Que: India’s data centre capacity is expected to expand significantly over the next decade. How important is the sector for RE developers as far as overall portfolio and future growth is concerned?

Ans: The data centre sector will be one of the most important demand centres for clean energy over the next decade. TERI and NSEFI estimate that data centres could account for as much as 6 percent of India’s electricity demand by 2030, while the Ministry of Power estimates demand could reach 13.56 GW by 2031-32.

That scale makes it a meaningful growth opportunity for renewable developers. What makes it even more attractive is that this is an upcoming sector, so renewable integration can be planned from the start and the energy mix can be designed around the customer’s needs.

At Gentari, we are already catering to data centre customers in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Through our recent projects, we have enabled on-site RTC power for one client, while the other has access to clean energy from open access for low-tension telecom towers.

Que: Data centres require uninterrupted, round-the-clock power. How crucial would the customisation of clean energy solutions be?

Ans: Hybrid systems will be central to meeting the round-the-clock needs of data centres, but the solution has to start with the customer’s load profile, uptime requirement and commercial structure, not with a single technology.

In some cases, solar-plus-storage will be the best fit; in others, a combination of solar, wind and battery storage will deliver better results. For data centres, customisation is what turns clean energy into a dependable business solution. The sector needs power that is reliable, scalable and aligned with how the facility operates every hour of the day. That is why the future of this market will belong to developers who can design fit-to-purpose energy solutions rather than simply sell generation capacity.

Que: With solar-plus-storage becoming more cost-effective than wind-solar hybrids, should RE developers rethink their wind strategy for the C&I and data centre markets?

Ans: This is not a solar-versus-wind debate. The market is moving towards outcome-based energy solutions. Falling storage costs may make solar-plus-storage more attractive in some cases, but wind will continue to matter where customers want higher renewable penetration and stronger round-the-clock performance.

For C&I customers and data centres, the right answer will depend on the use case, not on one preferred technology. The real shift for developers is to move from asset-led planning to customer-led design. That means building an integrated portfolio that can combine solar, wind, storage and digital optimisation in the right mix for each site. The winning model will be the one that delivers reliability, predictability and decarbonisation together.

Que: How important will energy storage technologies be in enabling the next phase of growth for India’s data centre sector? What role are distributed green hydrogen projects expected to play in this?

Ans: Storage will be critical because the challenge is no longer only generating renewable energy, but making it available when needed. For data centres, this matters even more because they require 24x7 power and cannot compromise on uptime. Battery storage will help bridge that gap in the near term by improving reliability and enabling cleaner round-the-clock supply. But adoption will still depend on supportive policy, better economics and faster deployment.

Green hydrogen will have a longer-term role, especially for long-duration storage and industrial decarbonisation. So the future is not about one technology replacing another. It is about renewables, storage and hydrogen working together as complementary solutions to close the gap between clean-energy ambition and operational reality.

Que: What are the biggest challenges data centre operators face in sourcing clean energy today, and how can these barriers be addressed?

Ans: The real challenges are firm power, grid readiness, land, water and commercial certainty. Data centres need 24x7 reliability, but India’s infrastructure still has to keep pace with this growth. Recent policy and sector analysis also show that electricity and water are major planning issues, and decisions on siting, sourcing and cooling will lock in resource impacts for years.

So the challenge is to build a solution that is operationally robust, scalable and bankable. This is why clean-energy procurement for data centres cannot be treated like a standard purchase. It has to be designed as a long-term infrastructure partnership, with developers, utilities, policymakers and customers working together to solve for power, water, transmission and execution risk.

Que: From June 1, 2026, ALMM-II compliance has become mandatory for open access projects. What kind of impact do you see on project commissioning timelines and costs?

Ans: We support the intent behind ALMM-II because strengthening domestic manufacturing is important for India’s energy security and supply chain resilience. The rule requiring ALMM-listed solar cells from 1 June 2026 remains in force, and there is clearly a demand-supply gap in domestic cell availability today.

At the same time, ALMM-I showed that Indian manufacturers can scale well when the policy direction is clear. The immediate priority is to close the cell supply gap without affecting project commissioning timelines or the final cost of the project. That will require better supply visibility, stronger manufacturing capacity and earlier procurement planning. If managed well, this transition can strengthen the solar value chain without slowing India’s renewable energy momentum.

Que: How do you see the C&I renewable energy market shaping up in the next 5 years? What are your future plans?

Ans: Over the next five years, the C&I market will be shaped by energy security, integration and resilience. Customers are no longer looking at renewable energy as a standalone procurement decision; they want solutions that protect uptime, reduce exposure to grid volatility and deliver long-term cost certainty. That will push the market towards integrated energy systems combining renewables, storage and digital optimisation, with more advanced solutions coming in over time.

For developers, the opportunity is to help customers build more resilient energy strategies. At Gentari, our focus is to support that shift with reliable, scalable and fit-to-purpose solutions that help customers meet both sustainability goals and business continuity needs.