Regarded as one of the pioneers of India’s renewable energy, sustainability and thinking green, Tulsi Tanti passed away October 1 2022, at the age of 64. The founder-chairman and managing director of Suzlon Energy, Tanti founded the company in 1995, kick-starting the wind revolution in India.Born on February 2, 1958, in Rajkot to a farming family, Tanti studied commerce and mechanical engineering at Government Polytechnic College in Rajkot. Tulsi Tanti, a mechanical engineer, was tending to his family textile business in Surat, Gujarat. The business was not in the best of health, mainly due to high operating costs caused by expensive electricity and the frequent power outages. Mr Tanti wanted to explore other avenues for fuelling his business’ need for power. In 1994, he purchased two wind turbines and literally produced his own electricity. Other owners evinced interest in his solution, which inspired Mr Tanti to exit the textile business and enter into the energy sector with Suzlon.
In 1995, Suzlon was formed with the idea of giving customers a complete package of wind energy services. In 1995, with the help of the German firm, Südwind Energy GmbH, the company began designing wind turbine generators and, in March 1996, commissioned its first 0.27 MW wind generator for Indian Petrochemicals Ltd (now Reliance Industries) in the state. Suzlon is currently presence in 17 countries, with over 12,380 wind turbines installed across six continents and has 14 manufacturing facilities in India. Survived by his mother, wife, two children and three brothers and one sister, Tanti was the eldest in the family.
