Anu Sridharan

Pioneered decentralized energy grids for India's rural communities through her company GridShare

Anu Sridharan (b. 1988) is an Indian engineer whose startup GridShare has brought reliable electricity to over 2 million people in India's rural areas. Her 2020-launched peer-to-peer energy trading platform allows households with solar panels to sell excess power directly to neighbors, reducing reliance on unreliable grid connections. This decentralized model cuts energy costs by 40% while increasing renewable energy adoption.

Sridharan's system uses AI-driven load balancing and blockchain for transparent transactions. Her team developed the world's first solar-powered microgrid with automatic demand response, maintaining 24/7 power even during monsoon outages. By 2024, GridShare's network spanned 3,500+ villages across six states, with partnerships from Tata Power and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Notable innovations include solar-powered EV charging stations for rural delivery networks and biogas integration systems. Sridharan's TED Talk "How I Brought Power to India's Darkness" has 1.8M views. She was featured in Time Magazine's 2023 list of "Next Generation Leaders" and received the 2024 Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy. Current projects include expanding to Southeast Asia and developing battery storage solutions using agricultural waste.

GridShare's technology is now being adapted by governments in Bangladesh and Nepal for disaster-resilient infrastructure. Sridharan's 2022 book 《Decentralizing Power: GridShare's Energy Revolution》 details her vision for democratizing energy access.