Dr T. S. Surendra, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, India, obtained his bachelor’s degree in engineering (Electronics) from the Military College of EME, Secunderabad, his Masters (M.Tech) degree in Power Apparatus and Systems from IIT Delhi and his PhD in Energy Systems from JNTU H. He had served in the Army (Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers) for 23 years, retired prematurely in the rank of Lt Col, and later worked in the Industry (Solar Photovoltaics – PV – Industry relating to the manufacture of PV modules, crystalline silicon and thin film, and system integration) for about 15 years. He had trained at the erstwhile Energy Conversion Devices, Troy, MI, Siemens Solar at Camarillo, BP Solar at Taono, Virginia, to mention a few. He was nominated by the World Bank as a resource person for training in Solar PV manufacture and system design. He had pioneered the development of the solar PV powered DC floating pump system in collaboration with an erstwhile German Company, Hydrasol Corporation Germany/USA. He led a team that installed over 200 Solar PV powered DC floating pump systems for the benefit of small farmers in the Southern States of India under a World Bank/IREDA sponsored market development program.

He was the team leader connected with the development of a solar lantern system, using Nickel- Metal Hydride batteries and thin film PV modules for a pilot market seeding program in India/Sri Lanka, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation through Winrock International, and co-sponsored by USAID. He had attended and presented many technical papers at International Conferences at Anchorage (Alaska), New Orleans, Kissimmee, Florida, Orlando, Jeju Islands(Korea), Munich and Konigstein, Germany, Ontario Power Generation Group at Toronto , Dalian, China, and so on. He had accompanied his Company Chairman for negotiation meetings at Kaneka Solar Energy , Toyooka, Japan, at a thin film Solar PV company at Bridgend, UK, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, and at the World Bank (India Desk) at Washington DC. Dr Surendra joined the Academia, after his tenure with the Industry, in 2003 as the Head of Department, Dean, Principal and Director of an Engineering College (BVRIT) , near Hyderabad, India. At BVRIT he was involved with the setting up of an Assistive Technology Laboratory in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and a Solar PV testing station, in collaboration with Elkem Solar (now REC Solar), Norway for the long-term testing of Solar PV modules made from solar grade silicon cells designed and manufactured by Elkem Solar, Norway.

He was a guest Faculty at BITS PILANI, Hyderabad Campus for two years(2014-15). Dr Surendra now works as an advisor for Solar Skill Development Programs at the Surabhi Institute of Renewable Energy, Hyderabad, India, since 2014. He is invited regularly to deliver lectures and keynote addresses at Universities, National Institute of MSME (Micro ,Small and Medium Enterprises) and Academic Institutions. 

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