With sadness and great sorrow, we learned of the untimely death on December 15, 2022, of our beloved friend, one of the fathers of PV in India, Shri Pranav R. Mehta, at the age of 73.
Pranav, as all his friends called him, was unrelenting in his efforts to promote the fastest possible transformation of our energy system to CO2-emission-free renewable energy, (RE) dominated by solar energy available for free anywhere on this planet. We all lost a great friend and unrelenting fighter for a better world based on clean energy. His career started from a different corner in the classical industry, with Tata Steel, Reliance industries and the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation.
Since 2006 he concentrated his efforts on promoting solar energy in the form of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy conversion. He served as an important voice in India promoting solar energy. He served as a founding member and Chairman of the Global Solar Council (GSC) and actively participated in the formation of the International Solar Alliance ISA.
As Chairman of the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) he formed a platform to advise the government on topics related to the great energy transformation process towards 100% RE. The ambitious goal of Prime Minister Modi from last year, to reach 100GW of PV installations in India by 2030 is attributed in part to Pranav’s influence. Pranav was a true advocate of rooftop solar. His slogan was: ‘From class to mass’, meaning the use of solar energy should not be limited to wealthy, high-class parts of society, but should be made available for all people. The fact that India is now among the top 5 leading countries in terms of solar energy deployment can actually be attributed to his influence.
He was an active participant in the Cleantech Business Club (CBC) as Honorary Co-Chair for India and was regularly present at important global Solar events in India, USA (Solar Power International), China (SNEC), Europe (InterSolar) and Abu Dhabi (IRENA General Assembly and WFES), as well as many of the annual Conferences of the Parties (COPs) where international negotiations on climate change mitigation take place. In 2019, Pranav was among the distinguished recipients of the Solar Future Today Visionary Influencer Awards (now called the World CleanTech Awards (WCA)) and became a very active member of the Awards’ Jury.
As a result of his influence and activism, CBC leaders and the WCA Chair Committee have decided to honor Pranav with naming the World CleanTech Awards - Visionary Cleantech Public Opinion Influencer Distinction the Pranav Mehta Distinction in his honor. The world has lost an important, active voice for PV, especially for rapid deployment of PV in India, and we have all lost a good friend and colleague. Pranav, your spirit will remain with us, and we will share with you how your dreams come true in the coming years!
Joint in sadness and great sorrow:
The National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI)
Women Empowering The CleanTech Decade
The World CleanTech Awards (WCA) The International Solar Energy Society (ISES)
The Global Solar Council (GSC)
The New Energy Industry Association for Asia and the Pacific (NEIAPP)
PV Cycle
The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC)
The Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA)
Dii Desert Energy
Informa Markets and Renewable Energy India Expo and Conferences
Solar Promotion on behalf for The Smarter E & Intersolar Exhibitions and Conferences
SNEC Exhibitions & Conferences
The CleanTech Business Club (CBC)