Different Strokes: The sustainability journey of an energy industry consultant

In this next piece in our series “Different Strokes”, we are presenting a snapshot of the career journey of a veteran energy industry professional Dr. J.C. Datta Roy, currently the CEO of Dalkia Energy Services.

Energy Industry Consultant

Dr. J. C. Datta Roy
CEO, Dalkia Energy services

What motivates me: My personal experiences in this field over the last 28 + years have greatly influenced me. 

Journey so far: In 1968, I met Mr. Srinivasan. We were in the National Productivity Council together.He had set up a fuel efficiency cell back then. I was running a 10 MW power plant at that time. He visited the plant and offered to help me identify energy saving opportunities at the plant provided we paid him consulting fees of Rs. 300, a princely sum in those days. As a young engineer, I got the money sanctioned from my GM and hired Mr. Srinivasan’s services. Merely by physical observations, he showed me various places in the plant that energy was getting wasted. This was a huge lesson for me. Buoyed by this experience, I 

sent a note to the management team of the company, requesting to set up a small energy efficiency cell in addition to my responsibilities. Later, the entire profit of Rs. 8 Crores from the entire plant was attributed to the cell. Eventually, we expanded this to other sectors as well. Every year, saving energy just got easier. 

Advice for sustainability professionals: I am a strong believer in doing what you can in your own way. The key is to integrate all the intellect and technologies that are already available to us, and use it to the optimum capacity. Start from your own home, build it out on an individual basis and finally make it a collective effort.