Sustainable energy enterprises in India are facing unusual challenges since the lockdown was announced in the country at the end of March 2020.
Enterprises delivering energy solutions at the doorstep of under-served populations as well as technology developers who are designing and manufacturing energy-efficient appliances are in a difficult place trying to find ways to cope with this ever-changing scenario and building resilience. Being unprepared could lead to severe negative consequences on businesses, impacting their end-users, employees and other critical partners in the regions and communities they serve.
Since the lockdown was announced in the country (25th March 2020), SELCO Foundation reached out to over 30 sustainable energy enterprises, energy efficient technology manufacturers and vendors to try and understand their pressing issues. Based on these needs, a webinar was designed and organised to support the micro enterprises with practical approaches and knowledge of opportunities, to use available resources to cope with unprecedented business interruptions.
The objectives laid out for the webinar were as follows:
1. Provide guidance on a strength plan for your business during this time
2. Awareness on recently announced schemes/support for MSMEs, finance, end users and COVID-19 innovations
3. Guidance on how to get support for COVID-19 related contributions in terms of technology development, powering up COVID-19 related facilities and so on
Discussion on COVID19 Resilience Best Practices and Approaches for Energy Enterprises Sustainability
We were joined by Thomas Pullenkav, Director, SELCO Solar Light Pvt Ltd in the first session, who shared guidance on COVID19 resilience, best practices and approaches for energy enterprises sustainability.
Re-iterating that the COVID19 crisis
will have long term impact on the businesses, the entrepreneurs were
encouraged to take steps in order to build resilience in their businesses by:
- Assessing and understanding the challenges critically and preparing for the
worst case scenarios - Understanding one’s own capacity to handle these challenges
- Be conservative in planning for cashflows- any cash in hand is extremely
critical for the survival of the business
Partnerships with competitors is also critical while addressing challenges in a crisis like this.
All banks are gearing up to face post-COVID 19 situation. We expect long lines immediately after the crisis. We are getting prepared with appropriate products and solutions to support the borrowers and customers.
