With the unparalleled engineering expertise, ONergy Solar is India’s leading and multiple award winning solar enterprise that provides complete solar solutions.
In an interview with Insights Success, Piyush Jaju, Co-founder and CEO of ONergy Solar gave some insightful answers highlighting the influences made by the company to take solar industry to next level.
- Kindly brief us about the company.
ONergy Solar is the leading and award winning solar enterprise providing comprehensive and tailor-made solutions related to the design, procurement, testing, supply, installation, and commissioning and O&M services. Along with providing EPC service for 10 years, ONergy Solar is also providing cutting edge consultancy services making projects more professionally managed and win more projects from competition and faster turnaround time
- Please tell us something about your Founder/CEO and his/her contribution towards the company and the industry
Piyush Jaju, Co-founder and CEO: An Economics Graduate and University Topper with over 10 years work experience. Piyush has prior experience in financial services and investment banking within India, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Piyush has received prestigious international fellowships from GSBI, Santa Clara University (USA) and Unreasonable Institute (USA). Piyush is also co-founder of SwtichON. He is a regular speaker and various national and international forums. Piyush has been invited as guest lecturer by leading management institutes. He is a mentor to budding entrepreneurs and also actively engaged in industry associations and part of multiple working groups
- What are the top trends shaping the future of the solar industry?
India has surpassed 26,000 MW of cumulative solar power in 2018 with government tendering activity providing ample growth opportunity. The latest technologies and innovations like robotic cleaning of solar panels, drone based site survey and map-pinning for sppedy and accurate survey have added up to the increase in exports making India a hub for solar energy. Along with the technological innovation and digitalization of the solar industry, consultancy service is also shaping the future of the industry. The data analysis, reviewing the measures to increase generation, implementation of improved software in designing & drawing and developing black box for solar irrigation pump to forecast the pump functionality- these measures in consultancy service are in trend in the solar industry.
- How Onergy Solar is contributing to this new trend?
The lack of proper technical knowledge solar organisations make engineering mistakes, install poor quality systems leading to malfunctioning of system which has raised the need gap for guidance. That is where Solar Consultancy services has become vital not just to bigger players
but essentially for new companies to act as an educator, a catalyst to bring change or equip them with required knowledge to facilitate smooth processing, mitigating risks and saving cost.With the unparalled engineering expertise, ONergy Solar is developing highest quality solar projects by meeting tough budget constraints, and standing up to the stringent standards as required in the industry. By offering 360 degree services in consultancy over the complete project lifecycle, Onergy Solar is aiming to be the uber-hunk solar consultancy in India. Be it site survey and feasibility report, engineering audits, electrical, civil structural drawing, preparing market research reports and installation & commissioning the experts work hand in hand with the organization to ensure quality work alongside maintaining industry standards.
- Kindly describe in detail about your services and products. How do they differ?
Two verticals comprising Grid & Rooftop system and Rural Energy Access, ONergy Solar is working on by providing complete solar solutions. The product and service horizon has been expanded with the inclusion of consultancy service. ONergy Solar is offering engineering, consulting, transaction advisory, project management and training services with a present focus on clean energy covering the entire project life-cycle from conceptualization, commissioning to operational monitoring. With the solar- focused experienced team, they provide feasibility studies, design and development, construction management, O&M, performance monitoring and due diligence for solar developers and EPCs.
- How is technology helping you or how technology has impacted the solar industry?
From bio-solar cells to floating solar firms, technology is getting upgraded every moment promising a bright solar future. The major R&D is being held for increasing the generation rate in module.
- Ground mounted solar is becoming a viable option for rofftop power plant, the technology for this is getting breakthrough is the solar tracking mounts shifting in the angle of solar array by following the moving path of the sun, maximizing the electricity generation.
- The technological advancement is also an upward trend in the durability of the module with the emergence of perovskite solar cells.
- Explain the industry challenges in terms of costs, current trends, and existing market players?
The current challenge that the industry undergoing is the substandard installation with several engineering faults and poor after sales service. The lack of understandig is resulting in the hike in project cost and also the high chances of disruption of the plants. The End to End solar solution providers, ONergy Solar is providing cutting edge consultancy services making projects more professionally managed.
- Why is there an increased demand for grid-connected solar energy installations?
Grid-connected PC arrays enhance the performance of the electric network. To meet increased demand of energy while satisfying the same reliability criteria, utilities have to incrwase their generation capacity.
- Customers become the energy producers with surplus electricity (less consumption) fed to grid causing benefits either in form of energy credits or as per PPA terms with the DICOM.
- What is your viewpoint on the increased interest in smart renewable sources?
Several fundamental bottlenecks like financing limitation, high price of installation are gradually being resolved with governmental policies and with the trend of using bidding to protract fierce competition and lower solar prices- are making the ambitious plan of 175GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 achievable.
- How does the funding mechanism work in the industry, especially in the rural and backward areas?
In rural areas Onergy Solar is working with more than 100 active channel partners in the rural and backward areas who build up a strong network to make the solar pump available to them.
ONergy has developed innovative financing models by establishing First Loss Guarantee Corpus and revolving energy corpus to support its partners and customers. Financing is extended for solar lighting systems and solar irrigation systems. ONergy has been successfully working in the most difficult region of the country. The funding mechanism for the remotest regions is through MicroFinance Institutions to scale up the rural livelihoods.
- Mention the role played by the Government and private ownership to expand the horizon of the solar industry in India.
The government policies, programmes and initiatives are pushing ahead private solar companies to go solar. The long-term policies, large scale deployment goals, research & develpment
programmes, domestic production of raw materials, several schemes of DISCOM are expanding the horizon of solar industry and initiatng the decarbonization trend.
- Please tell us about the recent accolades, achievements, and recognition your company has earned.
ONergy Solar has been awarded as 2nd Global Re-Invest Startup for improving in the sectors of renewable energy serving the twin objectives of enhancing countrywide energy safety even as selling sustainable development. ONergy Solar’s work has been widely recognized both nationally and internationally as being awarded with SEED Award by UN-promoting
Entrepreneurship for sustainable development; The Telegraph Infocom SME Awards,
Innovations against Poverty Award from Swedish International Development Agency, UNDP,
Govt. of India Ministry of New & Renewable Energy; United States of America, Embassy;
Entrepreneur – 100 Small Business of the year 201; WWF climate Solver Award; Business Call
to Action etc. Internationally Onergy Solar has collaboration with Miller Center (USA), TU
Delft (Netherlands), Yale University and other leading institutes.
- Kindly provide a quote which describes your company.
“A leader must have a ‘VISION’ for an organization, ‘PASSION’ to work for achieving the
goals, ‘CURIOSITY’ to travel an unexplored path, and ‘COURAGE’ to take decisions”- APJ
Abdul Kalam
- What are the benefits gained by your clients while doing business with you?
ONergy Solar emphasises on quality service and rompt after sales service. The clients will enjoy engineering service facilities with cost optimization and will surely get the technologically enhanced prompt after sales service.
- What can be expected from your company in the upcoming years? Brief us about the future goals of the company.
In the upcoming years ONergy Solar is going to lean on OPEX model installation and will strengthen their consultancy service with experienced and highly efficient team.
