‘India’s power electronics sector surging amid EV and renewable energy innovations’

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G.A. Pathanjali, Managing Director of High Energy Batteries (India), and Mohammad Rihan, Director General of National Institute of Solar Energy, at a stall at Elektrotec 2026 in Coimbatore city on Friday . | Photo Credit: PERIASAMY M

Power electronics is one of the fastest growing and most disruptive sectors in India, with technology developing on a daily basis, driven by electric vehicle innovations, renewable energy standards, and industrial automation, said G.A. Pathanjali, Managing Director of High Energy Batteries (India) Private Limited, on Friday.

Inaugurating the four-day electrical and industrial electronics exhibition Elektrotec 2026, organised in Coimbatore by the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association, he said the most significant areas in electrical and industrial electronics sector include power electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, industrial automation, smart grids, energy storage and advanced electronic manufacturing services.

Embracing electric vehicles is a critical step towards India’s energy security as it will ensure cleaner, healthier and economically sustainable future. EV adoption should be pushed through multiple schemes.

Another cornerstone area of great significance is renewable energy. India ranks third in solar, fourth in wind, and fourth globally in total renewable energy capacity. However, this is inadequate. “India lost 2.3 terawatt hour of solar generation due to grid security concerns. Here, government’s support is needed for the best storage systems and related areas.”

Industries are undergoing major shift towards rapid adoption of industrial IoT-enabled control, AI-assisted diagnostics, and cloud-based monitoring. Even in Armed Forces, demand for batteries for fighter jets is on the decline as unmanned vehicles and drones are taking over. Modernisation of the forces is now focused on UAVs and military drones, including swarm drone technology. “Robotics is no longer a mere industrial upgrade but has become point of national security as well,” he added.

Despite this, many strategic areas pose challenges in terms of domestic hardware and software availability. “There should be readiness through indigenisation and availability through local manufacturing and infrastructure viability,” he added.

The Director General of National Institute of Solar Energy, Mohammad Rihan, said the Institute will explore ways to work closely with the industry here to develop high energy storage batteries. There is a need to build storage capacities for renewable energy and there are several technology options. “There is a lot happening on this front in India and world over. So, there is huge scope for industries, institutes and the government,” he said.

The four-day exhibition at the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex has 240 stalls with focus on automation, AI, and electric vehicles.

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