Chhatrapur to be first smart grid town in Odisha…

 

Chhatrapur, the district headquarters of Ganjam, will become the first 'smart grid town' in the state after it starts using an advanced technology in power supply that can withstand cyclones with wind speed of around 350 km/hour.

The technology will be implemented under a disaster- resilient power strengthening project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on an experimental basis.

The other towns in the district, Berhampur and Gopalpur, would also be included in the scheme at a cost of Rs 817 crore, energy secretary P K Jena said here on Saturday.

Energy minister Arun Kumar Sahu said the initiative was necessary as the power sector frequently bore the brunt of nature's fury.

Jena said under the scheme the towns will have underground power supply lines, apart from overhead cables.

Besides, consumers will be alerted about power cuts through SMSes. He was here to felicitate outstanding performers, who helped restore power supply in Phailin-hit Ganjam in quick time.

The government has also decided to set up a one megawatt solar power plant at Chhatrapur, chairman-cum managing director, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL), Hemant Sharma, said.

The officials justified the selection of the three towns, saying Berhampur was the biggest commercial hub in the southern part of the state, Gopalpur, a seashore town, was a tourist place and Chhatrapur was the district headquarters town.

Power infrastructure in the district, particularly in these three towns, was severely damaged in cyclone Phailin in October.

Source

Read More...

Government looking at ways to reduce smart grid tech costs…

 

Various options are being studied to reduce the cost of smart grid technologies, which will help in bringing down overall transmission and distribution losses in the power sector, a Planning Commission member said today.

Smart grid technologies would help in ensuring efficient power system and pilot projects in this regard have already been identified by the government.

Planning Commission Member B K Chaturvedi said that an exercise is underway to reduce the cost of smart grid technologies.

High capital and operating costs are among the major challenges in implementing smart grid technologies in the power sector.

"There is an eminent need to develop smart meters to meet the challenges of power theft," Chaturvedi said and added that the losses related to transmission and distribution of electricity should be reduced.

He was speaking at a conference on smart grids organised by industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.

Fourteen smart grid pilot projects have been shortlisted by the Power Ministry for funding.

Going by estimates, India's Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses are more than 20 per cent, among one of the highest in the world.

Source

Read More...

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.”

Source

Read More...

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

Read More...

Power grids need to be more intelligent, feels Alstom chief...

 

India is a world leader in the power transmission business, but lags behind in the transmission end of the business, said Gregoire Poux-Guillaume, Executive Vice-President, Alstom, and Head of Alstom Grid Worldwide, here on Wednesday.

Speaking at the inaugural session of ELECRAMA 2014, an international event of the power transmission and distribution industry, Mr. Guillaume said, “The problem is mainly because of under-investment as a result of the heavy losses being made by companies.” Observing that the global energy markets are ‘changing like never before’, Mr. Guillaume said, ‘Grids need to be more intelligent’.

For instance, digital sub-stations were needed to cope with the dynamic nature of energy supply and demand. He pointed out that the rising proportion of renewable energy in the energy mix had resulted in the emergence of ‘prosumers’ — entities that generate energy at certain times but also draw energy from the grid at other times. “Greater automation of the grid is, thus, a necessity,” he observed.

The rapid expansion of the grid capacity in the last few years belied the notion that economic growth in the country had tapered off, contented Devendra Chaudhry, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Power. He pointed out that about one lakh circuit kilometres of capacity was to be added to the distribution network, and about 2.8 mega volt amperes of transmission capacity was to be added in the next few years. “I do not think this kind of expansion can be termed a slowdown,” he quipped.

Source

Read More...

BORG Energy expand presence in North India with launch of smart grid technology...

 

BORG Energy India, a subsidiary of BORG Inc., has launched the BORG Astra plus Home Series, a Range of fully loaded micro solar power plants in the Northern Part of India.

BORG Astra Plus Home Series micro solar power plants generate maximum power output and are offered in four ranges - 500W, 1000W, 1500W and 2500W.They have the potential to save up to 60% of a households power bills with a conversion efficiency of 98% and less than 3 milli seconds transfer time

Dr. Boaz Augustin Jr., MD, Asia Pacific, BORG Energy said "BORG's endeavour has always been towards empowering people to generate their own power."

Joseph Fournier, director, BORG Inc. shared details about BORG's R&D on solar nano Space. These solar panels developed from Nano Space technology is expected to hit the international market by 2016.

He added: "We are delighted to launch our Astra Plus Home Series micro solar power plants in North India which shall substantially contribute to our endeavour to power 40000 Indian households by April '14, apart from offering these Borg Powered households independence in generating their own low cost power as well as ensuring uninterrupted power supply. We seek to empower people to make alternative power a way of life and look at ‘Solar' as a priority medium for Power and way of life. Smart grid household micro solar power plants are a feasible option, especially in India, which receives 300 clear sunny days in a year."

The BORG Astra Plus Home Series is ideally suited to convert house roof top into a micro solar power plant. Customers can now experience and purchase the BORG Astra Plus Home Series micro solar power plants from the exclusive BORG Power Play showrooms.

Source

Read More...

Government shortlists 14 Discoms for smart grid pilot projects worth Rs. 200 Crores...

 

 

The government today said it has shortlisted 14 power distribution utilities for undertaking smart grid pilot projects entailing Rs 200 crore.

Aimed at benefiting consumers, the smart grid utilises digital technology that allows for 2-way communication between the utility and its customers, as well as monitoring of the transmission lines for efficient use of electricity.

Source

Read More...

Another milestone in Gujarat's power sector; to launch India's First Smart Grid at Naroda & Deesa...

 

Like cell-phone users, people may be able to pick a plan for electricity consumption. The Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (UGVCL) will roll out India's first modernized electrical grid, or the smart grid, in Naroda and Deesa in north Gujarat by April 2014.

The pilot project will study consumer behaviour of electricity usage and propose a tariff structure based on usage and load on the power utility. Eventually, it will be rolled out across the state to disincentivize power consumption during peak hours.

New meters embedded with SIM cards will be installed in 20,000 residential and industrial units in Naroda to monitor data every 15 minutes on how a particular consumer uses power.

The smart grid was first implemented in the US for efficient transmission of electricity. Like the internet, the smart grid consists of controls, computers, automation, and new technologies and equipment working in unison. These technologies work with the grid to respond digitally to the consumer's dynamic electricity demand.

"The smart grid will work on the 'time of day' concept, based on which tariffs will be set. For example if the demand is at peak during 7pm to 11pm, the tariffs will be higher for that period," said Nityanand Srivastava, and managing director, UGVCL on the sidelines of the 6th India Energy Conclave organized by CII.

"This will help us curb power theft substantially," said energy minister Saurabh Patel. In a 50-50 partnership, UGVCL, along with the Central government, will invest Rs 48 crore in the project to set up new infrastructure, meters, servers and analytic systems for smart grid.

The process of inviting tenders for the project will begin on December 17 and after a month of evaluation the companies will be selected. "Once we get data, we will submit a proposal for tariffs based on the data," added Srivastava.

Source

Read More...

Smart grid investment, aimed at Renewable energy integration, to hit $274.9b in emerging nations...

 

Smart grid infrastructure investment by 45 emerging nations – including India and China – over the next decade will reach $ 274.9 billion, outpacing developed countries, according to a new study. This investment will be aimed at reducing electricity theft, improving reliability and incorporating renewable energy into electricity grids, the study released by Northeast Group has claimed.

The study – Emerging Markets Smart Grid: Outlook 2014 – found that investments will include smart metering and advancements for transmission and distribution grids. The 190-page study includes a smart grid regulatory country index, scoring all 45 countries.

Already, the 45 countries have deployed a total of 9.5 meters smart meters with two-way communications and this number is set to reach 523 million by 2023.

In 2014 alone, the 45 countries are projected to deploy 5.6 million smart meters. Electricity theft costs these countries $ 47 billion annually.

Investment in distribution network technology, or distribution automation, will cumulatively reach $ 118.8 billion by 2023.

Singapore, Estonia and Poland lead the index, with Slovenia and China rounding out the top five.The study includes regional forecasts from 2013-2023.

These forecasts cover AMI (smart metering), distribution automation, home energy management and information technology.

"Our third volume of this annual study pinpoints where smart grid investments will occur in emerging markets. Large countries such as India and Turkey have provisional smart meter deployment targets and new financing sources are developing," Ben Gardner, president of Northeast Group, said.

Source

Read More...

India receives first trench of Rs. 25 Bn from the total Rs. 71 Bn Loan sanction from Germany towards Green Power Evacuation Corridor...

 

The plan to create a green grid to evacuate solar and wind power has got a leg-up with the government receiving the first tranche of a Rs. 71 billion soft loan from Germany.

In the Rs 18,000 crore first phase, the grid will be set up in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, both of which have substantial wind and solar power capacity. Work has begun in these two states. Subsequently, work will begin in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

“The first tranche (of Rs 2,500 crore) of the euro 1 billion (Rs 7,100 crore) loan has been received for the first phase,” planning commission member B K Chaturvedi told Financial Chronicle.

The euro loan agreement was signed during renewable energy minister Farooq Abdullah’s visit to Germany along with prime minister Manmohan Singh earlier this year.

It is basically a huge grid upgrade project to catalyse higher wind and solar power generation. Gradually, it will be extended to the entire country.

An additional 30,000 mw solar and wind energy capacity is to be added in five to seven years. India has a potential to generate 100,000 mw of wind and 200,000 mw solar power. The country now has 25,000 mw wind power and 1,000 mw of solar power capacity.

The state-run Power Grid Corporation will use the loan to create the new transmission system and strengthen the existing one. The soft loan guaranteed by the government will carry an interest rate of 2-3 per cent.

Renewable energy capacity is growing rapidly with the cost per unit of generation of wind power coming down to just Rs 4-4.50 and solar power to Rs 6 -6.50 per kwh.

The cost difference between thermal power and renewable energy has narrowed substantially. About 16 per cent of global final energy consumption comes from renewable resources, with 10 per cent of all energy from traditional biomass, mainly used for heating, and 3.4 per cent from hydroelectricity.

But India needs to solve its grid connection issues. “The intention is to a provide transmission system so that the potential is fully tapped,” Planning commission member B K Chaturvedi said, citing the example of Tamil Nadu where surplus wind power capacity in windy seasons went waste for lack of grid connectivity. When the green grid comes up, this power can be wheeled to other parts of the country.

Source

Read More...

Torrent Power funded Gujarat smart-grid project: Ecolibrium...

 

Ecolibrium Energy, the energy management company floated by the Soni family, has said the smart-grid project implemented in the Gujarat Secretariat was funded by Torrent Power, a private sector distribution company, and that the state nodal agency for the energy sector, Gujarat Energy Development Agency (Geda), did not make any financial contribution to the project.

According to Chintan Soni, managing director, "To implement the project, a tri-partite MoU (memorandum of understanding) was signed between Torrent Power, Geda and Ecolibrium Energy, where it has been clearly laid out that Geda will not incur any expenses and will merely provide access to its facilities for installation of the project."

Soni further clarified, "We would also like to hereby reiterate that we did not receive our first project from Gujarat government."

When Ecolibrium approached Torrent Power for funding the project, the latter agreed. According to Soni, a separate agreement was signed with Torrent Power to detail the understanding.

Soni said the company started development of the smart grid solution in 2009-10, and had approached Geda for piloting of the technology. "We got to know about the Renewable Energy Search programme supported by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and approached CIIE (Center for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship) for incubation support by presenting our solution of smart grid along with our business plan in October 2009."

The screening committee at Renewable Energy Search comprising industry, academia and representatives from MNRE, accepted the proposal for incubation support at CIIE under the Renewable Energy Search programme. "To help expedite the project, in January 2010 CIIE wrote to Geda requesting it to give us a chance to implement the project. The project was carried out to pilot a useful concept - which actually resulted in savings for the Gujarat government without any investment of resources from Geda," he added.

Ecolibrium has since received a separate smart micro-grid pilot project from MNRE, which has been implemented at its Solar Energy Centre in Gurgaon.

Source

Read More...

ABB seeks to play a key role in smart grid deployment in India...

 

Smart grids are being deployed in electricity networks to bring about a change in the energy delivery system.

Such grids seek to bridge the demand-supply gap by reducing transmission and distribution losses and through integration of renewable energy sources into the grid networks.

Zurich, Switzerland-based ABB is engaged in transmission projects globally and in India. It sees an exciting future ahead in deploying smart grid solutions.

Subir Pal, Country Marketing Head, ABB India Ltd, in an interaction with Business Line explains how smart grids are set to make a difference. Excerpts:

Smart grids are being taken up in a big way in Europe, the US, and other markets. What is happening in India?

Different countries have their own drivers that call for the implementation of smart grid technologies.

The US has an ageing infrastructure long overdue for renovation while European countries such as Germany need a strong backbone that can integrate renewable resources sustainably into the power distribution system.

For India, the main drivers are reducing the gap between demand and supply during peak hours, reducing transmission and distribution losses and sustainable integration of renewable energy.

The Indian Government set up the India Smart Grid Task Force (ISGTF) and India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) to help prepare a roadmap for smart grid rollout. In August, the Ministry of Power adopted the roadmap.

Last year, the Ministry of Heavy Industries adopted the ‘National Electric Mobility Plan 2020’, which aims to facilitate the rollout of 6 million electric vehicles in India by 2020.

The Ministry of Power has also approved 14 smart grid pilot projects to test various functionalities of smart grid technologies. However, these pilot projects are yet to take off.

Have States begun to deploy these solutions in India? Are you working with any of them?

Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd is finalising the world’s largest Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS) project which, once completed, will be able to predict grid disturbances and take corrective action to tackle instability in the system. ABB plans to participate in this project.

ABB is executing one of the most powerful high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems in the world, here in India.

Once completed, this HVDC link will be able to bring in 6,000 MW of clean hydro power all the way from Assam to Agra, across a distance of over 1,700 km. HVDC is extremely efficient over such long distances — the energy saved due to reduced losses would be equivalent to electricity generated by a 250-MW power plant per year.

ABB has also delivered one of the largest supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) energy management systems and data handling projects in the world.

This integrates Karnataka’s power transmission and distribution systems, energy audit and customer billing systems into a single platform.

The solution monitors the power network of the entire State, provides accurate and real-time information on power supply and revenues, and enables operators to identify and correct faults quickly.

Will the adoption of solar rooftop and grid connected solutions spur the deployment of net metering?

Net metering, coupled with a feed-in-tariff policy, will encourage the adoption of solar rooftop and result in bi-directional flow of power.

Since most of this will happen in the distribution part of the grid, there is a need to strengthen it so as to absorb the fluctuations in the flow of electricity. This, in turn, will spur the use of advanced technologies in the distribution network.

What role is ABB playing in deployment of smart grids in India?

ABB has been part of several smart grid projects globally. We are leveraging our experience to meet India’s unique requirements.

As a member of the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), ABB has been working towards the adoption of smart grid technologies and contributing towards the roadmap now adopted by the Ministry of Power.

It is the co-chair of the Working Group on Cyber Security as we believe that any solution has to be secure and resilient to deliberate attacks as well as non-malicious failures. ABB is a key player in the upcoming smart grid pilot projects through its solutions for outage management, improving power quality, micro grids, communication, renewable integration and distribution automation.

How does the smart grid help cut transmission and distribution losses?

India has a peak demand-supply gap of about 10 per cent. While installing gas and hydro power generation to provide peak power is one option, it is a long-term solution. Energy efficiency and demand-side management can solve this problem to some extent in the short term. An open electricity market, complemented by technology support, can make demand elastic with respect to generation. Inefficiencies in the transmission and distribution system can be addressed by using more efficient equipment, enhancing the power carrying capability of the transmission and distribution system, adequate reactive power compensation and reducing outage times and losses through the energy delivery chain.

Source

Read More...

Greenpeach suggests microgrids in Bihar to supply renewable energy to all the areas of state; report released…

As suggested by Greenpeace India, a network of microgrids should be set up in Bihar so that the renewable energy can be provided to all the areas of the state.

 

According to Samit Aich, the Execution Director of Greenpeace India, this model of energy supply will foster inclusive growth and remove the energy poverty in Bihar.

 

Further according to him,  Bihar has enormous energy deficit which is a major challenge for the growth of the state, but it has the potential to become a power surplus state with strong focus on development of renewable energy through right incentives, enabling environment and effective implementation, he said.

 

Microgrids can offer reliable and cost competitive electricity services, besides providing a viable alternative to the conventional top down approach of extending grid services. Greenpeace urged the state government to focus on integrated energy planning based on cluster based development.

 

The energy planning should promote the establishment of a council for rural industrialisation and establishment of related coordination committees at district level.

 

The report prepared by Greenpeace and released by Bihar Energy Minister Mr. Bijendra Prasad can be downloaded (in pdf form) from the below mentioned link.

 

---

More Literature on this topic:

• http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/greenpeace-for-network-of-microgrids-in-bihar/999094.html
• http://www.greenpeace.org/india/Global/india/report/Empowering-Bihar-Policy-pathway-for-energy-access.pdf

---

Read More...