Narasimhan Santhanam

Director of EAI

Director @
Energy Alternatives India
Solar Mango
Renewable Energy Expert, Evangelist

Wish to talk to Narsi?
Send a note to narsi@solarmango.com

Who Am I?

I am the Cofounder & Director of Solar Mango, a division of EAI.

I am a renewable energy professional having a decade’s experience as Consultant, with specialisation in solar PV and biomass-energy sectors, bringing together a unique intersection of top management perspectives, India market knowledge and extensive expert contacts.

Why is My Team’s Consulting Unique?

We are about making a big business difference.

We define our job not as a consulting firm but as a team that will go out of way to ensure our clients get the analytical and practical assistance to win in the market.

As Consultants, my team and I operate with the following business perspectives

  • Size is Not the Same as Profits - A large and fast growing industry does not necessarily imply large profits for market entrants
  • Eventually, Exceptional Business Success Comes Down to Solving a Real Pain Point really well at a cost lower than what the customer is willing to pay for the pain point resolution.
  • Differentiation is the Key for any Business or Entrepreneur. If you cannot differentiate, you might as well work for someone who can!

We rarely focus on giving reports alone, as Consultants. Instead, we rely on closely working with the client’s management and operational personnel, and embed ourselves as part of their teams to deliver practical results.

What Do I Bring to the Table?

  • In-depth understanding of operations, business models, economics for rooftop and grid connected solar power plants
  • Foot on the ground - I understand what works and what's just moonshine, in solar, biomass energy, and to a certain extent, in wind energy.
  • Expertise to establish clear economic and operational feasibility for solar power plants and biomass-based heating
  • Exceptional contacts in the Indian solar energy sector - across the entire stakeholder spectrum - from manufacturers to EPCs and other solution providers to government to technology experts to financial institutions.

Summary of Skills

  • Solar Photovoltaic
    • Worked in Assignments Involving Strategies for Market, Economics and Technology
    • Had been a Consultant across the Entire Value chain, for
      • Rooftop Solar Technical & Economic Feasibility
      • Grid-connected Plants Economic Feasibility & Best Practices
      • Polysilicon & Wafer Manufacturing
      • Cell Manufacturing & Marketing
      • Modules Manufacturing & Marketing
      • Off-grid Solar Marketing
  • Biomass
    My BioMetric team is perhaps the only expert consultant team in India that has worked on the market facing pain points for the use of biomass for heat and power. My and my team’s expertise in bio-energy spans the following domains:
    • Biomass-based heating and cooling – technical and economic feasibility
    • Optimisation for supply chain and use in boilers – Comprehensive optimization strategies across the entire supply chain, from feedstock selection, to logistics to processing.
    • Biomass gasification – technical and economic feasibility, and integration of gasification with incumbent boiler or hot air generator systems
  • Emerging Cleantech
    • Sustainable products from bio-sources such as algae and castor oil
    • Bioplastics & biopolymers
    • Sustainable heating and cooling

Who Can Benefit from My Expertise?

My expertise can benefit companies & entrepreneurs keen on:

  • Getting into the solar entry sector in India
  • Expanding their market share of solar energy business
  • Implementing very high quality solar PV power plants
  • Optimizing their biomass supply chain
  • Knowing about emerging cleantech sectors, outside of renewable energy, that present exceptional business opportunities

Prominent Companies/Organizations I Consulted for

Prominent among the companies and organizations I have assisted, include

  • World Bank
  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • GE
  • Bosch
  • GSK
  • P&G
  • Pepsi
  • Reliance
  • Sterlite
  • Huber
  • Amway
  • And 75 more companies in the renewable energy and cleantech sectors.

Papers and Reports Published

  • MW Solar Advisor
  • Rooftop Solar Advisor
  • Solar Profits
  • Solar PV manufacturing – Diversification opportunities in India Solar PV manufacturing
  • PV Savvy – Knowing the key characteristics of PV value chain
  • Diesel to Solar – Motives and Means
  • India Offgrid Report
  • India renewable energy advisor
  • India Solar Module Market Report
  • Solar Business Opportunities in India – a value chain perspective
  • India Biomass gasification power production
  • Green power procurement – The whys and hows
  • Blowin’ in the wind – An analysis of opportunities in wind power value chain
  • India MSW to Energy – Status, Opportunities and Bottlenecks

Speeches and Presentations

  • InterSolar, Mumbai
  • REI, New Delhi
  • RENERGY, Chennai (our team worked with the Gov of Tamil Nadu in organizing this entire event, which became one the most popular government led renewable energy event in the country)
  • REAction, Chennai
  • Sustainable Bio-products – Mexico City, Mexico
  • India Renewable Energy Market – Milan, Italy
  • Sustainable products from Algae – London, UK
  • Sustanable products from Algae – Houston, USA
  • India Renewable Energy Market – Singapore
  • India Solar and Wind Markets - India PE Conference, Delhi
  • CII Renewable Energy Conference, Lucknow
  • InterSolar Conference, Bangalore
  • ECOSure, Hyderabad
  • Judge for cleantech competitions at IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur & Indian School of Business Hyderabad

Workshops and Trainings Conducted

  • RENERGY, Chennai
  • REAction, Chennai
  • MW Solar Blueprint, Chennai & Bengaluru
  • Solar Training Programs – Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore
  • India Renewable Energy Training – Singapore
  • Cleanboot, Chennai
  • Cleantech 101, Chennai
  • Sustainability workshops for children as part of Suseum, Chennai
  • Conducted corporate workshops for the following companies
    • Bosch India, Coimbatore
    • Select Aditya Birla Engineers and Management, Mumbai
  • In addition, conducted presentations and workshops in over 35 different colleges and institutes across India, including IITs, Osmania University, SRM, MCET and more.

Prominent Articles

Innovative Cleantech Initiatives

Education

  • IIT Madras, B Tech 1988-92
  • IIM Calcutta, PGDM 1992-94

Get in Touch

If you are looking for expert assistance in renewable energy strategy, especially for solar or biomass energy, do send me a note at : narsi@solarmango.com

India Renewable Energy Expert