Reji Kumar Pillai

Reji is the President of India Smart Grid Forum and is also the current Chairman of the Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF). He is an internationally renowned expert with over four decades of experience in the electricity sector in diverse functions covering the entire value chain and across continents. He is spearheading a mission to leverage technology to transform the electric grids and provide clean and reliable electricity to every citizen 24x7 at affordable cost. For decades he has been actively advocating for the “Right to Electricity” that would ensure lifeline supply of electricity to all citizen which is now becoming a reality in India and several other developing countries. He is also advocating for the “Right to Sleep” to provide climate-controlled sleeping pods in low-income communities to ensure minimum hours of comfortable sleep for the economically downtrodden. Reji has played pivotal role in several groundbreaking initiatives related to renewable energy, electric grid modernization, electric mobility, energy storage and digitalization of utilities across continents. His current areas of research and work spans: AI Agents for Utility Applications, Vehicle to Grid (V2G) Technology, District Cooling Systems (DCS); Distributed BESS and DERMS; Smart Inverters and Management of Reverse Power Flows on Distribution Grids, Electrification of Agriculture Sector; Grid Interactive Buildings and Campuses; Robotics, Blockchain, Web 3.0 and Metaverse Applications for Utilities; and Digital Energy Grids leveraging Unified Energy Interface (UEI) Architecture. In 2016, Reji was unanimously elected as Chairman of Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF), a global umbrella organization of smart energy associations and utilities from around the globe headquartered in Washington DC, USA that was established by the US Department of Energy in 2010. Reji is also an advisor to Arab Renewable Energy Commission (AREC); and work closely with the Association of Power Utilities in Africa (APUA), International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) and Latin American Smart Grid Forum. As an entrepreneur, Reji has built successful enterprises in India and overseas and exited them. Presently he mentors several technology startups around the globe. He has studied Engineering, Finance, Management and Law; worked with NTPC and IBM and has been a senior consultant with ADB, World Bank and USAID. A recognized thought leader in the renewable energy, smart grid technologies, smart cities and electric mobility, Reji is a popular key-note speaker at international symposiums and conferences. He has also contributed to several articles, books, research reports and white papers on variety of topics.