How smart meters are silently driving India’s sustainability goal

Climate change is very real, and its impact goes beyond just temperature rises and weather changes. Today, it’s more about the survival of the human race and food security. In 2016, India made a strategic decision to embrace renewable energy as the predominant source of energy in the long run by ratifying the Paris climate agreement. India would need to raise its share of renewable energy to 40 percent by 2030. Building robust and decarbonised energy systems backed by wider digitalisation is pivotal for building a responsive and reliable grid. The creation of a digitalised and interconnected energy system capable of handling the variability emerging from a higher share of renewable sources is imperative for a sustainable future.
Smart Meters shall play a critical role and would stay at the heart of this transformation to sustainable, digitalised and more decentralised distribution networks. Load forecasting, peak load management, the adoption of an energy- efficient lifestyle, demand-side measures, and AT&C loss reduction are a few of the critical elements made possible by smart meters. These functions help reduce energy consumption, especially at critical times. They also help to effectively integrate various renewable energy sources.
Smart meters are also the foundational block of a smart grid, which facilitates bidirectional data and energy flow between consumers and utilities. A smart grid is basically a network overlaid on top of the existing power infrastructure. Energy is measured at generation, distribution, and consumption points. Those measurements are then communicated within the network. This communication to the utilities and consumers allows quick, smart decisions to be made about the status of the grid, ensuring the utilities’ faster access to energy information. Integrated with advanced distribution management systems capable of enhancing the utility’s network and outage management capabilities, DISCOMs can further narrow their commercial inefficiencies.
The government has envisioned 250 million households adopting smart meters in the next few years, with the potential to generate savings of about `10 trillion in the next decade by reducing the billing and collection inefficiencies in the system. The focus of the central and state governments is now on ensuring that the shift to smart prepaid metering happens within the desired timelines, and the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) and the revised Standard Bidding Document (SBD) step in this direction. Along with smart meters, it is important that the focus is also on a dedicated and private communication network like the RF mesh.
CyanConnode’s highly innovative and futuristic smart metering solution, “Omnimesh” narrowband RF mesh technology and empowers the utilities on multiple fronts to achieve aspects that were previously considered unfeasible and impractical. With the Omnimesh RF solution, utilities are now able to significantly enhance customer experience and billing while having a direct impact on reducing carbon emissions. It is clear that, without smart meters, reducing our carbon emissions and meeting India’s climate change targets will be expensive and less supportive of renewable generation.