By Niranjan Nayak, Managing Director, Delta Electronics India Private Limited

India's renewable energy transition is increasingly connected to a broader national priority: building the industrial and technological capabilities required to support long-term economic growth. As India's renewable energy sector grows, the conversation extends beyond expanding generation to strengthening the infrastructure, manufacturing ecosystem and engineering expertise needed to make clean energy a dependable part of India's energy mix.

This presents an important opportunity for Make in India. India is not only a significant market for renewable energy technologies; it can also build the capabilities to design, develop and manufacture solutions for domestic and international markets. Realising this potential will require a sustained focus on engineering, research and development, quality, technical skills and resilient supply chains.

Building the capabilities behind the energy transition

Renewable energy deployment is an important measure of progress, but the long-term effectiveness of the transition depends on more than installed capacity. Clean energy must be integrated into the electricity system, managed alongside changing demand and delivered reliably to homes, businesses and industrial facilities.

As renewable generation expands, the supporting infrastructure becomes increasingly important. Power conversion, energy storage, electrical controls and system integration all contribute to how effectively renewable electricity can be used. These capabilities must develop alongside generation capacity if India is to meet its growing energy requirements while improving the reliability and efficiency of its energy systems.

This creates an opportunity to strengthen India's domestic technology ecosystem. Developing expertise in power electronics and related engineering disciplines can help the country build solutions suited to local operating conditions and evolving energy requirements. It can also create a foundation for Indian manufacturers to compete in global markets on performance, reliability and cost.

The challenge is to build these capabilities over the long term rather than view manufacturing as a question of production volume alone.

Make in India as a technology ambition

The next phase of Make in India should place equal emphasis on what India manufactures and what it can engineer, develop and improve. Local manufacturing is essential, but lasting competitiveness also depends on research and development, product design, testing infrastructure, skilled talent and strong supplier networks.

These capabilities are particularly relevant in a sector where technologies must meet demanding operational requirements. Products and systems need to perform reliably across different climates, grid conditions and industrial applications. Building the ability to design and validate solutions for these conditions can create expertise that extends beyond the domestic market.

A stronger domestic ecosystem can also improve the resilience of supply chains and deepen the country's technical knowledge base. Collaboration between manufacturers, research institutions, universities and policymakers will be important in developing the skills and innovation capacity needed to sustain this progress.

The objective should be to move from manufacturing participation towards technological competitiveness. This would allow India to capture greater value across the clean-energy supply chain while building capabilities that can support future energy technologies.

Connecting renewable energy with India's industrial ambitions

India's renewable energy goals are closely linked to its broader ambitions for energy security, industrial growth and decarbonisation. The National Green Hydrogen Mission is one expression of this direction, seeking to establish domestic capabilities in a developing clean-energy sector. Its long-term success will depend on creating the conditions for technologies to progress from development and deployment to commercially sustainable applications.

This requires coordination across the energy ecosystem. Renewable generation, grid infrastructure, storage, power management and industrial demand cannot be addressed in isolation. Investment decisions must account for how these elements work together and how projects can deliver reliable energy at a viable cost.

Policy support can help establish a clear direction for investment, but sustained progress will also depend on execution, technological development and demand creation. Industry must continue to improve the performance and competitiveness of domestic solutions, while industrial users need confidence that clean-energy systems can meet their operational requirements.

The wider opportunity is to ensure that India's energy transition creates lasting industrial value. A strong domestic manufacturing and engineering base can support the deployment of renewable energy while contributing to employment, skills development, innovation and export potential.

Looking beyond capacity addition

As India's renewable energy sector matures, the capabilities the country will need come into sharper focus. The next phase will require continued deployment, but also greater attention to the infrastructure and technical expertise that make clean energy reliable and economically viable.

For India, the opportunity is to align energy transition goals with the development of a globally competitive industrial ecosystem. This will require consistent investment in research, manufacturing, engineering and skills, supported by collaboration across industry and government.

At Delta Electronics India, we are committed to driving this change, working with industry, government and institutions to help build a stronger technology base for India's clean-energy future.

Make in India can play a defining role in this process if it is viewed not simply as a manufacturing initiative, but as a long-term commitment to developing domestic technological capability. The measure of success will be India's ability to build and deploy solutions that meet its own energy needs while contributing meaningfully to the global clean-energy transition.