India 2050: Digital transformation of energy

Posted: September 12, 2025

At AVEVA Day India – Mumbai, industry leaders gathered to explore a bold vision for India’s energy future. The panel discussion, moderated by Naveen Kumar (VP, Business Development, AVEVA), brought together experts from JSW Group, Hindalco, Reliance, Sonepar, and Power Finance Corporation, focused on how digital transformation is driving sustainability, profitability, and innovation in India’s energy landscape.

Following are some of the highlights from this year’s discussions.

Digital transformation as a sustainability driver

Organizations are using digital technologies to meet aggressive sustainability targets such as carbon neutrality, water positivity, and zero waste discharge. Key strategies include:

• AI and digital twins: Used to optimize energy consumption in power plants and furnaces, improving operational efficiency and reducing emissions.
• Neural networks: Applied to monitor and adjust furnace performance for optimal energy use.
• Asset reliability: Predictive maintenance improves uptime and reduces environmental impact.
• Smart supply chains: Advanced routing algorithms optimize fuel usage for heavy equipment in mining and manufacturing.
• Blockchain for circularity: Enables traceability of scrap materials through contract manufacturers, supporting recycling and reuse.
• Vision analytics: Helps distinguish between high-quality and low-quality scrap, enabling up to 70% scrap reuse in aluminum production. 

Technological challenges and solutions

Some common technological challenges and proposed solutions include:

• Legacy infrastructure: Scaling digital solutions across plants with varied operational technology systems is difficult. Solutions include surrogate data extraction and modular upgrades.
• Harsh environments: Mining and manufacturing sites face corrosion and lightning, complicating sensor deployment. Ruggedized sensors and alternative data collection methods are being explored.
• Cybersecurity: IT/OT convergence increases vulnerability. Organizations are balancing agility with robust security protocols.
• Data overload: GenAI is being explored to summarize dashboards and KPIs, enabling frontline decision-making without overwhelming users.

ESG reporting and compliance

Sustainability reporting is being streamlined through:

• Unified data lakes: Operational data is consolidated into central platforms to support ESG reporting.
• Digitalized reports: Some organizations have automated their  business responsibility and sustainability reporting (BRSR) using a single data source.
• Supply chain assessments: Over 80% of suppliers voluntarily disclose their carbon footprints, enabling upstream and downstream reporting. 

Carbon pricing and ROI models

To align sustainability with profitability, companies are deploying:

• Internal carbon pricing: Carbon cost is included in ROI and total cost of ownership calculations, influencing decisions like cloud migration over on-premise infrastructure.
• Blockchain carbon credit banks: Blockchain is used to track renewable energy usage and carbon credits, allowing premium pricing for low-carbon products. 

Frugal innovation and localized solutions

Regional innovation tailored to local conditions is gaining traction with:

• Virtual feeder monitoring: Software-based feeder separation avoids costly infrastructure changes.
• Leakage current detection: A low-cost system detects electrical hazards on poles, aiming to reduce fatalities.
• Skill development: Training centers are being established to upskill government utility staff in automation and smart metering.

Bold organizational commitments

Organizations are making bold moves to shift from traditional energy efficiency to transformative sustainability with:

• Net-zero targets: Organizations are making commitments to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035 and deploy 100 GW of renewable energy by 2030.
• Gigafactories: Large-scale facilities are being built to produce solar PV components, batteries, hydrogen, and fuel cells.
• Green product offerings: Products are being redesigned to offer a low-carbon footprint alternatives by 2027.
• Energy transition academies: Educational initiatives are helping smaller businesses shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energy. 

New ways of working

Digital transformation is reshaping organizational structures by:

• Empowering frontline workers: With real-time data access via tablets, frontline staff are making decisions directly, reducing reliance on middle management.
• Organizational restructuring: Hierarchies are being rethought to support decentralized, data-driven operations.

Digital transformation is not just about efficiency—it’s about sustainability. Whether it’s AI-powered process control or blockchain-based scrap tracking, digital tools are helping Indian industry meet aggressive sustainability goals. Now is the time to act and build a resilient, sustainable energy future for India.