Q1. You’ve led major engineering, thermal-systems and innovation programs across your career — could you briefly outline how your responsibilities have evolved as you moved into senior technical and leadership roles?

Though my career has evolved in the thermal and renewable energy sectors, my roles have shifted from individual contributor to senior leadership, including VP. 

In the initial stages, I worked on ground processes, thermal calculations, and order execution. In the later phase, I have overseen the engineering, design calculations, and operations. However, during my latest role in the Thermal Energy system, I designed from scratch and then built the team, so I handled all micro-design activities, including concept design, thermal and heat transfer calculations, material selection, overseeing simulations, fabrication drawings, prototype development, etc. 

Q2. As industries push toward decarbonization, how do you see demand for alternatives to fossil-fuel-based thermal systems evolving, especially in process heating and industrial steam applications?

It has and will further enhance demand for renewable process heating and industrial steam applications, driven by market demand, and all major corporations are positioning their products as Green and pushing their vendors to use Green energy.

Also, each country that participated in Global climate summits (COP) has made policy and is being pushed to the industry for implementation, which will also have a positive effect on this. 

Q3. Thermal energy storage and hybrid renewable-thermal solutions are gaining attention for round-the-clock industrial heating. What technical or economic barriers do you see that still limit widespread adoption?

Thermal energy storage involves high-temperature storage, which is still not a developed technology; only a very few companies have demonstrated it. 

There are the following major challenges:

• How to store, what are the materials for storage
• How to maintain the high temperature with the least thermal loss
• How to provide constant or desired heat output
• How to minimise the cost to match or be less than PV/hydrogen technology to get the same heat output 

Q4. As thermal systems become more digitized — with advanced simulation, control systems, and performance monitoring — what capabilities do engineering teams need to build to keep pace with this shift?

Once the above mentioned basic technology is developed, there is significant scope for digitisation. For example, to develop a control system to create and maintain high temperatures, and advanced instruments to measure high-temperature-based parameters.

Engineering teams need the following capabilities

1. Develop/Measure high-temperature-based parameters with high-tech instruments
2. Collect data for processing with new technologies such as AIML
3. Learn and observe system performance 
4. Develop preventive maintenance and predictive performance strategies
5. Upgrade simulation and theory behind complex heat mass transfer problems 

Q5. Industrial customers increasingly expect higher efficiency, lower emissions, and better lifecycle costs. How do you balance traditional boiler/heat-exchanger design approaches with the need for R&D-driven innovation?

The basic combustion technology has reached the best possible efficiencies; for example, the main losses in boilers are from flue gases, so it has reached saturation, beyond which it is difficult or even impossible. Over time, the flue gas stack temperature is also optimised; if it is decreased further, it will have a negative impact on the life-cycle of the boiler/heater.

It is generally observed that a small incremental efficiency improvement has a huge cost impact and affects commercial viability.

Q6. You’ve overseen innovation programs and patenting efforts. In your experience, what practices best enable engineering organisations to systematically identify, test, and commercialise high-impact clean-energy innovations?

This is in general and not specific to clean energy Innovations:

We should have a problem to get solved, find out solutions, select the best solution,

Do a Technical and Commercial feasibility check, 

Most of the time, commercial feasibility assessments done before project approval are overly optimistic, and the reality is far different.

If these steps are strictly followed, the commercialisation shall have a better impact.