Modern And Smart Power Transmission System

In News

• Recently, the Government accepted a Task force report to modernise India’s transmission system.

About

• The Power Ministry set up a taskforce under the chairmanship of CMD, POWERGRID to suggest ways for modernization of the Transmission Sector and making it smart & future ready.
• The Task force report has recommended the following solutions  to achieve the government’s vision to provide 24×7 reliable and affordable power to the people 
  • Operation of grid using Centralised Remote Monitoring
  • Operation of Substations by using modern systems like SCADA, Flexible AC Transmission devices (FACTs)
  • Wide Area Measurement using PMUs and data analytics, 
  • Predictive maintenance  using AI/ML algorithms
  • Deployment of Process Bus based Protection Automation and Control GIS/Hybrid Substation.

Need for a Modern transmission system:

• With india focussing on renewable power which is inherently variable,the transmissions system should be capable of dealing with increased share of renewable capacity in the power-mix
• Strong  cyber security protection is needed for the transmission system in times of increasing cyber crimes .
• Features like self-correcting systems,data driven decision-making are needed for ensuring 24*7 availability which is important for industry.

Challenges:

• India’s aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses are very high ,leading to shortage of power at the consumer level.
• Low tariffs and cross subsidisation result in a wide gap between the average per-unit cost of supply (ACS) and average revenue realised (ARR).

Initiatives by government for improving Access :

•  KUSUM scheme: The scheme intends to promote the use of solar pumps for agriculture and provides a suitable alternative to the power subsidy model in agriculture.
• Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya scheme):It aims to provide last-mile connectivity and power connections to all the unelectrified households in India
• Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY): The rural electrification scheme provides for (a) separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders; (b) strengthening and augmentation of sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural areas 

Way Forward: 

• India should utilise advancements like smart metering ,predictive maintenance , for ensuring 24/7  electricity supply to every house hold.

Source:PIB