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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