Indian cities need better energy management

The use of technology has been on the rise, in line with population growth and the need to boost the global supply of resources. One of the challenges that India faces to­day, for example, is to manage a population of approximately 1.252 billion people. This can be viewed as challenges related to food produc­tion, creation of employment and provision of adequate facilities in all areas of governance while ensuring overall economic growth. Electric energy is one of the most important resources in any econ­omy and the challenge posed by its supply must be handled well. The extent to which the economy can grow is fully dependent on the effi­ciency and sustainability of energy supply to industries and homes. There is also a need to conserve en­ergy – be it from solar, wind, hydro or nuclear sources. In the past few years, the level of energy waste in India has been on the rise, under­scoring the need for the government and other stakeholders to address issues of sustainable development. Via technology interventions, a family in a city such as New Delhi may receive an inflated electricity bill or accumulated, unpaid bills in any given fiscal month. This family may then have to complain via an email or seek redress from the ser­vice provider. This issue, which is just one of many, may be sorted out by the installation of smart systems to help the family keep track of the rate of energy consumption via an email or text message alerts. This would enable the family to work out a monthly budget for power consumption. For example, the family may limit the use of an air condi­tioner in some seasons or even stop using certain gadgets such as a dryer or vacuum cleaner, which come with alternatives. India is the world’s fourth largest in installed capacity, according to the Ministry of Urban Develop­ment’s 2014 Concept Note on Smart Cities. Yet it continues to be a coun­try with scarce electricity distribu­tion. Here, smart grids can be a good way of bringing in transforma­tive operations. The old traditional system lacks good financial plan­ning, resulting in losses due to poor revenue collection methods. The system is also ageing with poorly-maintained infrastructure such as transmission lines, among others. Accenture’s Digitally Enabled Grid of 2014 report found that In­dia’s rapidly-growing distribution systems need to address network and sustainability issues of outage response, to help in reducing cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This can be achieved through theft reduction of electricity and electrical installa­tion systems. India’s smart grid establishment received a big boost af­ter blackouts that affected more than 600 million people in 2012. Smart energy technology entails laying a secure and ubiquitous com­munication link between power sources to the endpoint to ensure a good and efficient communication channel that will enhance good con­nectivity. In case of disconnection, there is a real-time response that ensures quality service delivery. The system also ensures consumption of required amounts of power, helping to optimise costs to customer. The smart grid technology is also able to predict and monitor possible fail­ures and help technical teams to preempt possible solutions. Smart grid technology allows sys­tems (the grid) to be fed by alternate energy sources such as solar, wind and hydrocarbons, among others. The integration of this power gen­eration into the smart grid enables further decentralisation of distribu­tion and boosts nationwide genera­tion. Such innovation encourages  low-cost systems that reduce trans­mission costs and have minimal im­pact on the environment. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but only transmitted from one state to another. The po­litical leadership and other stake­holders need to unite in sensitising members of the public on the im­portance of energy conservation by using smart technologies.