Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani has predicted that energy will be India’s next big digital transformation, similar to how UPI revolutionised financial transactions. Speaking at the Arkam Annual Meet 2025 in Bengaluru, Nilekani emphasised that millions of small-scale energy producers will contribute to a new ‘Digital Energy Grid’ (DEG), enabling seamless energy trade across the country.

Nilekani explained that while people currently purchase energy in different forms such as LPG cylinders for cooking or electricity from the grid, the future will see households producing, storing, and trading energy just like digital payments today.

“The future is about millions of small energy producers. Every home will have rooftop solar panels, and electric vehicle (EV) batteries will act as storage units,” he said. This transformation, he believes, will turn households into energy hubs – both consuming and selling power as needed.

Drawing a parallel with UPI, Nilekani highlighted how the energy market could become decentralised. Instead of solely relying on the grid, people may buy and sell energy with their neighbours. “Just like UPI allows seamless digital transactions, we will have an ecosystem where energy transactions happen effortlessly between individuals and businesses,” he explained.

UPI, launched in 2016, now processes 16-17 billion transactions monthly, with over 350 million users and 50 million merchants. 

Nilekani believes the energy sector can witness a similar transformation, creating new economic opportunities while making energy distribution more efficient.

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