ELECRAMA – the world’s largest electricals show, organized by apex industry body IEEMA – will be coming out with its fifteenth edition in February 2023. During the recent IEEMA Convention and AGM held in Mumbai, T&D India caught up with Jitendra K. Agarwal, Chairman, ELECRAMA 2023, to closely understand how IEEMA is gearing up for the mega event. Agarwal touches upon key differentiators of ELECRAMA 2023 whilst also dwelling on some pressing industry-related issues. Jitendra K. Agarwal is confident that ELECRAMA 2023, in keeping with its tradition, is only getting bigger and better. An interview by Venugopal Pillai.
The cables business division of KEC International provides a wide portfolio of cables including power cables, control & instrumentation cables, railway cables & conductors, telecom cables, etc. Till recently known as RPG Cables, this business division, with a standing of over six decades and a global footprint spanning over 110 countries, also provides cabling solutions including cable laying. In this interaction, we have Manjit Singh, Executive Director – Cables, KEC International Ltd, who takes us through the company’s competency and future plans, whilst also touching upon the recent rebranding of RPG Cables to Asian Cables.
Established in 1891, NKT is a global pioneer in the field of cables with a complete product range that spans low, medium, high and extra high voltage cables, as well as cable accessories. NKT has been in India for over a decade and is engaged in supplying cable accessories up to 550kV. In this exchange, Parth Bhatt, Regional Sales Manager – South Asia, NKT, gives an overview of NKT’s activities in India whilst discussing the company’s future plans for the subcontinent.
India Grid Trust (IndiGrid) is India’s first infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) focused on the power sector. While IndiGrid has grown its portfolio through acquisition of power-related assets, it is interesting to note that IndiGrid is also developing a greenfield power transmission project that it won under the tariff-based competitive bidding route. In this exchange, we have Harsh Shah, CEO, India Grid Trust (IndiGrid), dedicating the conversation to IndiGrid’s first greenfield transmission project, housed under “Kallam Transmission Ltd.” An interview with Venugopal Pillai.
In August this year, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd announced a partnership with Austria-based Anyline to introduce forensic energy meter reading in the utility’s command area spanning 510 sqkm housing nearly 2 million meters. T&D India got in touch with Ebin Thomas, Regional Sales (S.A.E) APAC, Middle East and North Africa, Anyline, to understand the intricacies of OCR-based metering reading and how Anyline’s solutions can help utilities make meter reading more efficient, thereby lowering their non-technical losses. Ebin Thomas, whilst giving keen insights into Anyline’s solutions, also expresses confidence of many more such partnership opportunities in India. An interview by Venugopal Pillai.
Apex industry body IEEMA (Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers’ Association) has been addressing the critical issue of power quality through its Capacitors & Power Quality (CAPQ) division for the past several decades. In this exclusive interaction, we have Baldev Narang, Chairman, CAPQ Division, IEEMA, discussing the intricacies of power quality whilst clearing several popular industry-related misconceptions. Narang asserts that the core issue, often ignored, is the presence of harmonics at the consumer’s non-linear loads. These harmonics are exported to the grid and return to consumers in the form of voltage distortions, Narang explains in an interview with Venugopal Pillai.
The grid of the future will be dominated by DC-based power sources like solar and wind, as well as battery-based consumption avenues like electric vehicles. Switching from AC to DC at multiple stages is bound to bring inefficiency to the grid. In this context, Germany-based Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH (popularly known as MR or Reinhausen), is working towards a medium-voltage DC grid, thanks to its innovative solutions like GRIDCON DCT – a direct current transformer. In this exclusive interaction, Dr Stephan Rupp, Grid Expert, Reinhausen, takes us through the intricacies of DC grids and Reinhausen’s pioneering work in this domain. An interview by Venugopal Pillai.
Ecotron, from Ecozen Solutions, aims to be a solution for sustainable irrigation – given that India annually uses about 4 billion litres of diesel and 85 million tonnes of coal to support its irrigation activities. In this interaction, we have Devendra Gupta, Co-founder & CEO, Ecozen Solutions, telling us more on the scope for Ecotron in an agrarian economy like India. Solar pumping in agriculture has made a good beginning in India thanks to Central government support, Gupta notes whilst explaining why Ecotron is today the most advanced solar pump controller available to Indian farmers.
Polycab is today India’s biggest name in the wire and cable segment, catering to a wide spectrum of industries. We have, in this exclusive interview, Bhushan Sawhney, Executive President & Chief Business Officer (Cables), Polycab India, taking us through the company’s journey – from its humble beginnings to the formidable position that it holds today. Sawhney also shares keen insights on the emerging deployment areas for cables – like renewable energy and electric vehicles — as well as general issues affecting the industry. Sawhney asserts that thanks to the unrivalled competency that Polycab has built over the years, the company is well poised to meet any variety and scale of demand in the future.
A joint venture of Central PSUs in the power ministry, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), is spearheading a number of flagship programmes that are helping the nation achieve energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint. EESL’s activities span lighting, domestic appliances, electric vehicles, etc. As far as lighting is concerned, EESL is championing the energy-efficiency cause through two programmes – UJALA and SLNP. In this exchange, we have Animesh Mishra, Chief General Manager (PR), EESL, asserting that these two programmes are making a huge contribution in India’s journey towards becoming a low-carbon economy. LED lighting, once considered a niche segment meant only for the affluent, has now reached even rural roads.