ReNew Power – N Poornaashri Indirabala – 2025
Summary
Poornaashri supported ReNew’s Net Zero strategy by standardizing GHG emissions reporting, conducting water stress analysis, and advancing employee engagement initiatives.
Goals
Placed with ReNew, one of India’s largest renewable energy companies, Poornaashri contributed to its decarbonization and ESG strategy. Her fellowship focused on three key areas: (1) strengthening climate data infrastructure through a standardized GHG emissions management framework, (2) supporting water risk assessments, and (3) enhancing employee engagement. This work aimed to improve emissions accountability and build internal momentum toward ReNew’s Net Zero 2040 commitment.
Solutions
Operating in a dynamic and data-scarce environment, Poornaashri relied on secondary research, thorough documentation, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver actionable solutions. To address the need for a consistent emissions framework, Poornaashri developed a GHG Emissions Management Manual aligned with the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1. Collaborating with ReNew’s ESG team, she consolidated methodologies for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and established a base year recalculation policy, leveraging data from multiple sites and functions. For water risk management, she conducted a site-level assessment using WRI Aqueduct data, identifying high-risk locations to inform resilience planning and future investments in water efficiency. To embed sustainability internally, Poornaashri designed employee engagement initiatives around World Environment Day and helped institutionalize the Climate Champions program, aimed at fostering cross-departmental engagement and ownership of ESG goals.
Potential Impact
If fully implemented, the GHG Emissions Management Manual will enable ReNew to report emissions more consistently across its operations, supporting third-party assurance and alignment with its Net Zero 2040 targets. Water stress mapping provides a data-driven foundation for prioritizing water efficiency investments at high-risk sites. The Climate Champions program, together with awareness campaigns, lays the groundwork for a more engaged and sustainability-minded workforce’enabling deeper, grassroots-level integration of ESG priorities across the organization.
