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Ramasubramaniam V, Thomas Pullenkav, Piyush Mathur, Priyadarshini Karve, Raghuram C, Srashant Patara

How do we ensure that renewable energy solutions actually serve those who need them most? This panel at the Impact Failure Conclave brought together leading voices from the energy access and clean cooking sectors to reflect on where they went wrong, what they learned, and how the future can be shaped better. From poor ecosystem alignment to misreading user needs and over-relying on technology, panelists revealed how seemingly well-meaning innovations can fail when divorced from ground realities.

Ramasubramaniam of Village Energy shared how activist-led approaches overlooked commercial sustainability and led to systems breakdowns. SELCO’s Thomas Pullenkav described how a dealer-franchise model almost brought the company to its knees. Simpa’s Piyush Mathur highlighted how increased sales commissions led to a misaligned incentive system. Priyadarshini Karve and Raghuram C showcased how missing end-user context — be it in cooking or hybrid energy design can derail impact. For Srashant Patara, success and failure weren’t momentary states but part of a long arc of ecosystem building.

Together, the session illuminated that listening to users, contextualizing innovation, and building long-term trust are key to energy equity.