Paving the way for sustainable and future-ready DISCOMs in India
Our presence in India is growing fast. Read about the two memorandums we signed with Tata Power DDL and discover more on our participation at the India Utility Week and Elecrama events where we showcased our viable solutions for the Indian distribution companies
India is projected to surpass China and become the world’s most populous country this year, counting already 1.4 billion inhabitants in 2022, as stated by UN’s “World Population Prospect 2022”. As a result, by 2040, the country will be responsible for 25% of the increase in global energy demand.
Moreover, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2030 renewables sources will supply about 25% of India’s total electricity generation, and this will require advanced technologies and resilient power grids.
To face this rising demand of power and the integration of renewable sources, numerous projects have been launched at a local and national level to develop the grids, with greater openness to privatization and taking advantage of technological innovation. India is indeed focusing on the digitalization of its distributions networks to ensure reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy to a growing population.
In this rapidly developing energy market with national policies oriented towards grid digitalization, Gridspertise is strengthening its role in supporting India’s energy transition pathway and in particular the Country’s ambitious smart metering and digitalization plans, with the aim of modernizing existing distribution grids and increasing performance and quality which are key in enabling the Country’s social and economic growth.
Recently, Gridspertise signed two Memorandum of Understandings with Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited to accelerate digitalization and automation of its distribution grids.
Introducing the two MoUs with Tata Power DDL
The two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) recently signed with Tata Power-DDL, a joint venture between Tata Power and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, reaffirm Gridspertise’s commitment to the future of the Indian grids.
Both agreements were signed by our CEO Robert Denda and Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power. The first one aims to accelerate the digitalization and automation of the secondary substation in the country, and it will see Tata Power-DDL, as one of the partners in the co-creation of our proprietary QEd - Quantum Edge® Device, with the aim of tailoring the solution to country’s context and needs.
The second agreement will deploy Gridspertise’s metering technology on a pilot project in the Tata Power-DDL network: the new hybrid smart meter technology, that features double communication channel via hybrid Power Line Communication and Radio Frequency, will be tested in real conditions. These new partnerships confirm the Company’s presence in the country. As CEO, Robert Denda, underlined:
“We are very proud to step up our collaboration with Tata Power-DDL on crucial areas such as smart metering and substation automation with our state-of-the-art proprietary edge computing technology. In addition, through our unique portfolio of proven digitalization solutions, we are ready to work with the Indian distribution sector to improve grid performance, reduce technical and commercial losses, as well as frequent power interruptions caused by adverse climate events or by lack of real-time communication”.
Gridspertise’s presence in India
To fortify its presence in the Indian market, Gridspertise has recently opened a local office, led by Rahul Chandra, Head of Business Development Gridspertise India, to serve local customers and build industry relations. The company has recently taken part in the India Smart Utility Week 2023 and Elecrama events.
Robert Denda, Gridspertise CEO, was among the keynote speakers at the inaugural session of the India Smart Utility Week, sharing his thoughts on Net Zero Power Systems and speaking of Gridspertise’s strong experience in power grid digitalization and its value proposition as the trusted partner for DISCOMs in accelerating their electric and sustainable future.
At Elecrama, Narcis Vidal, VP of Global Sales Development, joined the “Accelerating Digital Journey of Energy Ecosystem” panel sharing lessons learnt and experience gained for decades of deploying smart metering solutions for DSOs all around the world.
Advanced metering technologies are key for India grid modernization
Besides dealing with an increasing electricity demand, Indian power grids modernization is addressing the current manual system of revenue collection which leads to low billing and poor collection efficiencies. The sector faces nationally about 23% with several states reporting over 30% aggregate losses.
The reduction of DISCOMs’ technical and commercial losses through appropriate billing and improving collection efficiency is critical and the deployment of advanced metering solutions will allow more accurate readings and invoicings, thus helping close the gap between cost of supply and revenue collection.
Gridspertise offers innovative Meter-as-a-service solutions to partner with DISCOMs in India by a highly evolved Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system, using an ecosystem of networked meters, communication networks, data collection and management systems. AMI application uses consumer data to provide cost-saving opportunities for the utility. The solution reduces non-technical losses by recognizing consumption patterns, event sequences, and energy diversion. Meter Data Management System (MDMS) provides billing ready data, for every read, from every meter, every day. This ensures accurate billing on and off cycle each-and-every day.
The all-in-one solution for DISCOMs
Power reliability is nothing but essential for both rising and mature economies. To support distribution companies facing this challenge Gridspertise’s QEd - Quantum Edge® device is a viable solution. The QEd virtualises grid functionalities and enable protection and control, automation, real-time fault detection and service restoration of the network: a crucial solution for a sustainable smart grids deployment, especially in a fast growing economy like India.
Another digital asset for rural areas
To ensure grid reliability, it is pivotal to localize any element that could interfere with the infrastructure: in particular, the presence of vegetation can cause problems, especially in rural areas. Based on a Network Digital Twin®, the Digital Asset and Vegetation Intelligence can be useful in this scenario as it creates a virtual replica of the electricity grid and its surroundings. It enables the identification of critical distances and interferences, facilitating vegetation inspection and predictive maintenance. In fact, maintenance typically done through manual activities can be streamlined using AI to automatically detect anomalies and prioritize actions
Through our unique portfolio of proven digitalization solutions, we are eager to support power networks digitalization in the Indian landscape and help any local DISCOMs in future-proofing their grids and accelerating the Country’s energy transition.