Smart grids of huge benefit to nation

Source:https://www.xenius.in/smart-grids-of-huge-benefit-to-nation/

I0T and AI-propelled smart grids have revolutionised the power sector in the country. With a host of energy-monitoring features, they have helped power utilities save huge amounts of money, thereby contributing to the national cause. The green energy sector is also in for transformation as smart grids are now being used for solar and wind energy plants as well.

Power sector in India faces huge financial losses owing to energy wastage during transmission and distribution processes. It is also susceptible to considerable downtime of electricity due to various faults. These critical problems emphasise that all power utilities must go for a smart grid system that can track and detect anomalies timely and save energy at the same time.

The use of advanced technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have brought smart grids into being. These grids are electrical systems that track and monitor the flow of energy from one node to another. They also monitor both, the generation and consumption of power.

• These grids are electrical systems that track and monitor the flow of energy from one node to another. They also monitor both, the generation and consumption of power.

• With smart grid, faults are detected in near real-time making the rectification process a lot faster. The smart system also helps in stopping electricity theft as it reports anomalies of all kinds.
• By enabling utilities to track and manage energy consumption and thereby making them save crores of rupees annually, smart grids are proving beneficial for the entire nation.

Smart grids have made it possible for DISCOMs to connect internally and share data with each other. This has helped many zones to learn and assess their performance with reference to other zones. Since smart grids are based on IoT, they provide near real-time data to its stakeholders.

Earlier, it was a real tough job for a power utility to detect faults in the electric supply. Consumers had to face downtime for hours together as fault was detected and rectified. With smart grid, faults are detected in near real-time making the rectification process a lot faster. The smart system also helps in stopping electricity theft as it reports anomalies of all kinds.

Besides, a smart grid helps the power utility to charge the consumers as per consumption. The utility also has the option of charging more for peak hours and less for the rest of the day. It can be implemented easily and effectively through smart IoT system. Moreover, consumers as well as all the other stakeholders can look at the current status of every zone and feeder on a dashboard or on a mobile app in near real time.

By enabling utilities to track and manage energy consumption and thereby making them save crores of rupees annually, smart grids are proving beneficial for the entire nation. Of late, smart grids have also entered the renewable energy power sector that includes solar and wind energy plants. Having brought in a revolution of sorts in the power sector, it’s about time the smart grids transformed the green energy sector as well.