Economy podcast 

India’s economy has been hailed as a bright spot amid the general gloom that seems to have enveloped the rest of the world. But several sectors continue to stutter even as others seem set to fire on all cylinders.

Published on January 21, 2025