Travel Partner
About IRCTC Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. has been set up by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India with the basic purpose of hiving off entire catering and tourism activity of the railways to the new corporation so as to professionalize and upgrade these services with public-private participation.
With the mission to enhance customer services and facilitation in railway catering, hospitality, travel and tourism with best industry practices, Indian Railways span global volumes in hospitality and catering sectors with services provided to 13 million passengers every day.
A dynamic marketing strategy in association with public and private agencies, tour operators, transporters, hoteliers and local tour promoters is on the anvil.
SERVICES OFFERED BY IRCTC:-
a) Accommodation in all categories for ESI delegates.
b) Airport Transfers & Car Rentals.
c) Sightseeing Tours.
d) Customized private meeting solutions for participating companies.
e) Customized private networking Dinners for participating
companies.
Contact:-
Shubham Arya
Mob: - 09779240616/613
Landline:- 0172-4645795
Email: - shubham@irctc.com/ raj.kumar@irctc.com
Web: - www.irctctourism.com
Special Block for ESI Participants at The St. Regis Mumbai.
Book your accommodation here:
https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/events/start.action?id=1612065870&key=16200024
About ST. REGIS:
Nestled in Mumbai's storied Lower Parelneighbourhood, near the Worli commercial district, this destination hotel overlooks the renowned Mahalaxmi Racecourse. It is also adjacent to the Palladium Mall, home to premier shops, restaurants, and bars.
An idyllic escape for worldly guests, our hotel offers a dedicated Wellness Floor, comprising Iridium Spa, The Athletic Club, and a swimming pool. Discerning dining options—including Indian, Japanese, pan-Asian, and global cuisines—further elevate the singular experience.

Book online at https://www.simplebooking.it/ibe/hotelbooking/search?hid=3521&lang=en
The Shalimar Hotel, Mumbai
About The Shalimar Hotel: The Shalimar Hotel is a trend setting 4 Star property located downtown, within South Mumbai's elite residential enclave. The surrounding precinct is a Shopper's paradise and a fashionable hub of social activity and nightlife. Approximately a 40 minute drive from the Mumbai airport, The Shalimar Hotel is close to Mumbai's business district, hospitals, shopping and entertainment. The hotel offers trendy and timeless elegance, warm personalized service and a uniquely enjoyable hospitality experience.
Advisory Committee

Satish Agnihotri
Former Secretary MNRE,
Government of India

Pankaj Batra
Chief Engineer (Regulatory Affairs),
Central Electricity Authority

Stephen Fernands
Founder & President,
Customized Energy Solutions

Jeff Gates
Vice President,
Alevo Energy

Madhusudan Khemka
Chair, Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturer Association
Managing Director, ReGenPowerTech

Manish Kumar
Managing Director, Distributed Energy
The AES Corporation

Janice Lin
Chair,
Global Energy Storage Alliance (GESA)

Reji Kumar Pillai
President,
India Smart Grid Forum

Matt Roberts
Executive Director,
Energy Storage Association(ESA)
Dr. Satish B. Agnihotri, an IAS Officer of Orissa cadre from the 1980 batch holds Master's Degree in Physics and
M.Tech in Environment Science and Engineering from IIT, Mumbai, MA in Rural Development, and Ph. D on Sex ratio patterns in Indian
Population from School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich UK.
Dr Agnihotri is presently is currently Secretary Coordination in the Cabinet Secretariat Government of India.
Mr. Pankaj Batra, is presently Chief Engineer of the Financial and Commercial Appraisal at Central Energy Authority of India, dealing with appraisal of hydro generation projects and transmission projects, FDI in power, Financial Restructuring Plan of State Discoms, etc.
He also heads the Regulatory Affairs Division in CEA, dealing with Standards and Regulations of CEA, Regulations of CERC and SERCs, and associated issues. He is also Member Secretary of the National Reliability Council for Electricity. He also handles various policy issues. He is the Chairperson of Working Group VI on "Policy and Regulation" in the India Smart Grid Forum. He has conducted a number of Workshops for Regulators and Transmission and Distribution companies. He is also in the Committee of Ministry of Power for framing Model Regulations on Smart Grid.
Mr. Stephen Fernands is Founder and President of Customized Energy Solutions. In 2008, INC magazine ranked Customized Energy Solutions the 15th fastest growing private company in the energy industry, and in 2007, the Philadelphia Business Journal named it the 8th fastest growing private company in the region.
As President, Stephen has been involved in more than 100 consulting projects; including market design evaluation, retail competition, demand response program development, supply procurement, load profiling, generation development, and transmission congestion analysis. He has a BS in economics from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in Finance from Drexel University.
Mr. Jeff Gates is Director, Sales & Field Operations at Alevo Energy, a battery technology manufacturer and energy service provider. He has responsibility global sales of energy storage services and systems, project development, and executing on the construction of a large pipeline of current projects. Following completion of the initial projects, he will continue overseeing ongoing commercial operations. In addition to his responsibilities at Alevo, Jeff Gates is vice chair and chairman designate of the Energy Storage Association.
Mr. Madhusudan Khemka co-founded Regen Powertech Private Limited in 2006 and serves as its Managing Director and Director. Mr. Khemka has over two decades of long and rich experience in all aspects of Wind Energy Converters such as Manufacturing, Marketing, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, General Management, etc. He has been instrumental in creating the market for wind energy in India and has sold over 1000 Wind Turbine Generators over the years. Mr. Khemka holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from University of Punjab, but is technically inclined and possesses in-depth knowledge of the scientific aspects of the business.
Mr. Manish Kumar as Managing Director, Distributed Energy, Manish is responsible for the growth of AES' distributed generation portfolio globally and energy storage market development in India. Manish has over 15 years of experience in energy, ranging from battery energy storage, distributed generation (solar, combined heat & power, fuel cells), and retail electricity and natural gas.
He holds an Engineering Degree in Electronics from the University of Mumbai and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Ms. Janice Lin is the Founder and Managing Partner of Strategen Consulting LLC and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA). She sits in Board of Directors and is the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Global Energy Storage Alliance (GESA). She brings more than two decades of experience in clean energy strategy, market development, and corporate strategy to Strategen.
During this time she has advised a diverse range of clients including renewable energy equipment manufacturers and service providers, large corporations diversifying into clean energy, and real estate developers building sustainable communities.
Mr. Reji Kumar is an internationally renowned expert in the electric power sector with over three decades of experience in the electricity industry in diverse functions across the entire value chain and across continents. He is spearheading a mission to leverage technology to transform the electric grid in India and light every home at affordable cost through sustainable developmental models. Reji played the pivotal role in formulation of the Smart Grid Vision & Roadmap for India that has been recently adopted by the Government of India. He worked with various stakeholders to bring about consensus in finalizing the smart grid roadmap.
He is the President of India Smart Grid Forum, a public – private partnership initiative of the Government of India for accelerated development of smart grid technologies in the Indian power sector.
Mr. Matt RobertsOverseeing strategic operations, programs and growth of the Energy Storage Association - with a global footprint of member companies, ranging from start-ups to multinationals.
Advocating for fair and competitive markets for energy storage technologies and systems, and helping to move the global industry forward as it grows from a few hundred million annually to a few billion in projected revenue. Established and grown organizational partnerships both domestically and internationally while more than doubling membership across the entire spectrum of energy industry stakeholders
Mr. Ravi Seethapathy, is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, Corporate Director Smart Grid Canada and the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, and an Expert Utility Advisor.
His current participation in international technical committees include IEA PVPS Taskforce14 (Solar PV), Convenor Cigre C6.28 (Remote Grids), IEC TC120 Expert Committee (Energy Storage), IEC SEG4 (LVDC) and the IEEE Smart Village Program. He is an invited/recognised speaker internationally. He is a Senior Member IEEE and a Professional Engineer in Ontario. He has co-authored over 50 technical papers.
Mr. Rahul Tongia is a fellow with Brookings India in New Delhi. An expert in technology, policy and design of infrastructure, his research covers energy, electricity and sustainable development, with additional expertise in information technology and telecommunications. Tongia's work focuses on smart grids, which use innovative information and communications technology to improve management of the electric utility grid; renewables and renewable integration; shortfalls of electricity and mitigation measures; and electricity pricing. He is also an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and technical advisor for the Government of India's Smart Grid Task Force.
Dr. Rahul Walawalkar is the Founder and Executive Director, IESA. Rahul heads the Customized Energy Solutions as President & MD, with focus on energy storage, renewables, demand response and smart grid technologies as well as international markets. Rahul has been involved in evaluating economics of emerging technologies in deregulated electricity markets since 2004. His activities have covered complete range of smart grid, demand response and energy storage technologies.
Rahul currently serves on the Board of Directors of Electricity Storage Association and was elected as Secretory in 2013. He is also Founder and Executive Director for India Energy Storage Alliance and is part of Executive Council for Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy in India.
Speakers

Dr. Satish Agnihotri
Former Secretary - MNRE,
Govt. of India

Dr. Dinesh Arora
Executive Director,
Rural Electrification Corporation

Mr. Rohit Bajaj
Vice President-Business Development,
IEX

Mr. Pankaj Batra
Member,
Planning, Central Electricity Authority

Mr. Jashan Bhumkar
Entrepreneur,
Director Soujanya Color

Mr. Aniruddha Chatterjee
Manager - Application Engineering,
Pluss Advanced Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Dr. G. Ganesh Das
HoD - Strategy, Business Excellence & Collaborations,
Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited

Ms. Jacquieline DeRosa
Vice President - Emerging Technologies
Customised Energy Solutions

Mr. Stephan Fernands
Founder and President
Customised Energy Solutions
Dr. Satish Agnihotri, an IAS Officer of Orissa cadre from the 1980 batch holds Master's Degree in Physics and M.Tech in Environment Science and Engineering from IIT, Mumbai, MA in Rural Development, and Ph. D on Sex ratio patterns in Indian Population from School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich UK. Dr Agnihotri is presently is currently Secretary Coordination in the Cabinet Secretariat Government of India.
Dr. Dinesh Arora(born on 23rdDecember 1976) is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, 2002 Kerala cadre, working as Executive Director, Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and CEO RECPDCL, a subsidiary of REC Ltd.
He hails from Chandigarh and completed his MBBS in medicine surgery with distinction.
At Rural Electrification Corporation, Dr. Arora, heads the Project Monitoring Group handling the Rural Electrification initiatives of Government of India which includes the flagship program of the Government "DeenDayalUpadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana". He has played an instrumental role in formulating the 'Garv App' and also setting up of institutional mechanism of Gram VidyutAbhiyanta to accelerate the implementation of Rural Electrification projects in 18452 un-electrified villages of the country.The Garv App is a complete project monitoring mechanism, which ensures transparency and accountability.
He has received the SKOCH Gold Award 2014 from the Union Minister for Urban Development; Venkaiah Naidu for its Web based MIS System for RGGVY Projects - "RE Monitor".
He was also presented with Global HR Excellence Awards 'CEO WITH HR ORIENTATION'- at World HRD Congress-2016 by Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
Recently, the GARV App has been awarded the Editor's Choice Award for the year 2016 at the Technology Sabha, an initiative of Indian Express Group
Mr. Rohit Bajajis currently the Vice President-Business Development at IEX.
Rohit has over 22 years' experiencein the energy domain especially in the power and oil &gas sector. Prior to IEX, Rohit worked at National Energy Trading & Services (NETS), where he led power trading business of the Company overseeing the short/ medium term power sales through bilateral and power exchanges, serving as the Whole-time Director.
Prior to NETS, Rohit worked at LancoAmarkantak, Avantha Power & Infrastructure, Reliance Industries and Jindal Stainless. He has extensive experience in power plant operations, strategic planning, commercial power sale including long-term PPAs and regulatory matters.
He has represented company in various forums and associations.
Mr. Bajaj holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA (Marketing & Operations).
Mr. Shri Pankaj Batra did his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Diploma in Systems Management from NMIMS, Mumbai, Diploma in Financial Management from IGNOU, New Delhi and Diploma in Public Speaking from Nazareth Speakers Academy, Mumbai. He joined the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in 1983 through the UPSC's Combined Engineering Services Examination.
He hasworked as Chief (Engineering) in Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)formulating various Regulations, viz. Grant of Connectivity, Long-term Access and Medium-term Open Access, Measures to relieve congestion in real time operation, Grant of Regulatory Approval for Capital Investment to CTU for execution of Inter-State Transmission, the revised IndianElectricity Grid Code, Power Market Regulations, Regulation of Power Supply, Regulations on intervening transmission facilities, etc.He introduced various provisions of integration of renewables to the grid and smart grid in the IEGC.He was involved in formulating various Tariff and technical Orders of the CERC. He also started the Division on Regulatory Affairs in CEA and was responsible for regulatory issues of CEA, CERC and SERC Regulations.He was also earlier Member Secretary of the National Reliability Council for Electricity.
He is presently working as Chief Engineer involved inFinancial and Commercial Appraisal of power generation and transmission projectsin the CEA, VGF funding of renewable energy projects, Tariff matters and impact of various parameters on Tariff, taxes and duties in the power sector, FDI in power sector, Standard Bidding documents for procurement of generation and transmission services, Tariff Policy and National Electricity Policy, Financial Restructuring of State Discoms, including UDAY Scheme, etc..
He is the Chairperson of Working Group VI on "Policy and Regulation" in the India Smart Grid Forum.He is also Chairperson of the BIS Committee of LITD 10 – "Power System Control and Associated Communication".
Mr. Jashan Bhumkar received his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley and Master's (MPhil) in the same field from Cambridge University, UK. His previous work experience includes a project on solar energy with NASA, a consultancy project in the oil and gas industry with EMCO India and research at Stanford School of Medicine. He is third generation entrepreneur at Soujanya Color, one of the Top 3 color manufacturing companies globally, and is expanding the business into high-performance colour dispersions for different applications including composite materials, construction chemicals, automotive sector, personal care etc. Jashan is deeply passionate about sustainability. As a result, he is working on a venture for green recycling of lead, bringing to market a technology developed at Cambridge University.
Mr. Aniruddha Chatterjee is handling the Application Development in the area of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems. He received his Master of Applied Science in Materials Engineering from University of British Columbia, Vancouver in the field of casting and solidification processes. He did his Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from SRM University, Chennai and passed-out as a University Gold Medalist and 'best-outgoing student'. He started his career with WABCO India as a Design Engineer, Research & Development and has subsequently worked as a Research Scholar at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), McGill University (Montreal) and Sungkyunkwan Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (Seoul). He has over seven years of cumulative experience in research, product design and application development in the field of thermal energy systems and has several papers to his credit.
Dr. G. Ganesh Das is a PhD in the area of Strategic Marketing & Consumer Behavior from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India, MBA and LLB from University of Delhi besides having an executive qualification on Export Management from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
He was the part of the global team involved in conceptualizing, development and enablement of "Smart Grid Maturity Model" (SGMM) whose rights now rests with Software Engineering Institute (SEI), Carnegie Mellon University (USA). He has presented papers and participated in panel discussions in more than 20 international conference in relation to electricity distribution, energy and Smart Grid.
He is been with Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) since 2005, and has held positions as Head of Consumer Accreditation Cell, Head of Strategy and Performance Management. Until recently he was heading Smart Grid Group and rolled out one of the country's first Advanced Metering Infrastructure with Auto Demand Response Project and a comprehensive Smart Grid Technology Roadmap for TPDDL. He is presently Head of Strategy, Business Excellence & Collaborations including Digital & Business Intelligence Group.
Ms. Jacquie joined Customized in 2007 and assists her clients to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies into the energy markets. She is an expert in the energy regulatory arena and wholesale market rules. Jacquie has over twenty five years of experience in the energy industry. She worked for the CA ISO in the areas of market design and account management. She has worked internationally on energy regulatory reform and restructuring matters for the US Agency for International Development. Jacquie worked in project development for an independent power producer, and has worked for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. She has a B.A. from Rutgers University and an M.B.A. from George Washington University.
Mr. Stephen Fernands is Founder and President of Customized Energy Solutions. In 2008, INC magazine ranked Customized Energy Solutions the 15th fastest growing private company in the energy industry, and in 2007, the Philadelphia Business Journal named it the 8th fastest growing private company in the region.
As President, Stephen has been involved in more than 100 consulting projects; including market design evaluation, retail competition, demand response program development, supply procurement, load profiling, generation development, and transmission congestion analysis. He has a BS in economics from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in Finance from Drexel University.
Ms. Allison Fero is a Master's Candidate in the Institute for Data, Systems and Society and a fellow in the Tata Center for Technology and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research is focused on optimization based control systems for energy networks. She received her BA in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Mr. Jim Green is the Global Business Manager for Energy Storage at CSA Group. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic development and execution of the ES business, supported by Operations teams at CSA Group facilities around the world. Jim has held this role at CSA Group for three years. Prior to CSA Group, he worked for 18 years at a major global producer of outdoor power equipment in various Engineering Management and Compliance roles, and at the NASA Glenn Research Center for the first 9 years of his career. He holds a MS in Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, a MBA in Entrepreneurship from Baldwin-Wallace University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo.
Ms. Miriam Hegner, Senior Expert Technologies and Standards
German Energy Storage Association (BVES)
Miriam Hegner is working in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency since 2000. After finishing her studies in geography, she worked as project manager and head of public relations for REECO GmbH in Reutlingen, Germany, an international event organizer specialized in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Leading the conference department of Solarpraxis AG in Berlin, she focused on new topics such as energy storage.
Since March 2013, Mrs. Hegner is working for the German Energy Storage Association (BVES) as Senior Expert Technologies and Standards.
Dr. Karl Kolmsee, studied agricultural and philosophy at the universities of Hamburg and Goettingen, Germany. After his PhD he has spent most of his professional career in the energy business – first as consultant at A.T. Kearney later as manager at E.ON, Europe's largest private utility, and member of the board at Schmack biogas, one of the pioneers of the biogas market in Europe. In 2009 Karl Kolmsee has been nominated professor for energy management at Applied University of Kufstein, Austria. His main areas of academic work are international energy markets and renewable energy. In 2010 he founded Smart Hydro Power to focus on design and commercialization of kinetic pico hydro power systems with main focus on rural electrification for emerging markets like India, Colombia or Nigeria. Karl is member of the board of ARE – the alliance for rural electrification.
Mr. Manish Kumar as Managing Director, Distributed Energy, Manish is responsible for the growth of AES' distributed generation portfolio globally and energy storage market development in India. Manish has over 15 years of experience in energy, ranging from battery energy storage, distributed generation (solar, combined heat & power, fuel cells), and retail electricity and natural gas.
He holds an Engineering Degree in Electronics from the University of Mumbai and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Ms. Harshitha S Kumar currently heads the Energy Storage Initiative in L&T. Earlier she was in-charge of Cluster Operations in Solar Business. She had also handled the Microgrid & rooftop solar business segment. Under her leadership some of the major achievements include the execution of more than 100 MW utility scale Solar projects, the World's largest single roof top power plant of 7.52 MWp capacity in India, Intersolar awards for projects in 2013 & Commissioning of India's first full-fledged Microgrid system. Before joining the Solar business team, she was part of L&T Corporate Strategy and had worked deeply along with top management consultants McKinsey & Co and Bain & Co. She had worked with various businesses in infrastructure, hydrocarbon and manufacturing sectors on various aspects such as strategy development & implementation, performance improvement, implementation, performance improvement, organization design and M&A screening. She was also closely involved in formulating and implementing Corporate Strategy for L&T including portfolio decision and organizational restructuring.
Earlier she was part of the Power Transmission & Distribution business of L&T Construction wherein she worked across functions including Project Management, Operational improvement initiatives, Strategic planning and Perspective plan development for the business unit.
Harshitha has an MBA (PGDM) from S P Jain Institute of Management and Research and also an M.Tech degree from IIT Madras.
Prof. Sagar Mitra, currently is an associate professor in Energy Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. Dr Mitra hasreceived his Ph.D degree in Solid State Electrochemistry from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India in 2004.After completing his PhD, he has joined Prof. J.M. Tarascon's lab for two years as postdoctoral researcher (2004 to 2006). Later, he has joined in electronic industry, Replisaurus Technologies, Stockholm, Sweden as Principal Electrochemist (2006 to 2009). At Replisaurus Technologies, he has received prestigious Swedish award as "Expert in Electrochemistry for Electronic industry" in 2006. He is currently leading the battery research team in National Centre for Solar Photovoltaic Research and Education (funded by ministry of new and renewable energy, govt. of India) at IIT Bombay and his current research mainly focused on advanced materials and technology development for different energy storage applications, particularly in lithium-ion batteries and sodium ion batteries.
Dr. Peter Lilienthal is the President/CEO of HOMER Energy. Since 1993, he has been the developer of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's HOMER hybrid power optimization software, which has been used by over 90,000 energy practitioners in 193 countries. NREL has licensed HOMER Energy to be their sole world-wide commercialization licensee for distributing and enhancing the HOMER model.
Dr. Lilienthal was the Senior Economist with the International Programs Office at NREL from 1990 - 2007. He has a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University. He has been active in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency since 1978. This has included designing and teaching courses at the university level, project development of independent power projects, and consulting to industry and regulators. His technical expertise is in utility modeling and the economic and financial analysis of renewable and micro-grid projects. He was the lead analyst and one of the creators of NREL's International and Village Power Programs.
Pranav Mehta, a leading solar champion of India known for his social and environmental concern, is currently the Chairman of National Solar Energy FederatIon of India (NSEFI), New Delhi, Co-Chairman of the Global Solar Council (GSC), launched at Paris during COP 21 Climate Change related events and Head Quartered at Washington DC, USA as also Vice Chairman of Asia Photovoltaic Industries Association(APVIA) based at Shanghai, China.Apart from his hands-on experience of implementing solar energy projects both big and small,he is advising renowned National and Multinational Companies and has been mentoring start ups in solar sector. He is one of the leading technocrats of India known for his social concern.A National Scholar throughout his academic career, he has industrial experience of 40+ years at senior corporate management levels in India's top notch corporations like Reliance, Tata Steel, Essar, GSPC,GIIC etc. mainly in the area of "Concept to Commissioning" of New Technology Projects and Sustainable Development.
Pranav Mehta has beeninvolved in policy advocacy, regulatory matters in electricity sector and has been associated with Asia's largest solar park at Charanka in Gujarat. He has rendered out outstanding services to the country in the Core Sector industries like Steel,Petroleum, Power and Natural Gas sector.
He played a significant role in ushering in CNG not only in the mega city of Ahmedabad but also other cities of Gujarat significantly reducing air pollution in these cities.
One of his outstanding contributions to India has been his seminal work and pivotal role in establishing the country's First Natural Gas Based Sponge iron and Steel plant at Hazira in Gujarat, which resulted in reducing millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions usually associated with conventional steel plants using coal.
This project also saved diesel, electric and other fossil fuels used in transportation of steel from the traditional eastern parts of the country to western parts in India over long distances and equally significantly resulted in savings in valuable foreign exchange for the country.
He is a Member of CII National Committee for Renewable Energy.
An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Science, Dr. Pillai's research work of more than 20 years is primarily focused on batteries, fuel cells, bio-electrochemistry, electrochemical sensors, chemically modified electrodes, anodization, electro-deposition, electro-organic synthesis, etc.
Dr. Pillai has more than 240 research papers, 27 patents, a book (Functional Materials: A Chemist's Perspective) and many book chapters to his credit. Under his guidance, 17 students have received Ph.D. degrees. He is a recipient of many prestigious awards including National Prize for Research on Energy Materials & Devices, Medals of the MRSI and CRSI. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and Affiliate Member of the IUPAC. He is a Member in many Boards/Councils/Advisory Committees including Research Advisory Council of GAIL, India and Management and Research Council of many CSIR Labs. He is also in the editorial boards of several prestigious journals.
Prof. Vijayamohanan K. Pillai assumed charge as Director, CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI) on April 24, 2012. As the helmsman at CSIR-CECRI, Dr. Pillai strives to make the institute an internationally renowned place for electrochemistry.
In addition to CSIR-CECRI, Prof. Pillai held the additional charge as Director,
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune from 01/06/2015 to 29/02/2016.
GAO Peng was born in Jiangsu province in 1980. He got his bachelor degree of electrical engineering in Wuhan University of hydraulic and electric engineering in 2002. And he received his master degree of electrical engineering in Zhejiang University in 2005. He is now working in NR Electric as a product manager of renewable energy and HVDC. As one of counsellors of CNESA,he is also a registered senior engineer in China. His research interests are renewable energy generation,Energy Storage,FACTS & HVDC, simulation studies and power system stability control.
Mr. Reji Kumar is an internationally renowned expert in the electric power sector with over three decades of experience in the electricity industry in diverse functions across the entire value chain and across continents. He is spearheading a mission to leverage technology to transform the electric grid in India and light every home at affordable cost through sustainable developmental models. Reji played the pivotal role in formulation of the Smart Grid Vision & Roadmap for India that has been recently adopted by the Government of India. He worked with various stakeholders to bring about consensus in finalizing the smart grid roadmap.
He is the President of India Smart Grid Forum, a public – private partnership initiative of the Government of India for accelerated development of smart grid technologies in the Indian power sector.
L. Pugazhenthy, well known as "Mr. Pug", a Past President of The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) is also the Executive Director of India Lead Zinc Development Association (ILZDA), a 54 year old non–profit technical body. He is a Metallurgical Engr from National Institute of Technology, Trichy, followed by Post Graduation in Business Mgmt as well as Marketing & Sales Mgmt with about 40 years experience in the metals industry. Mr. Pug has served as an expert member of Committees in the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Mines, etc., as well as the various Five Year Plan Sub Groups on non–Ferrous Metals.
Mr. Pugazhenthy is the only Asian so far to receive the prestigious International Lead Medal, at the Asian Battery Conference in Macau, China in September 2009, for his contributions to the lead industry. He also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from National Institute of Technology, Trichy, Tamil Nadu in 2014.
Dr. Ashok Saraswat Biography
after obtaining Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India, Ashok Saraswat began career in battery systems with a focus on Li-ion batteries. Dr. Saraswat has been involved in R&D, product and process development, assembly processes, and battery applications in various market segments including consumer electronics, aerospace and stationary storage. He currently works for NEC Energy Solutions. He is a member of a cross-functional team which develops battery solutions for the stationary storage and renewable energy integration.
Mr. Shah is currently the Head for Energy Storage Business atDPS. In his existing role, he is responsible for driving exponential growth through Product Innovations, Market Research and Create Application Vertical Pillarsfor VRLA as well as Lithium Ion Batteries and leading the team to maximize Revenues. He is also responsible to build strong Local Engineering Team and Service Infrastructure to Create Sustainable Growth.He strongly believes that his Activity will help India to Overcome the Energy Deficiency and become a Progressive Nation and that would be the Biggest Contribution to Indian Society.
Previously, he has been associated with Panasonic since last 17 Years at various Positions and Multiple Products Exposure like Compressor, Motor, Electronic Components, Semiconductors, Sensors, Factory Automation and Display Devices.Additionally, he is responsible for managing the overall INDD growth strategy for Panasonic, and leading the sales team to meet or exceed sales targets.
Mr. Shah holds an Industrial Electronics Degree with specialization in Power Electronics from Pune University. He has additionally done Internal and External Management Courses including Basic Japanese Language Course. He is a Part of Panasonic Business Leadership Development Program, India Representative for South East Asia Automotive Business Development Committee, Panasonic Global Advisory Committee and One South Asia Business Leadership Program.
Mr. Michael Ratliff, is Managing Director, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Global Energy Group. Prior to joining OPIC he worked as a financial advisor to the Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program, providing advisory services in the structuring and financing of energy projects. Previously he served for eight years as the head of infrastructure for the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) Private Sector Department, executing transactions in infrastructure and energy throughout Latin America. Prior to joining the IDB, he was the manager of project finance for CH2M Hill's Capital Corporation; CH2M is a global engineering company. Mr. Ratliff earned his MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and holds a BA, graduating with distinction, from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Mr. Ratliff is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Mr. Rahul Tongia, is a fellow with Brookings India in New Delhi. An expert in technology, policy and design of infrastructure, his research covers energy, electricity and sustainable development, with additional expertise in information technology and telecommunications. Tongia's work focuses on smart grids, which use innovative information and communications technology to improve management of the electric utility grid; renewables and renewable integration; shortfalls of electricity and mitigation measures; and electricity pricing. He is also an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and technical advisor for the Government of India's Smart Grid Task Force.
Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, is the Founder and Executive Director, IESA. Rahul heads the Customized Energy Solutions as President & MD, with focus on energy storage, renewables, demand response and smart grid technologies as well as international markets. Rahul has been involved in evaluating economics of emerging technologies in deregulated electricity markets since 2004. His activities have covered complete range of smart grid, demand response and energy storage technologies.
Rahul currently serves on the Board of Directors of Electricity Storage Association and was elected as Secretory in 2013. He is also Founder and Executive Director for India Energy Storage Alliance and is part of Executive Council for Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy in India.
Mr. John Wood, is the Chief Executive Officer of Ecoult. He joined the energy storage community in 2008 having previously launched technologies globally in Security, Identity, Payment Technology, and Telecommunications.
As a technology CEO for more than 20 years, John has had the good fortune to have worked with excellent individuals and led excellent teams that have created businesses and numerous successful products and solutions from the ground up that are used and trusted by many of the world's largest enterprises and governments, either directly or under license by many of the largest global technology enterprises.
John is now leading the Ecoult effort to commercialize the UltraBattery® storage solutions.