Engineering the Energy Transition: Kiran Kumar of ENGIE on Building Smarter Renewable Infrastructure

India’s renewable energy transition is entering a more complex phase, where success will be measured not only by capacity additions but by how effectively clean energy infrastructure is engineered, integrated and optimised for long-term performance. As solar, wind and battery energy storage increasingly converge, engineering strategies are evolving to address grid complexity, system flexibility, safety, reliability and diverse operating conditions.

Bringing more than 17 years of experience across solar PV, wind and BESS, Kiran Kumar, Head of Engineering – R&F GBU – AMEA at ENGIE, has worked across renewable energy projects in India and international markets, with experience spanning projects from concept through commissioning. In this interview, he shares his perspective on engineering renewables at scale, hybrid energy systems, grid integration, lifecycle performance and the emerging technologies set to shape the next generation of renewable infrastructure.

1. India has set an ambitious target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. From an engineering perspective, what will be the biggest technical challenge in delivering projects at this scale?

India’s renewable energy journey is entering a phase where the focus is shifting from capacity addition alone to building a power system that is reliable, flexible and designed for sustained performance at scale. As the country progresses towards 500 GW of non fossil fuel capacity, engineering will be critical across the full asset lifecycle, from site assessment and system design to construction, grid integration and long term operations. The quality of decisions made at the design stage will increasingly determine how effectively projects integrate with the grid and how reliably they perform over the next two decades.

For ENGIE, this means bringing engineering discipline into projects from the outset and combining global expertise with strong local execution. Our 200 MW ENREN II project at Khavda was made ready for commissioning in just nine months, demonstrating the execution capability required as renewable deployment accelerates. With more than 2 GW of renewable capacity in India, ENGIE’s focus is on delivering assets that are not only built efficiently but designed for reliable integration and sustained lifecycle performance. That will be critical as India moves into its next phase of renewable energy growth

2. As hybrid renewable parks become more common, what are the biggest engineering differences between designing a standalone solar project and an integrated solar, wind, and battery storage project?

Hybrid renewable parks require a fundamentally different engineering approach because solar, wind and battery storage must be designed and operated as one integrated energy system. The first priority is complementarity. Solar and wind generation profiles need to be assessed together, with storage sized and configured to smooth variability, improve utilisation and support a more consistent power profile.

Grid integration also becomes more complex. Multiple technologies interacting simultaneously require more sophisticated power flow studies, forecasting, plant controls and dispatch strategies to ensure stable and efficient operation.

Battery storage adds another layer of engineering considerations, including duration, degradation, augmentation, thermal management, fire safety and energy management systems. The objective extends beyond maximising generation to determining when energy should be stored and when it should be dispatched. Digital capabilities are therefore increasingly important. Advanced plant controllers, real time monitoring, forecasting and AI enabled optimisation help coordinate the different assets and improve performance across the system.

ENGIE is already applying this integrated approach in India through its 200 MW solar and 100 MW / 600 MWh storage project under SECI. Our Fleet Performance Development Centre and digital tools further support predictive maintenance, performance monitoring and lifecycle optimisation. Ultimately, successful hybrid projects depend on engineering multiple technologies to operate as one coordinated, reliable and efficient system.

3. With India’s renewable capacity growing rapidly, how are engineering teams preparing projects to handle increasing grid complexity, curtailment risks, and evolving grid code requirements?

By keeping  grid integration in mind from the very beginning, rather than treating it as a downstream consideration. This means carrying out detailed power system studies, forecasting, evacuation planning and compliance assessments early in the project lifecycle. As renewable penetration rises, project design is also becoming more flexible. Hybrid configurations, advanced plant controls, storage readiness and dynamic power management are helping projects respond more effectively to changing grid conditions and demand patterns.

Better forecasting, real time monitoring and AI enabled optimisation are becoming essential to improve predictability, reduce variability and support smoother integration of renewable generation. At ENGIE, we are bringing global engineering practices into India through digital asset management, advanced monitoring and predictive analytics. Our Fleet Performance Development Centre supports centralised monitoring and performance optimisation across operating assets, while tools such as AlexandrIA, Mobilee and the LTSA Performance Tracker help strengthen asset health monitoring, predictive maintenance and operational decision making. With over 2 GW of renewable capacity in India, ENGIE is combining global engineering expertise with local execution to ensure projects are designed not only for generation, but also for long term reliability, compliance and system performance.

The broader shift is clear: renewable projects are increasingly being engineered as active participants in the power system, with greater focus on flexibility, responsiveness and long term grid compatibility.

4. How are engineering strategies evolving to address India’s diverse climatic and geographical conditions, from Rajasthan’s deserts to coastal and high-wind regions?

India does not lend itself to a standardised engineering template. A project in Rajasthan, Gujarat or Tamil Nadu can face very different combinations of heat, dust, water availability, wind loading, corrosion, soil conditions and weather patterns, so engineering has to begin with the site rather than the technology. ENGIE has built this experience across 22 solar and wind projects in seven states, allowing us to apply lessons from very different operating environments while retaining common global standards on safety, quality and reliability.

At our Bhadla Solar Project in Rajasthan, heavy dust accumulation and water scarcity were important considerations. We therefore deployed water-free robotic cleaning systems, remotely controlled through a cloud-based platform, to help maintain plant performance while significantly reducing water use. The technology is expected to save more than 2 billion litres of water over the project’s 25-year lifecycle.

In high wind regions, the engineering priorities change. ENGIE has operating wind experience in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, where turbine selection, structural loading, foundations and long-term O&M strategies need to reflect local wind regimes and site conditions. ENGIE is also developing solar and wind hybrid projects across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, which further requires engineering teams to optimise different resource profiles within a single project architecture.

This reflects a broader approach at ENGIE: engineering is not only about designing an asset for its location, but also about anticipating the conditions it will operate in and building the right technologies and operating practices around them. As renewable projects expand across different regions of India, this site-specific approach will remain important for ensuring reliable performance, efficient operations and long-term asset value.

5. How can engineering decisions made during project design improve long-term asset reliability, operational efficiency, and lifecycle performance?

Engineering decisions made at the design stage ultimately determine how safely, efficiently and reliably an asset will perform over decades of operation. At ENGIE, lifecycle performance is considered from the outset. Equipment selection, plant layout, accessibility for maintenance, environmental conditions, safety systems and monitoring architecture are all designed with long term operations in mind, rather than being treated as considerations after commissioning.

We also apply international ISO based standards across our industrial activities to strengthen quality, environmental performance and occupational health and safety. This provides a consistent engineering framework while allowing individual projects to be adapted to local operating conditions. Digital visibility is another important design consideration. The usage of advanced SCADA systems for real time monitoring, control and analysis of renewable assets, allowing operating teams to identify performance deviations early and respond quickly.

Our O&M approach is equally structured, with scheduled maintenance undertaken on monthly, quarterly, biannual and annual cycles, supported by trained onsite engineering teams and rapid response capabilities. This proactive model helps minimise downtime, improve plant availability and extend asset life.

Ultimately, good engineering is about designing an asset not simply to reach commissioning, but to perform safely and efficiently for the next 25 to 30 years. At ENGIE, the objective is to combine strong design standards, continuous monitoring and disciplined maintenance so that every asset continues delivering clean energy and long term value throughout its lifecycle.

6. India is encouraging domestic manufacturing through Make in India. How is this influencing engineering design, equipment selection, and technology choices for renewable projects?

Make in India is creating a stronger domestic renewable energy supply chain, and that is increasingly influencing how projects are engineered from the outset.

Engineering teams are looking more closely at equipment availability, local manufacturing capability, quality standards, lifecycle performance and serviceability when selecting modules, inverters, balance of plant equipment and other critical components. The objective is to combine localisation with the reliability and performance standards required for utility scale assets.

At ENGIE, procurement and engineering decisions are closely linked. Our approach is to work with suppliers that can meet stringent requirements on quality, safety, sustainability and long term performance, while supporting the development of stronger local supply chains. ENGIE’s global sustainable procurement framework also integrates environmental and social criteria into supplier relationships, so localisation is considered alongside responsible sourcing and lifecycle value.

The domestic manufacturing ecosystem itself is expanding rapidly. India’s solar cell manufacturing capacity was projected to increase from around 10 GW in March 2024 to 43 to 47 GW by June 2026, creating greater depth in the local value chain and expanding sourcing choices for developers.  For ENGIE, which is active across seven states in India with solar and wind assets, this evolution creates an opportunity to combine global engineering standards with increasingly strong local manufacturing and supplier capabilities. Ultimately, the goal is not localisation for its own sake. It is to build a more resilient, high quality and competitive renewable energy ecosystem that can support India’s growth at scale.

7. As battery energy storage becomes a key enabler of renewable integration, what engineering and safety considerations become most critical during project design and execution?

Battery storage requires safety to be engineered into the system from the very beginning. Key considerations include battery chemistry, thermal management, fire detection and suppression, container spacing, ventilation, electrical protection, emergency access and the design of the Battery Management System and Energy Management System.

The engineering challenge is also about designing for the full operating life of the asset. Battery degradation, augmentation strategy, cooling requirements, state of charge management and maintenance access need to be considered during design rather than after commissioning. At ENGIE, BESS safety is being approached through multiple layers of protection, combining engineering design, operating discipline and workforce capability. Our safety culture is reflected in more than 30 million safe man hours in India and over 33,000 training hours in 2024, supported by practices such as Stop Work and the 5 Safety Essentials.

Real time SCADA monitoring provides continuous visibility into system performance and helps identify abnormal conditions early. This is complemented by structured preventive maintenance across monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual cycles, along with trained onsite teams and rapid response capabilities. Ultimately, successful BESS execution depends on treating safety, performance and lifecycle reliability as one integrated engineering discipline.

8. Looking ahead, which engineering innovations or emerging technologies do you believe will fundamentally reshape renewable infrastructure development in India over the next decade?

Over the next decade, the biggest shift will be from engineering individual renewable assets to designing intelligent, interconnected and increasingly autonomous energy systems.  AI and digital twins will become central to both design and operations, helping engineers simulate asset behaviour, identify failures earlier, optimise maintenance and continuously improve performance using real time data.

At the project level, technologies such as BIM, PVsyst, drone surveys and LiDAR are already improving design accuracy, coordination and site assessment. Over time, these will increasingly connect with AI based planning tools and automated engineering workflows.

We are also seeing rapid progress in robotics, predictive diagnostics and circular engineering. At VivaTech 2026, ENGIE showcased solutions such as Raptor Maps for AI and drone based solar inspection, Aerones for robotic wind turbine blade inspection and repair, and Solreed for photovoltaic module repair and recycling. These technologies show how engineering is moving beyond asset construction towards smarter, safer and more circular infrastructure. Advanced power electronics, grid forming technologies and intelligent controls will also become increasingly important as renewable penetration rises, allowing projects to contribute more actively to grid stability and flexibility. As ENGIE progresses towards its ambition in India, these innovations will play an important role in helping us build infrastructure that is smarter, more adaptive and better optimised across its lifecycle. The next decade will be about energy infrastructure that can increasingly sense, predict, respond and optimise in real time.