CG to Pioneer Manufacture of Smart Grid Devices...

 

Avantha Group Company CG launched its state-of-the-art Smart Grid facility at the Global Village, in Bangalore today, for full-fledged manufacturing of Smart Grid devices. Besides manufacturing Smart Grid devices, the facility will support economic development, foster job creation and boost an understanding of Smart Grid solutions in the energy field.

The Smart Grid devices manufactured in this facility will offer numerical solutions to Indian Utilities and Industries in the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) segment and provide improvement in the electric grid to make it more efficient and reliable. CG has invested 80 million INR in this facility which can employ more than 100 people. The Smart Grid facility will manufacture Substation Automation products, Distribution Automation devices, Protection and Control systems, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Telecommunication Solutions. It will also offer Global Engineering Services such as Systems Integration, Installation, and Commissioning. The facility is fully equipped with modern equipment to ensure an annual production capacity of 10,000 units of Power Line Carrier Communication Terminals (PLCC) and Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED).

CG has the most comprehensive portfolio that provides specific solutions and products for each application, including systems that can evolve as the network evolves. CG’s solutions give timely and necessary information needed to implement automatic functions and allow maximum use of the grid at minimum cost. The real value-add of the Smart Grid concept over the conventional automation system is that Smart Grids are able to convert the data provided by installed devices  into actions and decisions that are taken in real time to operate the network. 

With more than 2 million CG Smart Meter complete solutions installed worldwide, CG is a well-established manufacturer in this field.  CG’s Smart Grid devices are running successfully in the world's first major Smart Grid deployment at the Iberdrola STAR Project, Bilbao, Spain, where over 2,27,000 Smart meters monitor the electricity services provided to the area’s 4,10,000 inhabitants. In the past year, CG has participated in no less than ten Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Pilot Projects in Europe, Asia, and America. 

CG is already participating with many of these Smart Grid devices and services, in India’s first Smart Grid Pilot project - the Puducherry Smart City project which requires approximately 87,000 Smart Meters and a Street Light Automation solution that will prove substantial savings to the Electricity Department of  the Government of Puducherry (PED). CG’s Utility Distribution franchise that operates in Jalgaon efficiently manages the  multiple data obtained from the intelligent devices installed at all voltage levels, enhancing the quality of service provided to the Utility’s end users and drastically reduces technical and non-technical losses.

CG’s cost effective Smart Grid solutions will help Utilities identify and eliminate power thefts and system losses caused by aging or faulty equipment.  For the Utility’s customers, CG’s Smart grid solutions will offer more control over their power consumption and energy costs and spread awareness of consumption patterns.

As a part of its transmission network expansion plan, Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL)  has proposed an investment outlay of 170000 million INR** for implementation of various projects during the current financial year. CG aims to participate in PGCIL’s Smart grid related energy improvement projects.
Commenting on the inauguration,  Avantha Group Company CG’s CEO & Managing Director Laurent Demortier said, “The opening of CG’s Smart Grid manufacturing facility in Bangalore is a result of intense planning with the Indian stakeholders: customers, regulators and employees. I thank all of them for what they have achieved so far. Expansion in Smart Grid markets is a key strategy of CG.  After America and Europe the Bangalore facility will spearhead Smart Grid operations in Asia.”

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Soon, wireless power transfer on the go...

 

Imagine charging your cell phone while on an evening walk without any wire or device near you. This 'power in the air' thought has received a big boost with Duke University researchers demonstrating the feasibility of wireless power transfer using low-frequency magnetic fields over distances much larger than the size of the transmitter and receiver.

"What consumers want and expect from a useful wireless power system is the ability to charge a device wherever it is - not simply to charge it without a cable," said Yaroslav Urzhumov, assistant research professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke University.

"Previous commercial products like the PowerMat have not become a standard solution exactly for that reason as they lock the user to a certain area or region where transmission works," he added.

The Duke researchers have created a 'superlens' that focuses on magnetic fields.

The superlens translates the magnetic field emanating from one power coil onto its twin nearly a foot away, inducing an electric current in the receiving coil, said the study published in the journal "Scientific Reports".

This is the first time such a system has successfully sent power safely and efficiently through the air.

"We have demonstrated that the efficiency of magneto-inductive wireless power transfer can be enhanced over distances many times larger than the size of the receiver and transmitter," said Urzhumov.

"This is important because if this technology is to become a part of everyday life, it must conform to the dimensions of today's pocket-sized mobile electronics," he added.

Superlens looks like a few dozen giant Rubik's cubes stacked together.

Both the exterior and interior walls of the hollow blocks are intricately etched with a spiraling copper wire reminiscent of a microchip.

On one side of the superlens, the researchers placed a small copper coil with an alternating electric current running through it, which creates a magnetic field around the coil.

"It's actually easy to increase the power transfer distance by simply increasing the size of the coils," explained Urzhumov.

Urzhumov and his team want to drastically upgrade the system to make it more suitable for realistic power transfer scenarios such as charging mobile devices or other electrical devices as you move around in your home or in the neighbourhood.

Source: Business Standard

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Indian to launch National Smart Grid Mission soon...

 

The government will soon launch a national smart grid mission and monitor the implementation of policies and programmes envisioned in the smart grid road map for the power sector.

"This will help in finding solutions for some of the daunting challenges the Indian power sector is faced with, such as enabling better access to electricity, providing lifeline supply to all households and reducing T&D losses among others. This would also guide planning and investments for future power projects and T&D activities," B N Sharma, joint secretary, ministry of power said.

Speaking at an international conference organised as part of an international exhibition on electrical products and services, ELECRAMA, on Friday, he said the government had recently unveiled the Smart Grid Vision and Road Map for the future for both modernising the ageing grids as well as for transition towards low carbon power economy by integrating renewable generation with the grid.

According to ABB, a smart grid is an evolved grid system that manages electricity demand in a sustainable, reliable and economic manner, built on advanced infrastructure and tuned to facilitate the integration of all involved. Smart grids will provide more electricity to meet rising demand, increase reliability and quality of power supplies, increase energy efficiency, and be able to integrate low carbon energy sources into power networks.

G Kumar Naik, Managing Director, KPTCL said, "The Government of Karnataka has given top most priority to transformers by proposing to set up transformer repair centres in every taluk in the state and transformer banks in every district head quarter."

Raj Eswaran, President, Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturing Association (IEEMA) said in his address that the industry body had identified five areas for strategic and policy interventions by both the government and industry.

India's Rs 12,000 crore transformer industry is facing a few challenges as it is currently operating at about 60 per cent capacity due to a slump in demand projected by the government companies, said Aditya Dhoot, Vice-Chairman ELECRAMA. The Mission plan 2012-2022 for the electrical equipment industry was launched in July 2013 and its vision is to make India the country of choice for production of electrical equipment and reach an output of $100 billion by balancing exports and imports.

Source: Business Standard

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Government eases environment clearance norms for coal mines...

 

The government has eased environmental clearance norms for expanding coal mines, which will help state-run Coal India boost output by a record 30-40 million tonnes in the new financial year and ease the crippling fuel scarcity in the power sector.

The ministry, which has taken a pro-industry stance since Veerappa Moily took charge, has ruled that mines with an annual capacity of up to 8 million tonnes can expand capacity by up to 50% without holding public hearings. This exemption will apply to one-time capacity expansion in projects that do not involve land beyond the existing lease area. Several mining projects have been stalled because of the earlier provision that required public hearings if the capacity was being expanded by 25%.

The decision is a big boost for Coal India, which has been under enormous pressure to boost output as large power generation capacity is idling or underutilised because private investment led to record capacity addition in the last fiscal year while coal output stagnated.

Coal India produced about 450 million tonnes last fiscal. It has 400 mines with annual production of less than 8 million tonnes. "We are easily looking at an increase of 30-40 million tonnes increase in production in the next financial year ... the increase could be even more, but, at this stage we will study the possibility of increasing production by 50% for all mines in this category. This order will give a boost to production teams at every mine as they can increase production by 1 to 1.5 million tonnes without additional hearing," said Coal India Limited Director N Kumar.

Tuesday's order increases the ambit of an expansion that has been in place since December 2012. Former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan had exempted existing coal mines with plans to increase production by as much as a quarter of the current permissible production levels from holding public hearings as part of the environment clearance process.

The decision to further relax the clearance process for expansion projects comes at the behest of the coal ministry, which argued that the December 2012 exemption norms were unfavourable for smaller coal mining projects. For mines with lower permissible annual production levels, a 25% capacity increase worked out to a negligible increase. Therefore, were unable to avail of the exemption from holding public hearings for getting the clearance.

Moily's latest industry-friendly move comes at a time when the environment ministry has been under attack, particularly from infrastructure ministries, for delays in clearing projects. The coal ministry has consistently maintained that these delays were primarily responsible for lower coal production. However, some experts say delays in environmental clearance is only part of the reason for Coal India's failure to meet annual production targets. Lower coal production adversely affected power, steel and other industry projects, all of which a section of the government and industry claimed was derailing India's growth. The coal ministry, in particular, has since 2009 been demanding a more liberal and pro-growth environmental regulatory framework.

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GVK in dialogue with banks to fund $10-billion Hancock project...

 

Infrastructure developer GVK Power & Infrastructure (GVKPIL) is keeping all options open to fund its $10-billion Hancock project and is in discussions with bankers.

“We have made significant progress towards realising this project. This milestone symbolises our common vision,’’ GV Krishna Reddy, chairman, GVK, said. “We are in discussion with many banks and are hopeful of achieving the financial closure for this project in a year’s time. The coal production is likely to start in another 1-2 years,’’ he said.

The company is currently doing the legal documentation and it is believed that the valuations have also gone up.

The company is also exploring equity participation and fund infusion through banks and export credit agencies to realise this mega project. In September 2011, GVK had bought a 79% stake in the Alpha and Alpha West thermal coal projects in Queensland’s Galilee Basin and 100% of the Kevin’s Corner coal project next to Alpha.

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UP govt pulls plug on Dopaha power project after Centre’s green snub...

 

The Uttar Pradesh government has finally pulled the plug on its 1,980 mw coal-fired Dopaha power project in Sonebhadra after failing to get a green nod and land for the plan. The state has been trying to kick-start the project for four years.

The 3x660 mw supercritical plant needed 1,475 acres land, approximately 9.7 million tonne per annum coal and 60 cusecs of water.

But ever since its inception in 2009 by the then Mayawati government, the project has faced hurdles in getting land and environmental clearances. The decision to shelve the project was taken Thursday evening by an energy task force (ETF) headed by the chief secretary.

An official of the state power department said the government thought it was better to bury the project because there was no hope of either getting the land or the green nod from the Centre.

The state government had been trying to get the environmental clearance since 2010. The Centre had denied the clearance on the ground that the nearby Singrauli area was under observation because of pollution from the production of 10,000 mw of power in the area. The UP government tried to reason with the environment and forest ministry, saying Dopaha, in Sonebhadra, is 30 km away from the Singauli area and will in no way add to the pollution of the area.

According to the environmental ministry, a study carried out by the Centre at Singrauli warned that these power plants could cause irreparable damage to the environment of the area. Accepting the preliminary findings of the study, the environment ministry said that no power plant should come up in the notified (Singrauli) area till a Central team completes its study on the environmental hazards of these power plants.

The state government, on its part, contested the view and said that the Centre was building up a flimsy ground to deny it the right to set up a power plant near a mine-rich area.

Singrauli, which is fast emerging as an energy hub of India, houses a total installed capacity of approximately 10,000 mw. This is more than 10% of total installed capacity of the entire country.
A major chunk of the power produced at the pit-heads of Singrauli goes to the central and private sectors, including NTPC’s Vindhyachal project (3260 mw), Shaktinagar project (2000 mw) and Rihand Super Thermal Power project (2000 mw) in Rihandnagar. Also, Sasan Power Limited is setting up a 4000-mw ultra-mega power project at Singrauli.

The MP government, too, has set up its own power projects here.

“Uttar Pradesh has only Anpara A, B and D and Obra thermal Power Station near the mines. For a power-starved state like UP, not being able to set up even one plant at Sonebhadra would mean taking the project to a faraway place. This will force additional cartage and result in expensive power for people,” an official of the UP Power Corporation said.

"To nip our proposal was uncalled for...it is likely to jeopardize the development of the power sector in UP.”

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