HIGH PRIORITY MARKET - SMART GRID
Loss reduction initiatives
Opportunity
Ÿ Government funded ‘ feeder segregation ” project could help push automated metering
Ÿ Ongoing government projects offer upfront grants for smart metering initiatives by utilities
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Bulk ordering of smart metering to be undertaken under ongoing pilots Several technology suppliers have come forward with competitive pricing to build market demand
Distribution Transformer metering – an untapped opportunity for AMI smart meters
Scenario
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Despite policy initiatives , DT metering in India has been abysmal o It is estimated that less than 20 % of the DTs are metered o Automated meter reading is negligible among the ones metered
Utilities also suffer from a high transformer failure rate ( 11-12 %) arising out of poor asset tracking and zero condition monitoring capabilities – factors enabled in smart DT control systems
Importance
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Comprehensive DT metering is one of the key pre-requisites that the Indian utilities must fulfil to achieve the overall objective of a full scale smart grid rollout ( aimed by 2022 as per government policy roadmap )
Considering the timelines laid out in policy documents , DT metering should be completed in the next 2-3 years
Prepaid energy meters – rising demand to help boost smart metering penetration
Existing base
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While prepaid metering has been around for quite some time in India , its implementation has been limited to select pockets of consumer base ( e . g . government buildings , rented households , etc .) o Till recently , prepaid meters were regarded to be in contravention to Indian laws on electricity ( requiring prior notice and extension before disconnection ). This was addressed subsequently , at policy and regulatory level
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