Strengthening the ecosystem

Sumant has treated knowledge infrastructure as an important part of building a new industry. In 2017, he helped establish the ReNew Centre of Excellence for Energy and Environment at IIT Delhi to connect academic research more closely with real energy-system challenges.

Its work spans areas including grid integration, electric mobility, renewable forecasting, wind modelling and solar performance, while giving students and researchers opportunities to work on emerging problems.

The Centre has created a stronger interface between academia, industry and policy around questions that will shape India’s energy transition.

Having benefited from global education himself, Sumant has helped open similar pathways for more Indian women. As an alumnus and board member of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, he supported the establishment of an India programme enabling Indian women to pursue higher education at SIPA.

The programme gives scholars access to graduate education, networks and perspectives that can expand their career choices.

It has widened access to an institution that might otherwise remain out of reach for Indian women.

Sumant has also focused on widening who gets the opportunity to build within the climate economy. Through ReNew’s partnership with UNDP and IIT Delhi’s Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer, he backed the Women Climate Champions accelerator for women developing climate-focused businesses.

Six entrepreneurs received one-to-one mentoring, peer learning, expert guidance and capacity-building support as they strengthened their ventures and developed strategies for scaling their impact. The programme gave founders access to networks and expertise that are often difficult to reach at an early stage.

Sumant has seen early exposure as one of the most practical ways to bring new talent into a fast-changing sector. Through ReNew’s Global Green Scholars Program, students from India and around the world work on real energy and sustainability challenges, gaining a closer view of how the transition is unfolding beyond the classroom.

The programme gives young people access to practitioners, projects and perspectives that can shape the choices they make early in their careers.