smartbharat- Power Grid waiting for a ‘Go signal’ to implement Smart Grid plan

Power Grid waiting for a ‘Go signal’ to implement Smart Grid plan

In an initiative to implement the smart-grid mechanism, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (Power Grid) has asked for permission from the CERC (Central Electricity Regulatory Commission) to upgrade its 1,700 stations. Which is expected to be granted in the months to come. This project would cost around Rs. 655 crore and be completed in three years.

Power Grid believes two factors that affect the grid the most are uncertainties and variability and that this could be tackled by data that are accurate and on time. And to analyse the data, they have teamed with Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (IIT-M).

The company runs five grids, Northern, Eastern, Western, North Eastern and Southern. Smart Grid is an evolutionary process therefore more technology would gradually evolve preventing the grid from tripping. Power Grid is ready to take up smart grid implementation across the national grids but the intra-State transmission systems have to be upgraded by the electricity distribution companies (Discoms).

When implemented, smart meters, will cut down power outages and thefts, and consumption too can be reduced, but in-order for this to happen, consumers should participate in grid management. At which the question arises, who would bear the upgrading costs of the distribution system. And the result would be that every unit of electricity could become expensive but in the likelihood of the reduced rate on the overall consumption by atleast 20 to 30 units per household where an average of 200 units a month is used at present. Added to the fact that reliability of services would be more and wrong meter readings and billing could be reduced.

Posted on Thursday, July 18, 2013