Interview

Our software can help companies practise sustainability

WebNMS, a division of US-based Zoho Corp, is an Internet-of-Things (IOT)-based energy management solutions providing company. T&D India caught up with Karen Ravindranath, Director-IOT, WebNMS, at Elecrama 2018, to understand the company’s scope of activities in the power sector. In an interaction with Venugopal Pillai, Karen how industrial consumers can gainfully manage energy consumption and ensure power quality with integrated software solutions from WebNMS.

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India is one of the fastest growing solar markets in the world

Enphase Energy is a US-headquartered energy technology company that designs and manufactures software-driven home energy solutions spanning solar generation, home energy storage and web-based monitoring and control. Enphase recently opened its India engineering and business operations centre. We have David Ranhoff, COO, Enphase Energy, in this exclusive exchange with T&D India, telling us more about his company and how Enphase is looking forward to electrifying India “one micro at a time.”

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We look forward to growing with India

US-based CTC Global Corporation has developed and owns the rights to the highly efficient ACCC (aluminium conductor composite core) technology. CTC Global has been in India for around six years now, working in partnership with conductor manufacturers Sterlite Power and Apar, apart from several hardware suppliers. In his very first interaction with T&D India, J.D. Sitton, CEO, CTC Global Corporation, states that he is very pleased with CTC’s progress in India, and that the subcontinent can potentially be CTC’s biggest market in South Asia. An interview by Venugopal Pillai.

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DZ is the largest R&D project we have undertaken

Larsen & Toubro has been a regular exhibitor at Elecrama having participated in all editions of the mega event, starting from the very first in 1990. In Elecrama 2018, L&T had on display a wide range of innovative products, including some that were new launches. In this interaction with T&D India, S.C. Bhargava, Senior Vice President — Electrical & Automation, Larsen & Toubro, speaks on what Elecrama means to L&T and how the new “DZ” range of MCCBs launched at Elecrama 2018 compares with the best in the world.

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We see great potential in both Indian and overseas markets

Transrail Lighting Ltd is a key player in the power transmission and distribution space with a presence in both equipment and contracting. In a freewheeling conversation D.C. Bagde talks to Venugopal Pillai on a variety of subjects ranging from the company’s erstwhile lineage with the Gammon Group to charting the company’s course in the years ahead. Bagde, himself a veteran in the power T&D field, notes that power transmission is a highly specialized activity hence needs to be treated as a formal subject in the electrical engineering curriculum.

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Renewable energy in India is a priority like never before

Alok Kumar
Alok Kumar, Country Manager, Advisory, India, DNV GL – Energy

DNV GL is a global quality assurance and risk management company that has a longstanding presence in India, across the energy value chain. In this editorial engagement, we have Alok Kumar  taking us through DNV GL’s services in the field of renewable energy—mainly solar and wind—as also energy storage. He observes that since renewable energy in India has become a priority like never before, DNV GL’s role becomes increasingly important. An interaction by Venugopal Pillai.

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Reduce Power Outages by Unleashing the Digital Power Distribution Grid

Millions of people lose access to electricity every year due to natural disasters. Even in India, floods extreme temperatures and other natural issues along with antiquated energy infrastructure in places often lead to power outages and deprives millions of people access to electricity. These frequent catastrophic events remind us of the inherent weakness of energy infrastructure, usually built with 20th century technology and around 20th century production models. For those unaffected by these calamities, it’s almost impossible to imagine our lives without electricity. Electrical power is part of the world’s critical infrastructure and at the heart of both economic development and social well-being. We rely on it to support needs that vary across the use spectrum from running household electronics to controlling traffic signals to protecting national security. Unfortunately, though, the electricity supply is undependable and widespread blackouts are becoming more frequent and severe occurrences. One of the largest threats to a reliable power supply, particularly across India and neighbouring countries, is aging infrastructure. Globally, existing infrastructure isn’t adequate for meeting the swell in energy demand, which is expected to increase by 48 percent over the next 30 years. Nor does it have the capabilities to effectively integrate the growing area of distributed energy resources (DERs) like wind and solar into the power mix. For an energy management system to remain secure and reliable, the electrical grid must be resilient and responsive with a flexible architecture so that new technologies can be easily integrated. Electric utilities’ infrastructure improvements rely heavily on technology such as intelligent electronics, advanced analytics, and connected devices to better manage assets and predict and prevent failures. Modernising and digitising the grid is a growth opportunity for utilities because it accommodates increasing customer demand and takes advantage of DERs’ ready supply of power. This boosts reliability, adds sustainability, improves efficiency and security, and enhances performance. It’s clear that both utilities and energy consumers want to mitigate service interruptions and protect themselves from outages as well as improve their sustainability. Microgrids are one answer for this challenge. They can play a major role in improving resiliency, reliability, and security for protecting businesses and communities from costly power outages by providing uninterruptible backup power. They’re often a smart, economical solution for shoring up infrastructure because they can take advantage of existing DER to provide dependable, flexible energy without requiring the expensive replacement of electrical equipment. Microgrids are also a versatile power option because they can operate either independently or in parallel with a grid. And, while some facilities use them primarily to protect themselves from outages, microgrids have also been embraced as a way to bring power to remote communities that could not otherwise connect to the electrical grid. As the abundance of blackouts over the past decade has made clear, utilities continue to make changes to ensure secure, reliable power in an uncertain environment. Adding microgrids and initiating a digital transformation are substantial steps toward reaching these goals.

Millions of people lose access to electricity every year due to natural disasters. Even in India, floods extreme temperatures and other natural issues along with antiquated energy infrastructure in places often lead to power outages and deprives millions of people access to electricity. These frequent catastrophic events remind us of the inherent weakness of energy infrastructure, usually built with 20th century technology and around 20th century production models. Read more

THDC’s installed capacity will cross 4,500 mw in five years

D.V. Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, THDC India Ltd

THDC India Ltd, formerly Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd, was incorporated in 1988 with the objective of developing mainly the mega 2,400-mw Tehri hydropower complex. It is amongst the early instances of a joint venture between the Union and any state government, in the field of hydropower. In this exclusive exchange, D.V. Singh, discusses the challenges in executing large hydropower projects, and also explains how THDC is consciously diversifying into other forms of clean energy like wind and solar.

THDC represents a joint venture between the Central and State Governments to execute challenging hydropower projects. What advantages did THDC enjoy as compared with a pure Central Government agency or a pure State Government entity?

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Localization is our principal growth driver

Marc Jarrault, Managing Director, Lapp Group India Pvt Ltd

Lapp Group India is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Germany-headquartered Lapp Group. Lapp India currently provides about 150,000 km per year of various cables, along with connectors, accessories and solutions to over 5,000 customers pan India. We have Marc Jarrault, in this exclusive interaction with T&D India, tracing Lapp Group’s growth in India since it began operations in 1996. Lapp Group’s biggest growth driver in India would be localization, feels Jarrault.

Let us start with Lapp in India. Tell us about your presence and your market in this country.

Lapp Group India began its operations in India in 1996 with a manufacturing unit in Jigani, Bengaluru. Having made an investment of 2.1 million euro, the Bangalore unit is the second largest manufacturing unit of the Lapp Group. Till date Lapp Group India has provided about 150,000 km per year of control, instrumentation, power and data cables along with connectors, accessories and customized plug and play cable assembly solutions to over 5500 active customers’ pan-India.

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We are seeing newer dimensions in the energy sector

Vikram Gandotra, Convener, World Utility Summit, ELECRAMA 2018

The World Utility Summit 2018 will be among the several concurrent events during ELECRAMA, the mega power T&D show that will be held during March 10-14, 2018, at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida. In this interaction, Vikram Gandotra gives insights into WUS-2018 and discusses how this global summit can help in the true convergence of the utilities business. With respect to India, Gandotra feels that the  country will move towards more self-reliance and low carbonization.

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