As India’s renewable energy sector moves towards smarter and more integrated energy solutions, artificial intelligence is emerging as a key enabler of efficient energy management. In an exclusive interview with SolarQuarter, Abhilash Borana, CEO, Sigenergy India, discusses how AI-powered energy storage is transforming residential, commercial and industrial applications, the growing role of intelligent energy optimisation, and Sigenergy’s plans for market expansion, technology localisation and potential manufacturing in India.
Q1. What differentiates Sigenergy’s energy storage solutions in the Indian market?
At Sigenergy, we believe the future of energy is not simply about generating more electricity or installing larger batteries. It is about making energy intelligent.
What truly differentiates Sigenergy is our ability to bring solar generation, battery storage, power conversion, EV charging and artificial intelligence together into one integrated energy ecosystem.
Traditionally, the energy industry has focused heavily on hardware. Customers purchase an inverter, install batteries and configure their systems to operate according to predefined settings. However, electricity consumption is constantly changing, and conventional systems do not always respond intelligently to these changes.
We are taking a different approach.
Our Sigen AI technology brings intelligence into everyday energy management. It can analyse consumption behaviour, consider solar generation forecasts, evaluate electricity tariffs and optimise how energy is stored and utilised. Instead of requiring customers to make every energy decision manually, the system can automatically adapt its operating strategy to changing conditions.
For example, a household may generate surplus solar electricity during the day but require more power in the evening. Our technology can anticipate these requirements and optimise battery utilisation accordingly. In markets with compatible variable electricity tariffs, the system can also determine when purchasing grid electricity is more economical than discharging stored energy.
Another major differentiator is our integrated architecture. With products such as SigenStor, customers can combine multiple energy functions in a modular system that can evolve with their requirements.
Safety is equally important. Our battery systems incorporate multiple layers of protection, including intelligent temperature monitoring, electrical protection and integrated fire safety technologies. We believe advanced energy storage must deliver not only performance but also reliability and peace of mind.
Ultimately, we do not want customers to think of Sigenergy as just another inverter or battery brand. We want them to see us as an intelligent energy technology partner.
Our ambition is to make energy systems more automated, more efficient and easier to manage, while helping customers gain greater control over their energy costs.
Q2. How do you see battery storage opportunities across residential and C&I segments?
I believe India is approaching a major turning point in energy storage adoption.
For many years, the country’s renewable energy conversation has largely focused on solar capacity additions. While this has been essential, the next phase must focus on making renewable electricity available when it is actually needed.
Solar energy is generated primarily during daylight hours, but electricity demand does not necessarily follow the same pattern. This creates a tremendous opportunity for battery storage, particularly when combined with intelligent energy management.
In the residential segment, consumers are increasingly looking beyond basic solar installations. They want reliable backup power, lower electricity bills, greater energy independence and systems that can accommodate future requirements such as electric vehicles.
Our modular solutions allow homeowners to begin with solar generation and subsequently integrate battery storage, backup capabilities and compatible EV charging infrastructure.
The important element is that Sigen AI can help coordinate these technologies intelligently rather than treating them as separate devices.
The commercial and industrial segment presents an equally significant opportunity.
Indian businesses face challenges related to peak electricity demand, power quality, tariff structures and the cost of maintaining diesel generator backup systems. Battery energy storage can help address several of these challenges through peak-load management, energy shifting and improved utilisation of onsite solar generation.
For example, an industrial facility with substantial daytime solar generation may be able to store surplus electricity and use it during evening operations or higher-tariff periods. With intelligent forecasting and appropriate energy management controls, businesses can improve the economics of their energy infrastructure.
Battery storage can also complement conventional backup systems and, where technically feasible, reduce generator runtime and associated fuel consumption.
At the utility scale, storage will become increasingly important as India integrates larger volumes of renewable energy into its electricity network. Applications such as renewable energy firming, grid balancing, energy arbitrage and peak-demand management will create substantial opportunities.
My view is that India’s next major energy opportunity will not be solar alone. It will be solar, storage and artificial intelligence working together.
The companies that can integrate these three elements effectively will help shape the next generation of India’s energy infrastructure.
Q3. How does AI improve energy management and system efficiency?
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the way we interact with electricity.
Traditionally, energy management has been reactive. A system generates electricity, stores whatever is available and supplies power according to fixed settings. However, the future of energy management is predictive, where systems anticipate what will happen next and make decisions accordingly.
That is exactly what we are developing through Sigen AI.
Our AI-powered energy management technology analyses multiple data points, including historical consumption, solar generation forecasts, weather conditions, battery status and electricity pricing. It then develops an optimised operating strategy to determine when electricity should be generated, stored, consumed or purchased from the grid.
What makes this particularly exciting is that the system can continuously learn from actual energy consumption patterns.
For example, Sigen AI can recognise when a household typically experiences higher electricity demand, anticipate changes in solar generation due to weather conditions and adjust battery charging and discharging strategies accordingly.
In supported markets, Sigenergy’s technology can forecast energy requirements and operating conditions up to 48 hours ahead, helping customers make better use of stored energy.
Q4. How is Sigen AI transforming energy management through intelligent tariff optimisation, simplified customer insights and autonomous energy optimisation?
This becomes particularly relevant for India as time-of-day electricity tariffs and smart metering continue to develop.
Imagine a factory operating under different electricity tariffs throughout the day. Instead of relying on manual intervention, an intelligent energy management system can identify lower-cost charging periods, preserve stored energy for expensive peak hours and coordinate onsite solar generation with the facility’s operating requirements.
The result can be lower electricity costs, better battery utilisation and improved return on investment.
But Sigen AI goes beyond financial optimisation.
Through our mySigen App, we are also making energy management more accessible. Customers can monitor energy flows, review historical performance, understand their consumption patterns and interact with an AI-powered assistant using natural language.
Rather than interpreting complicated technical dashboards, customers can ask questions about their system’s performance, energy consumption or battery status and receive understandable responses.
We believe this is an important shift. Energy management should not require every homeowner or business owner to become an energy expert. AI should handle much of that complexity.
In the future, I see AI becoming the central intelligence connecting solar systems, batteries, electric vehicles, smart appliances and the electricity grid.
Our vision is to move from conventional energy monitoring towards increasingly autonomous energy optimisation, where every kilowatt-hour is managed more intelligently.
Q5. What is the objective behind Sigenergy’s Experience Centre in India?
Our Experience Centre in Navi Mumbai represents much more than a conventional product showroom. It reflects our commitment to bringing the next generation of intelligent energy technologies to the Indian market.
India is one of the world’s most exciting renewable energy markets, and we believe Indian customers should have access to advanced technologies at the same pace as customers in Europe, Australia and other developed energy markets.
Historically, certain innovations have taken several years to reach India. We want to change that.
The primary objective of our Experience Centre is to demonstrate how solar generation, battery storage, EV charging and artificial intelligence can work together as one intelligent energy ecosystem.
We want visitors to experience the technology rather than simply read about its specifications.
For example, customers can understand how Sigen AI supports intelligent battery management, how our integrated energy systems operate and how the mySigen App provides visibility and control over energy consumption.
We also want to demonstrate how AI-powered energy management can create value in different applications, from residential homes to commercial buildings and industrial facilities.
Another important objective is education and technical capability development.
As the Indian storage market grows, installers, EPC companies, system integrators and distributors will require a deeper understanding of battery technologies, energy management software, system design and safety.
Our Experience Centre will serve as a platform for product demonstrations, technical training, knowledge sharing and engagement with industry stakeholders.
We are particularly focused on developing a strong ecosystem of technically capable partners who can deliver reliable installations and long-term customer support.
Beyond that, the centre will help us understand the Indian market more closely.
India has unique operating conditions, including high ambient temperatures, varying grid quality, different electricity tariff structures and diverse customer consumption patterns.
Direct interaction with customers, installers and industry partners will help us identify these requirements and provide valuable feedback for future product development.
Our ambition is not simply to introduce international technology into India. It is to understand India deeply and develop intelligent energy solutions that genuinely address the country’s needs.
We see the Experience Centre as an important foundation for that journey.
Q6. What are Sigenergy’s expansion and manufacturing plans for India over the next 12–24 months?
India is a strategically important market for Sigenergy, and our vision extends well beyond selling imported products.
We see India as a major opportunity for intelligent energy storage, advanced power electronics and AI-driven energy management. Over the next 12–24 months, our priorities will include expanding our market presence, strengthening our technical ecosystem, progressing our localisation strategy and developing solutions suited to Indian operating conditions.
We are evaluating a phased approach towards local manufacturing.
Our initial focus is planned around string inverters for commercial, industrial and utility-scale applications. The second phase would explore local manufacturing opportunities for utility-scale battery energy storage systems, while the third phase would focus on residential energy solutions tailored to Indian requirements.
These phases remain subject to technical, commercial and investment assessments, but they reflect our longer-term direction.
Equally important is research and development.
India is not a market where international products can simply be introduced without considering local conditions. Electricity consumption patterns, tariff structures, grid reliability, environmental conditions and customer expectations can vary significantly across regions.
We want to develop stronger local engineering and R&D capabilities that can help us adapt our technology to these requirements.
One particularly exciting area is AI-driven energy optimisation.
As India expands smart metering and time-of-day tariffs, the opportunity for intelligent energy management will become increasingly significant. The Ministry of Power has already established a regulatory framework for time-of-day tariffs, creating an important foundation for smarter electricity consumption.
Q7. How can AI powered solutions such as Sigen AI transform energy management across residential, C&I and utility applications in India?
We believe technologies such as Sigen AI can play an important role in this transition, provided they are adapted to local tariff structures, regulations and operating requirements. For residential customers, this could mean intelligent systems that coordinate rooftop solar, battery storage, EV charging and household energy consumption. For commercial and industrial customers, it could mean more sophisticated energy management strategies that help reduce peak electricity costs, optimise battery dispatch and improve the utilisation of renewable energy. At the utility scale, we see significant potential for advanced energy management platforms that support renewable integration, energy shifting and grid flexibility. Looking further ahead, I believe India has an opportunity to become not only one of the world’s largest renewable energy markets but also a global centre for intelligent energy technologies. At Sigenergy, we want to contribute to that development through technology, investment, localisation, training and strong partnerships. Our long-term vision is to help create a future where homes become smart homes, factories become smart factories and energy infrastructure becomes increasingly intelligent. The next chapter of India’s energy transition will not be defined by how much renewable energy we generate alone. It will be defined by how efficiently, intelligently and reliably we use that energy. And I believe artificial intelligence will be at the center of that transformation.
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