Energy efficiency is becoming a cornerstone of Industry 4.0, driving significant productivity gains. A tiered approach accommodates organizations of all sizes, from simple, no-cost initiatives like behavioral nudges and awareness campaigns to advanced, high-cost solutions like integrated smart manufacturing systems. By leveraging digital technologies such as IoT, AI, and analytics, businesses can optimize energy consumption, reduce costs, and contribute to a more sustainable future.

• Chandrashekhar Iyer Executive Director, Sixth Energy Technologies Pvt Ltd
• Damini Chaudhari Vice President, Strategy, M&A, Sales Excellence and CSR, Schneider Electric
• Sumit Garg General Manager, Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS)
• Umesh Bhutoria CEO & Founder, Xempla
• Venugopal Mothkoor Senior Specialist/Director (Development Economics), Niti Aayog

India’s rising electricity demand, low load factor, and increasing variability due to renewable in the energy mix necessitate a paradigm shift in grid management. Demand-side flexibility offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution, but its success hinges on programs executed on ground with supportive business models, involvement of aggregators, and enabling regulatory frameworks. The session explores the key aspects of building a demand flexibility market in India. It will focus on essential elements of market creation, including the role of demand aggregators in facilitating demand flexibility, enabling mechanisms for aggregators (such as demand-side resource acquisition strategies and program types), and various business models that support market development.

• Abhishek Gupta Head-Strategy, Energy Efficiency Services Limited
• Arjun Gupta Manager, Rocky Mountain Institute
• Arshi Chaddha Co-Founder, Trillectric
• Atul Bali Director, National Smart Grid Mission
• Mahesh Patankar Founder and Managing Director, MP Ensystems Advisory Private Limited
• Mukesh Dadhich Head, Business Development, Sustainability and Clean Technology, BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL)

As urbanization drives cooling demand, District Cooling Systems (DCS) offer energy efficiency, reduced emissions, and urban heat island mitigation, making them vital to India's sustainable cooling strategy. District Cooling Systems (DCS) are critical for sustainable urban cooling but face scalability challenges due to inadequate regulatory and tariff frameworks. Unlike conventional cooling, DCS requires tailored electricity tariffs reflecting time-of-use and efficiency benefits, along with policies for land allocation, taxation, and environmental standards. A dedicated regulator is essential to oversee these aspects and ensure economic viability. The session highlights the need for inter-ministerial collaboration (MoP, MoEFCC, MoHUA, MoF) to reform tariffs, draft actionable guidelines, and establish District Cooling Codes. Clear regulations can drive DCS adoption, enabling energy efficiency and climate goals across urban and industrial clusters.

• Aarti Nain Advisor for Urban Cooling and Heat Risk Mitigation, UNEP
• Dushyant Ahuja Country Manager, Tabreed India
• Piyush Sharma Deputy Head, Energy Efficiency Programmes, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
• Tarun Katiyar CEO, Tata Power Trading Co Ltd

Decarbonizing existing buildings is crucial for achieving a net-zero future, as the sector accounts for 33% of India’s energy use, growing at 8% annually. Retrofitting can reduce energy consumption by 15-20%, with deeper retrofits offering even greater savings and resilience. Essential measures include envelope upgrades, appliance resizing, and replacement. These initiatives align with climate goals, enhance energy security, improve occupant comfort, and generate green jobs. However, the potential remains largely untapped due to policy and market barriers. This session will examine achievements, enabling policies, market drivers, future opportunities, and challenges in scaling retrofitting for sustainable decarbonization across diverse building sectors.

• Aneesh Kadyan Senior Executive Director, Property Management Operations, Global Commercial Real Estate Services (CBRE India)
• Manjunath M D Head - Life Cycle Solutions, Carrier HVAC
• Prasanna Deshpande Vice President, Business Development and Marketing, ABB India
• Saumya Meattle Director, Paharpur Business Centre
• Shabnam Bassi Director, Sustainable Buildings, TERI

MSMEs, the backbone of India’s economy, face challenges like outdated technologies, high operational costs, and limited financial access, compounded by external demands for emissions reduction and stronger ESG performance. This session will chart a new course, focusing on scalable solutions to empower MSMEs through demand aggregation, innovative ESCO-backed financing with third-party verification, and the leadership role of industry associations. Key discussions will also include policy interventions, capacity building, and learning from past failures. Join us to explore practical pathways that drive productivity, reduce costs, and accelerate MSMEs toward a sustainable, low-carbon, and resilient future.

• Charu Jain Senior Specialist, World Bank
• Saibal Sen President, IIF Western Region
• Sanjiv Bhatia President, STENUM Asia

Communications and media have been pivotal in major social and environmental transformations, from UJALA to Swachh Bharat. As the world races to meet ambitious climate targets amid the growing energy demands, energy efficiency is recognised as the fastest and most cost-effective solution—but it’s not getting the spotlight it deserves. This session explores how strategic communications and media can act as a catalyst to transform energy efficiency into a mainstream movement by reshaping behaviours, creating demand, and uniting stakeholders. Together we will explore how media, marketing, and storytelling can shape the energy efficiency narrative, amplify the impact, fast-track progress, and elevate energy efficiency to its rightful place as a cultural and economic priority.

• Amitabh Sinha Deputy Editor, The Indian Express
• Aarti Khosla Director, Climate Trends
• Indu Sharma Vice President, Communications, Siemens
• Mayank Aggarwal Trustee and Editor, The Reporters' Collective
• Supriya Gulati Lead, Communications, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE)
• Vaishali Mishra Director, Communication and Advocacy, Asia, Global Energy Alliance for People & Planet (GEAPP)

The building sector in India remains a persistent challenge for energy efficiency, decarbonisation, and heat adaptation. Despite growing recognition among policymakers and businesses of the need to decarbonise, the construction and real estate industries continue to rely on inefficient, business-as-usual practices. Efforts like building energy codes have seen limited adoption over the past 15 years, highlighting the sector's resistance to transformative change. In this context, the Climate Smart Innovation (CSI) platform under Solar Decathlon India is emerging as a catalyst for progress. It supports start-ups pioneering innovative solutions in building materials, components, software, cooling technologies, and sustainable business models. These innovations are promising steps forward, but scaling them remains a significant hurdle. How can these solutions achieve widespread adoption? Will investors commit to the long-term risks of building sector innovations? Who will champion these innovations as early adopters? And are there specific sectoral challenges that these start-ups must address to succeed? This session will bring together industry experts to mentor a select group of start-ups in three critical areas: technology and sustainability, market and customers, and funding and investors. Participants will gain actionable insights to refine their solutions, align with market needs, and overcome barriers to scaling their innovations.