Smart meters and smart grids to revolutionise Indian utilities

Advanced metering solutions and technologies tailored to Indian needs represent a clear path forward for Indian utilities in their transformation journey.
Harish Agarwal, CEO, Supreme & Co. Pvt. Ltd.

Harish Agarwal, CEO, Supreme & Co. Pvt. Ltd., shares how ELECRAMA 2020 offers value addition for players in the power and energy sector and how smart electricity can solve many issues related to power in the country.

What is going to be your focus in this edition of ELECRAMA?
The purpose of exhibiting in ELECRAMA 2020 is displaying our offering, expertise, and innovative products to our customers at one common and recognised platform where all the power/energy sector entities gather together. The proposed Reverse Buyer-Seller Meet (RBSM) and other parallel events will also further increase the fruitfulness of ELECRAMA for players like us. No other event packs in as much value as ELECRAMA does. Apart from our extremely diversified range of products in electrical T&D, Railway electrification and telecommunications, we shall be displaying our innovations like ERS solutions, inter-phase spacers, integrated line arrester cum suspension insulator for covered conductor system, ADSS and Figure8 fittings, monopole type structures, and smart poles. ELECRAMA is an integral part of our market building strategy, and we achieved a fair share of success with ELECRAMA over the years by forging new relationships, developing new markets, and generating leads for new customers, new partners, and new resources.

How do you view the rise of IoT and Industry 4.0 transforming the sector?
Industry 4.0 is driven by trends on connectivity, advanced materials and processing technology, along with collaborative advanced manufacturing networks controlled by computers combining them into a physical-digital environment. If enterprises can’t evolve with continuous changes, they will shortly find themselves left behind while the ones who learn to keep pace will receive the rewards.

The fourth industrial revolution also begins with the development of new technologies applied to production processes. That said, the most critical technologies for this revolution are expected to be intelligent production, simulation, connected devices, systems integration, business operation, and data analytics.

Ultimately, it’s the network of machines or devices which are digitally connected with one another which then create and share information that results in the true power of Industry 4.0. With digitisation and IoT, there is no doubt that it will continue to be the biggest driving force behind the revolution.

What kind of opportunities exists in smart electricity in India?
Indian utilities struggle with so-called “non-technical losses”, which include electricity theft, meter tampering, and non-payment by customers as also inadequate line monitoring data and analytics. These losses have a huge impact on the utilities’ profitability, service predictability, and operations performance. Several Indian states are now strengthening vigilance against power theft. With the Centre’s focus on boosting energy output through programmes such as National Smart Grid Mission and Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojna, utilities are looking for ways to meet the growing demand while cutting losses. By adopting the Internet of Things (IoT)-based metering infrastructure, using smart meters and smart grids, utilities can make further strides toward reliable power generation and distribution in India. Both customers and utilities benefit from real-time data on energy consumption. Using smart meters, utilities can monitor households or commercial establishments that do not pay their bills and can shut down their services remotely. As properly managing the portfolio is becoming important with more and more power being sourced at market-determined prices, demand forecasting based on high-quality data is becoming critical. Advanced metering solutions and technologies tailored to Indian needs represent a clear path forward for Indian utilities in their transformation journey.

Can you brief about the latest innovations and additions for your range of solutions?
A robust Indian power transmission system is needed to ensure “24X7 Power to All”. In this context, we made an attempt to review the relevant aspects related to optimal economic planning of transmission lines. Considering this, we have developed the Emergency Restoration System (ERS) that is used in case of any line reconductoring or re-routing. There are enormous benefits of ERS since the structures are lightweight and can be erected in any kind of soil. Unlike the old restoration techniques, the line is restored and charged within few hours using our ERS, thereby preventing a huge financial loss of the utilities. Thus, it can be concluded that our emergency restoration technique is a unique solution to cope up with the emergencies caused by natural calamities as well as for line uprating.

What are your plans and projections for the next two years?
It is anticipated that there will be a significant growth in India’s T&D sector in the coming 2–3 years. Under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), all the villages in India now have access to electricity, as declared by the Prime Minister. Further, focusing on last-mile connectivity, the SAUBHAGYA scheme is in place (with an outlay of over `16,000 crore), to electrify about 4 crore non-electrified households. The Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) has already been implemented for strengthening networks in urban areas. There is enhanced push being seen on renewable energy (RE), with the Government setting a target to augment renewable energy capacity to 175 GW by 2022. The Government has laid an ambitious plan to add 100 GW of solar power by 2022. Considering all the above facts, we are expecting that there will be growth in demand in the power sector and Supreme will be one of the major players in the growth of the Indian power sector.