Infosys has formulated a revolutionary plan to monitor and reduce power losses that occur during the distribution of electricity.

The report, drafted in conjunction with the Bangalore-based Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), could radically improve the troubled Indian power industry.

"We need to transform power distribution by adopting convergence technologies and developing a smart card. Though generation and transmission have improved in economic terms, it is the distribution system that needs to be fixed for optimising energy use," explained Infosys vice-chairman Nandan Nilekani.

According to Nilekani, India is currently suffering from a severe energy crisis due to a shocking 33 per cent loss of power during electricity distribution.

A number of factors reportedly contribute to the poor transfer of electricity, including ageing and poorly maintained assets, unreliable and overloaded systems, low demand side management and poor corporate governance in distribution companies. 

"Information technology (IT), communication and automation to measure and control the flow of power on a real-time basis are key to manage distribution and check losses. Similarly, a smart grid to intelligently manage outages, load and congestion and shortfall has to become pervasive to use energy efficiently and optimally," recommended Nilekani.

As IT Examiner previously reported, approximately 400 million Indians are currently without power. According to professor Michael Kumar of Karunya University, solar energy can be tapped immediately to generate electricity. "The cells are easily available and you can convert the solar energy into electricity and use it for various appliances," said Kumar.

India requires 130,000MW of electricity on an annual basis. However, current peak demand exceeds the available supply by a shocking 14 per cent. X

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