Tulsi Tanti, a pioneer of renewable energy, sustainability, and green thought in India, died on Saturday at the age of 64.
Tanti created Suzlon Energy in 1995, kicking off the country’s wind revolution at a time when the global wind energy market was controlled by multinational competitors and characterized by expensive and difficult technologies that were mainly unviable for traditional enterprises.
He had returned from Ahmedabad and was on his way back to Pune from the airport when he suffered a heart attack, according to a corporate representative. Tanti was sent to a nearby hospital, but she died late Saturday night.
On September 30, he was in Ahmadabad to attend talks for Suzlon Energy’s Rs 1,200-crore rights issuance. Tanti also appeared at a press conference in the morning at a hotel in Vastrapur to announce the rights issue, during which he discussed the benefits of investing in renewable energy.
Tanti was the eldest child of a family that included his mother, wife, two children, three brothers, and one sister.
Tanti, who was born on February 2, 1958, in Rajkot to a farming family, studied commerce and mechanical engineering at the Rajkot Government Polytechnic College. Amrapali Cinema and Kisan Cold Storage were owned by his family.
Tanti’s college mate and former chairwoman of Gujarat Rajya Bin Anamat Varg Aayog, Hansraj Gajera, told The Indian Express that Tanti closed the two enterprises and moved to Surat to establish textile plants in the early 1990s. According to Gajera, Tanti was “among the geniuses of his day and a true entrepreneur.”
Tanti founded Suzlon in 1995, and with the assistance of a German business, the company began building wind turbine generators (WTGs) and, in March 1996, commissioned its first 0.27 MW wind generator in the state for Indian Petrochemicals Ltd (now Reliance Industries).
According to the statement, Tanti developed a new business model with Suzlon, “an end-to-end solution to establish realistic avenues for businesses to ‘Go Green,’ and therefore emerged as a crucial partner in building sustainable enterprises.”
Suzlon Energy, of which Tanti owned 70%, was floated on October 19, 2005, at a 35% premium, valuing the firm at Rs 13,850 crore. Suzlon was rated sixth in the world as a wind turbine producer in March 2006, with a 50% market share in India. The firm produces wind turbine generators and offers operations and maintenance services.
As of June 30, Suzlon had a presence in 17 nations and 13.45 GW of installed wind generating capacity in the country. It also has 5.96 GW of installed capacity outside of India.
Suzlon has installed 1,800 MW of wind power producing capacity in Gujarat, with an estimated investment of Rs 14,000 crore. The majority of these are in Kutch. Suzlon has pledged to invest in the planned Hybrid Energy Park in Kutch, where Sarjan Realities Ltd was allocated 9,500 hectares among other partners.
Suzlon builds wind towers at Gandhidham and rotor blades in Bhuj in Gujarat. It has a blade testing center in Vadodara as part of its R&D efforts.
Tanti has considered sustainability and climate change before it became popular, according to top executives at the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Agriculture (MCCIA). Former MCCIA president Sudhir Mehta told The Indian Express.
“He fulfilled all his pledges and had changed the entire notion of wind energy,” said Ajay Mehta, director of Pune-based Deepak Nitrite Ltd.
Tanti’s death was also mourned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
and have witnessed Mr. Tanti’s enthusiasm for wind, which has contributed to India’s success in the wind domain. India now ranks fourth in terms of wind installed capacity. Suzlon’s impact has been enormous. Mr. Tanti, as head of IWTMA (Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association), recently worked closely with the Ministry on various measures to expedite wind power capacity in India. I’m devastated by his sudden death. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and the whole Suzlon Family,” said Dinesh Jagdale, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
He was another Indian entrepreneur who dared to dream big. He was tough and dedicated, but he was also quite private in many respects.
Ajay Mehta, Director of Pune-based Deepak Nitrite Limited, who knew Tanti well, said he was “a man of his word.” “He kept all of his promises and transformed the entire notion of wind energy.” “He was one of the rare jewels in this industry, and his death is a huge loss for India,” Mehta remarked. Tanti, according to Jayant Deo, former CEO of power trading platform Indian Energy Exchange Limited, was at the forefront of developing wind power in the country and was a pioneer in this area. “This was a tremendous loss,” he remarked.