Made in India. Made for the World! Suzlon and the Making of India’s Wind Energy Story

India’s clean energy transition is no longer an idea in motion; it is an economic and strategic necessity. As the country accelerates toward long-term energy security, wind power has emerged as a critical pillar, supporting not just decarbonisation but industrial growth and manufacturing depth.

At the heart of this journey is Suzlon Group - a company that did not merely scale alongside India’s renewable push, but helped shape the ecosystem itself. In this special conversation with Moneycontrol, Girish Tanti, Co-founder and Vice Chairman of Suzlon Group, reflects on three decades of building wind energy in India, and what comes next.

Suzlon’s entry into wind power began not with policy incentives or climate mandates, but with a practical problem. In the 1990s, energy accounted for nearly 30 percent of operating costs in the Tanti family’s textile business. “We were looking for an alternate source of energy,” Tanti recalls. “Among renewables, wind looked interesting at that point in time.”

What followed was far from straightforward. “The first five years were pretty challenging,” he says. “It was not a viable solution; the cost of wind energy was almost more than two times of what it is today.” Making wind work required simultaneous progress on technology, supply chains, and market development. “A lot of work had to be done on technology, on the supply chain, and on market development,” he explains.

That persistence helped lay the foundation for an industry. Wind energy in India did not grow organically; it required deliberate ecosystem building. Suzlon worked closely with governments at both state and central levels to shape early renewable policies. “Renewables were very new for the country,” Tanti notes. “A lot of time and effort went into developing policies that allowed industries to install wind projects.”

At the same time, the company invested heavily in technology. Global R&D centres across Europe and India focused on fundamental design improvements to bring costs down. Just as critical was manufacturing. “When we started, India had no expertise in manufacturing wind components,” Tanti says. Over time, Suzlon helped establish the entire value chain domestically, even setting up dedicated SEZs to give suppliers the confidence to invest.

One of Suzlon’s most influential innovations came at the project level. Instead of scattered turbine installations, the company introduced large, scientifically planned wind parks. “We were the first to bring the concept of wind farming,” Tanti explains. “Industries could pick whatever size of project they wanted, but benefit from collective infrastructure.” The model reduced costs, simplified operations, and built long-term confidence in wind as a reliable energy source.

Today, India’s renewable ambitions are clearer, and bolder, than ever. “For the first time, the country has a clear long-term energy transition vision, right up to 2047,” Tanti says. That visibility, combined with performance-driven governance, has changed the pace of execution. “Departments today are working almost like CEO’s offices, month-to-month, target-driven.”

Wind energy, he believes, is firmly on track. India has already crossed 50 percent renewable energy share ahead of schedule, while wind capacity stands at over 50 GW with strong visibility toward the 100 GW target by 2030. “About 95 GW of visibility already exists,” Tanti says. “Achieving the 100 GW target by 2030 looks largely on track.”

The next phase of acceleration, however, depends on execution. Grid infrastructure, smoother coordination between centralised procurement and states, and last-mile administrative issues remain key levers. “Largely, things are broadly on track,” he adds, “but there is always room to move faster.”

Beyond domestic deployment, a larger opportunity is taking shape. Wind is one of the few clean-tech sectors where India owns intellectual property, manufacturing capability, and supply chains. “Almost 64 percent of wind equipment installed last year was made in India,” Tanti notes. At Suzlon, localisation already exceeds 80 percent.

India’s manufacturing capacity far outstrips current domestic demand, opening the door to exports. “We can produce about 20 GW annually as a country, while consumption is just over 6 GW,” he says. By 2030, India could account for nearly 10 percent of the global wind supply chain, almost double its current share.

Technology will be a defining force in this next chapter. As AI, electric mobility, and green hydrogen drive new energy demand, Tanti sees a rare advantage. “We can build these new industries green from day one,” he says. Internally, Suzlon is deploying AI, automation, robotics, and IoT across R&D, manufacturing, project execution, and lifetime services. The focus is clear: productivity, performance, safety, and cost efficiency.

Looking ahead, Suzlon’s ambition is twofold. “We don’t want to just produce for India,” Tanti says. “We want to produce in India, for the world.” What began as a search for affordable power has evolved into a blueprint for industrial resilience; where clean energy, manufacturing strength, and global competitiveness move forward together.

Moneycontrol Journalists are not involved in creation of this article.