HIGH PRIORITY MARKET - SMART GRID
Emerging AMI-based smart grid framework in India – a roadmap formulated
Policy
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In August 2013 , the government notified its smart grid roadmap , laying out the broad contours for a future smart grid rollout in the country . To be sure , an inter-ministerial task force ( India Smart Grid Task Force ) has been working as a co-ordination agency since 2010 in this direction
The stated policy is to address the issues of efficiency and management in power transmission and distribution network and in the process achieve the objective of “ access , availability and affordability of power for all ”
Initiative
Ÿ The most important initiative towards smart grids has been the allocation of 14 pilot projects , in which government is sharing 50 % project cost
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Notably , select private utilities have initiated pilot projects on their own
The leverage for scaling up – ongoing modernisation sets the foundation for AMI
Critical asset infrastructure build-up under R-APDRP across the country
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Govt sponsored initiative to revamp power distribution – upfront grants to establish IT-enabled energy systems $ 8-9 billion outlay for IT and physical infrastructure Roughly $ 1.5-2.0 billion allocated for IT-based systems Over 1,400 towns ( mostly urban ) across 50 utilities The proposed systems are being set up for the first time in the country at this scale These systems are pre-requisites for undertaking any smart grid related project in the power system
Post completion of R-APDRP ( i . e . by 2017 / 2018 ), there will be at least 1,400 towns completely equipped with a modern IT-based energy accounting and monitoring system – providing the best scope of setting up AMI-based projects for the utilities and technology suppliers
Building Blocks under R-APDRP
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GIS-based consumer indexing SCADA and ERP-based MIS systems Metering , Billing and Collection systems Asset Management Systems Data centres
Long-term plan – staggered deployment beginning with industrial loads
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The government smart grid roadmap draws up a plan for achieving full scale smart grid deployment – one that encompasses transmission and generation p In this context , cost of such implementation was worked out at about $ 30-40 billion p Power distribution segment finds a particular emphasis in the roadmap due to the vast scope involved
Though standardised cost estimation is generally not feasible in such cases , indicative cost estimation done by India Smart Grid Forum ( a PPP venture between govt and industry ) suggest an almost $ 1 billion of capital expenditure in projects related to AMI
The government roadmap refers to AMI-based solutions for utility customers with connected load above 20 kW p these are typically the industrial loads where willingness to pay may not be an impeding factor p All consumers in this segment are 100 % metered , thus obviating the need to undertake specific metering investments p Considering that these consumers account for major share of utility earnings , the potential benefits ( e . g . reliable supply ) will be tangible for utilities to justify costs
Rolling out the AMI for residential / domestic consumers is the most significant milestone for utilities p These consumers are highly cross-subsidised and need to be taken on board for potential cost implications of AMI deployment p Significant customisation may be in order for this consumer segment
Spotlight on Indian Electronics 2016 | 147