Energy Management Systems

Feeder segregation, i.e., the installation of dedicated electricity supply lines for agriculture, is often celebrated as the solution to the electricity utilities’ pain point of free or highly subsidized electricity supply for agriculture. But does it address the root cause of the issue?

A new report looks at the rising dependence of India’s DISCOMs on electricity subsidies, despite concerted bailout efforts by the central government. It assesses various states’ performance in reining in DISCOMs’ financial losses and enhancing their overall efficiency over the last five years. Building on these findings, the study suggests reforms in the distribution and design of subsidies to increase power companies’ revenues as consumption surges.

IHS Markit released a white paper in which the analyst outfit shared some predictions for the power electronics market. First and foremost, inverters will become smarter, and after some power outages in key markets, these devices are gearing up to take on more grid stabilizing tasks, which hitherto had been reserved for synchronous generators.

The Climate Group has reported that just 33 members of its global EP100 initiative avoided carbon dioxide emission by one billion metric tonnes purely through energy efficiency measures. Of this, 360 million metric tonnes—comparable to taking 77 million cars off the road for a year—was avoided in the last year alone.

The engagement covers software development, integration, and maintenance of combined powertrain coordination unit including charging control, and extends over several years.

A TERI paper details how the state’s inefficient electric utility transformed into one of India’s most high-performing electricity distribution companies. The study provides a learning opportunity to other sector stakeholders from India and overseas.

A joint study by Smart Power India, an arm of US-based impact investor Rockefeller Foundation, and government thinktank NITI Aayog, evaluates the status of electricity access in India across different states and benchmarks distribution utilities’ capacity to provide electricity access. It also offers recommendations to help DISCOMs realize their full potential.

Analysts at Mercom Capital Group have tallied up corporate funding, venture capital and debt and public market investment for battery storage, smart grids and energy efficiency companies. From a financial perspective, the industry appears resilient to the Covid-19 crisis and ready to grow further.

The Portal for Renewable Energy Action Assessment Metrics is an online rating system which enables businesses to self-assess their renewable energy consumption.

Pune-based SM Auto Engineering, in technical collaboration with Taiwan based Gotech Energy, will set up a state-of-the-art plant in Pune to design, develop and manufacture advanced battery packs and battery management systems for electric vehicles.