Kamalakannan Thiruvadi, Bentley Systems
Strengthening the resilience of energy systems is not just about survival; it’s about empowering inclusive growth and safeguarding livelihoods.
Kamalakannan Thiruvadi, Regional Executive, South Asia - Bentley Systems
Why is a resilient energy infrastructure critical for a fast-developing and climate-vulnerable country like India?
A Google Earth image showing Pinnapuram PSP Location (Image Credit: Google Earth)India, home to over 1.4 billion people, faces a dual challenge: surging energy demand driven by rapid industrialization and urbanization, and acute vulnerability to climate change impacts such as extreme heat, flooding, and cyclones. Resilient energy infrastructure is crucial because it ensures reliable, continuous power even under extreme weather conditions, minimizes economic disruptions, and supports sustainable development. It also facilitates India's ambitious goals of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, ensuring energy security, and enabling large-scale adoption of renewables that are intermittently available.
What is Bentley’s role in advancing India’s renewable energy sector? Please share a few real-world examples of Bentley-supported projects and challenges faced.
Bentley provides advanced engineering solutions that help design, manage, and deliver complex renewable energy projects efficiently. A prime example is the Pinnapuram Integrated Renewable Energy Project (IREP) in Andhra Pradesh — the world’s first and largest integrated solar, wind, and pumped storage hydroproject. Bentley’s Seequent GeoStudio software helped AFRY engineers model seepage, slope stability, and complex geotechnical conditions. Engineers tackled highly variable soil and rock conditions and needed flexible design iterations to meet land and structural constraints.
