· Supported by the Ministry of Power, New & Renewable Energy, Science & Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, NITI Aayog and Make In India; India Smart Grid Week is an initiative to find smart solutions to India’s energy needs
Hyderabad, 1 March 2017: India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) today announces its third edition of the Conference cum Exhibition on Smart Grids and Smart Cities India - “Smart Grid Week 2017” which is scheduled from 7-10 March, 2017 at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
Leading experts in the field of energy, Policymakers from the government and leaders from corporate sector from across the globe are set to converge together to discuss the challenges and opportunities and build support towards establishing smart grids in India. The initiative is being supported by Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable energy, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of External Affairs, NITI Aayog, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change - Government of India, Make in India and several other government institutions and international agencies.
Eminent speakers at the Smart Grid Week 2017 include Rob Stephen-CIGRE International, Massoud Amin-Technological Innovation Lab at University of Minnesota and IEEE Smart Grid, Philippe Monloubou – Enedis & Think Smart Grid Associations France, Eija-Ritta Korhola, Former member of European Parliament, Finland, Dr. Anjan Bose -Washington State University, Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Advisor to Minister of Power and MNRE and many other leaders from the industry.
Although India operates one of the largest electricity grids in the world with 310 GW generation capacity, over 250 million people are not connected to the grid and several parts of the country experience frequent power cuts. India's per capita consumption of electricity which is one-third of world average is expected to increase as the economic development of the country progresses. As the quality of life will witness ascendancy, people's energy demands will rise steeply. With an ever-increasing need of energy and challenges such as need to control power theft and transmission losses, India has launched ambitious missions to establish smart grids and smart cities. Making energy supplies efficient is key to power the country's economic growth but the power infrastructure in India faces numerous challenges.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Reji Kumar Pillai, President, India Smart Grid Forum commented, "Smart Grid is an evolving set of technologies to transform the electricity grid in to a more intelligent and reliable grid with integrated control centre that can monitor and control electricity flows in real time up to each individual customers and even up to the smart appliances inside a customer's premises. These technologies can help electric utilities manage supply and demand effectively in real time and avoid power cuts, ensure power quality that will eliminate the need for voltage stabilizers and inverters. This will also help customers save money by shifting some of their electricity usage like water pumping, washing machines etc to run during non-peak hours at reduced rates.”
The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Global Smart Grid Federation (GSGF), India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), TERI, US India Business Council, Bureau of Indian Standards, GERMI, Council on Energy, Environment & Water (CEEW), ISGAN, CIGRE, Brookings India are among the supporting partners of the conference. Key themes of the conference are: Grid Modernization, Smart Metering, Smart Cities, E-Mobility, Flexibility in Future Energy systems, Renewable Integration, Energy Storage and Microgrids etc. Other highlights of the conference are Round table on FDI in smart infrastructure, US-India smart grid workshop, EU-India smart grid workshop and Canada-India smart grid workshop etc.
India Smart Grid Week 2017
March 7-10 at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi
Organized by India Smart Grid Forum
ISGF is a public private partnership initiative of the Ministry of Power, Govt of India with the mandate of accelerating smart grid deployments across the country. ISGF work closely with the Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Department of Telecom, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Urban Development and NCIIPC. With 200+ members comprising of ministries, utilities, technology providers, academia and students, ISGF has evolved as a globally reputed think tank in smart grids and smart cities.
India has ratified the Paris Climate Agreement and pledged to meet 40% of its energy needs from non-fossil resources by 2030 which is a formidable task to achieve. Development of electricity system in the country has been accorded highest priority by our Honourable Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi and the Government of India has already launched several focused programs to provide 24x7 electricity to all citizens by 2022. Presently, India is pursuing the target of adding 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022. In order to meet the Paris Climate Agreement, we need to substantially increase the renewable energy target. Besides, India is also building 100 Smart Cities and promoting 6-7 million electric vehicles by 2022. In this context grid modernization has assumed paramount importance and utilities in India are preparing roadmaps for smart grid implementation and smart meter rollouts on fast track.
India Smart Grid Week (ISGW 2017) is planned as a Conference and Exhibition that will bring together India’s leading Electricity Utilities, Policy Makers, Regulators, Investors and world’s top-notch Smart Grid and Smart City Experts and Researchers to discuss trends, share best practices and showcase next generation technologies and products. The Second Edition of India Smart Grid Week held in March 2016 in New Delhi had participation of over 1500 delegates representing 400+ organizations from 33 countries. ISGW 2017 is supported by Ministry of Power and several other ministries in India as well as several international organizations such as ISGAN, CIGRE, IEEE, UKTI, US Chamber of Commerce, NEDO, GSGF etc. M/s Tata Power Delhi Distribution (www.tatapower-ddl.com) and Power Grid Corporation of India are the host utilities for ISGW 2017.
Objectives:
1.Project India as a top investment destination for smart grids and smart cities
2.Create opportunities for key decision makers in utilities and policy makers and regulators to interact with global experts who have had hands on experience in smart grid projects
3.Attract technology companies from overseas to exhibit latest products and solutions in India
4.Networking and experience sharing for utility engineers and regulators with their peers who have implemented smart grid policies and programs
5.Attract technology companies to set up their production facilities in India
Conference Structure:
•Conference Themes:
08th March 2017 : Grid Modernization & AMI
09th March 2017 : Smart Cities & E-Mobility
10th March 2017 : Flexibility in Future Energy System
•Parallel Events
07th March 2017 : IEC-IEEE World Smart Energy Standardization
Coordination Workshop
08th March 2017 : 4th India EU Smart Grid Workshop
2nd India – Canada Smart Grid Workshop
09th March 2017 : 2nd India – Sweden Smart Grid Workshop
3rd US – India Smart Grid Workshop
10th March 2017 : Round Table on Communications & Cyber Security
Round Table on FDI for Smart Infrastructure
Reji is the President of India Smart Grid Forum (www.indiasmartgrid.org) since its inception in 2011 and is an internationally renowned expert with over three decades of experience in the electricity sector in diverse functions covering the entire value chain and across continents. He is spearheading a mission to leverage technology to transform the electric grid in India and light every home at affordable cost through sustainable developmental models. Reji played the pivotal role in formulation of the Smart Grid Vision & Roadmap for India (August 2013) and the launch of a National Smart Grid Mission (March 2015) by Government of India, issue of Model Smart Grid Regulations (June 2015) by Forum of Regulators; and issue of Standards for Smart Meters (IS 16444 -2015 and IS 15959 Part 2) by Bureau of Indian Standards. He is presently advocating for a “Right to Electricity Act” that will ensure lifeline supply of electricity to all citizens in the country. His current areas of research include: WiFi as Last Mile Connectivity Solution for Smart Metering, Smart Grids as Anchor Infrastructure for Smart Cities, Development of Smart City Maturity Model, Grid Interactive Buildings and Campuses (Smart Microgrids that can participate in evolving transactive energy market), Future of Transportation; and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Standards for India.
In November 2016 Reji was unanimously appointed as Chairman of Global Smart Grid Federation (GSGF) a global umbrella organization of smart grid associations from 16 countries and the European Union.
As an entrepreneur, Reji has built successful enterprises in India and overseas and exited them. Reji has studied Engineering, Finance, Management and Law; worked with NTPC and IBM and has been senior consultant with ADB, World Bank and USAID. A recognized thought leader in smart grid technologies and concepts of smart cities, Reji is a popular key-note speaker at international symposiums and conferences on smart grids and smart cities. He has also contributed to several articles and books; and write a fortnightly column “Smartening India” on VCCircle Weekly (vccircle.com).