Inderpreet Singh Wadhwa (born 1972) is an Indian-American

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

entrepreneur. He is the former Chairman &

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Azure Power Global Limited."Inderpreet Singh Wadhwa Executive Profile"
'' Bloomberg'' In 2008, he founded

Azure Power Azure Power Global Limited is an independent power producer, a developer and an operator of utility and commercial scale solar PV power plants headquartered in New Delhi, India. The company was founded in 2008 by Inderpreet Wadhwa. The compan ...

, which launched an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on October 12, 2016, enabling the first listing of Indian energy assets on the New York Stock Exchange. He retired from CEO and Chairman positions of Azure Power in July, 2019 and served as an external advisor to Azure Power till December 31, 2019.

Personal life and education

Wadhwa was born in

Amritsar, Punjab Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

. He has a Bachelors in Electronics Engineering from G.N.D.U, Punjab and graduated from Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

Career

In 2008, Wadhwa founded

with the idea of setting up a business that offers viable and socially responsible alternatives to conventional sources of energy. At the age of 35, Wadhwa, left his job in Silicon Valley and decided to explore the

solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...

sector. Wadhwa pioneered a 1 MW project in a border village in Punjab, which at the time was the largest commercial solar project in India. On December 1, 2009, Azure commissioned the first phase (1 MW) of its 2 MW

solar PV plant Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate ...

in Awan,

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

and began to sell solar power to the Punjab State Electricity Board making Wadhwa the first entrepreneur to sell solar power commercially in India. Prior to Azure Power, Wadhwa served as a vice president of Loyalty Lab and as a senior director of

Oracle Corporation Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas. In 2020, Oracle was the third-largest software company in the world by revenue and market capitalization. The company sells da ...

. Additionally, he has been a member of the Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Azure Power

Under Inderpreet’s leadership, Azure Power grew to become one of India's largest solar power developers and operators with a portfolio of over 3 GWs, including over 1.5 GWs of operating assets. The company has established its leadership through a series of industry firsts, including the first Indian solar company to list its shares publicly on the NYSE and the first successful issuance of green bonds for Indian solar assets. In 2016, Azure Power received the National Award under category “Project Developer” by MNRE. In 2018, Azure Power’s project portfolio surpassed the 3 GW milestone. In March 2019, Azure Power surpassed 100 MWs of operating solar rooftop capacity, making the operating portfolio of Azure Roof Power one of the largest in the country. In July 2019, Inderpreet retired from his position as CEO and Chairman and member of the Board of Directors of Azure Power and all its subsidiaries. He will continue to serve as an advisor to the Company until December 31, 2019.

Media Appearances

Inderpreet has relentlessly lobbied generation based incentives in solar sector through Clean Trade initiatives across US and India. His work has been highlighted in publications such as Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, and Economic Times and he is a sought after speaker at major solar power events in India and abroad including Solar Power International, Inter Solar and other leading solar conferences. Some of the public appearances are as below: * Inderpreet Wadhwa interview with OPIC * Inderpreet Wadhwa in conversation with IFC about entrepreneurship in India’s solar power sector * Inderpreet Wadhwa interview at IFC Climate Business Forum 2017 * Inderpreet Wadhwa in conversation David Letterman in Years of Living Dangerously by National Geographic * Inderpreet Wadhwa in conversation with Barclays on access to financing *Inderpreet Wadhwa in conversation with Bloomberg *Inderpreet Wadha in at TEDexLeh on building sustainable infrastructure with inclusive growth

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wadhwa, Inderpreet 1972 births Living people American energy industry businesspeople