Energetica India Magazine

rooftop-solar data into something a DISCOM can actually act on. As the grid gets more distributed, we need a genuine - ly connected grid – otherwise we risk the kind of cascading blackout that Spain and Portugal saw last year. The second challenge is the pace of change itself. Electricity is heavily regulated, so very few founders and investors enter the space, and innovation needs open markets to thrive. And the third is demand: EVs, rooftop solar, electric cooking and rising cooling loads are not just increasing total demand; they are making it far peakier – and a peaky system is much harder to run efficiently. Q How do technologies such as AI, machine learning, dig- ital twins, and predictive analytics fit into the future of power distribution and grid management? Alok Kumar: Progress in the adoption of digital technology depends on the technological and organisational maturity of a utility. We need to ensure first the full use of data being generated by smart meters through various use cases with the key objectives of cost efficiency, improved reliability and fa - cilitating integration of distributed energy resources. Avail - able capabilities in AI and Machine Learning should be fully tapped while developing these use cases. New advancements like digital twins can be taken up in the utilities, which have attained a certain level of technological maturity. Q What trends or emerging solutions have impressed you most among the startups participating in ENTICE? Ankur Sharma: What has impressed me most is the courage. This is a tightly regulated sector – the kind most founders would avoid – and yet people are choosing to build here be - cause they understand how critical it is for the country’s growth. Beyond that, I am seeing real momentum in a few areas: startups working on demand flexibility, on using AI to run grid operations more intelligently, and on integrating EVs and batteries as grid assets rather than just loads. A few years ago, these were academic ideas; now they are products being piloted with real DISCOMs. That shift from concept to de - ployment is the genuinely exciting part, and it is the space we are building in at Flock too. Q What opportunities does ENTICE 3.0 offer to innovators looking to solve India’s most pressing energy challenges? Ankur Sharma: For an energy startup, ENTICE 3.0 offers the three things that are hardest to get on your own. First, a credible platform – instant validation in a sector where trust is everything. Second, direct access to DISCOMs, which are notoriously hard to reach as an outsider, plus the chance to run a real pilot with them. And third, funding. Any one of those can change a startup’s trajectory; getting all three in one place is rare. Q If India is to achieve both energy independence and net-zero ambitions, what is the single most important ac- tion that industry, policymakers and innovators must collec- tively prioritise today? Alok Kumar: We should keep our focus on supporting expan - sion of renewable energy in a cost-effective manner. Afford - ability remains an essential objective for policy makers in In - dia. Therefore, all the solutions should give highest priority to cost-effectiveness. Ankur Sharma: If I had to pick just one, it is this: build a reg - ulation that invites innovation instead of walling it off. Out - side of generation, the sector is so tightly regulated that nei- ther founders nor investors are really showing up, and those are exactly the two ingredients a fast-changing power sector needs most. Policymakers have to open up regulatory sand - boxes where new models can be tested safely. The DISCOMs have to be willing to actually pilot those ideas. And innova - tors have to keep showing up despite the friction. INTERVIEW energetica INDIA- Jul-Aug_2026 41