As industries strive for carbon neutrality, transitioning to renewable electricity is the most immediate lever for decarbonising operations. This shift currently presents a million-dollar cost-saving opportunity while also delivering several co-benefits.

India’s evolving green energy open access regime has been a game-changer, enabling commercial and industrial consumers to wheel renewable power from distant locations directly to their doorsteps using the common grid infrastructure. The green energy open access market presents a 20 GW profitable opportunity for the steel, cement, and aluminium sectors across states, despite two key challenges: (1) electricity supply in these industrial facilities remains largely dominated by low-cost captive coal power, restricting the penetration of renewables, and (2) while a portion of electricity demand is met through the expensive grid, which could be cost-effectively replaced with renewables, multiple open access surcharges on renewable power erode potential gains. 

With many corporations in these sectors pledging to achieve 100% renewable energy in the coming decades, this report also explores the pathway to a fully renewable-powered future with 24/7 demand matching. The discussion is specifically structured around large industrial consumers that have firm, round-the-clock electricity demand. It highlights how storage solutions—particularly batteries—will be indispensable in enabling the transition from partial renewable usage to meeting 24/7 targets.