Clean technology has been one of
the key drivers for the
sustainable development of the
country. There has been a paradigm
shift in the energy policies and the
government giving thrust on energy
conservation and energy efficiency
programmes. It is also true that in the
modern times, businesses will not be
brightened without a reliable, regular
and efficient electrical distribution
system, especially with the increasing
demands of modern technology,
regulations and constant rise of energy
costs. Nowadays, it is very important
to keep business, operational and
adaptable whilst increasing its energy
efficiency by reducing its distribution
losses and carbon footprint.
Efficient energy distribution
systems reduce total energy use while
providing the same amount of power to
the end user. According to distribution
outage statistics, covered conductors
have the least distribution outages in
proportion to the line kilometers
compared to, for instance, bare
conductors or underground cables.
Special care for the replacement of
connectors after their life span gives
much advantage by reducing heat
losses. Saving energy with the right
kind of devices and getting on with
proper installation ensures electricity
losses during transmission process
especially when there is 6 millions
kilometers of electrical distribution
lines in India. Energy saved is thus
money saved and in the long run, the
need for maintenance and upkeep of
cables in the transmission process is
considerable reduced by building a
sustainable electricity infrastructure.
Distribution losses in European
nations and Nordic countries such as
Finland are less than 4 per cent and in
India it can be up to 60 per cent. This
is a unique contrast as the distribution
networks in India are often marred
into a number of bottlenecks and are
mostly loss-making due to poor
monitoring of transmission lines and
rampant electricity thefts. In fact, in
the second largest populated country
after China, the power scenario in
India is not to the requisite mark and
the expected lifecycle of distribution
networks in India is just 5-10 years or
even less. Often, one can see live wires
near transformers and distribution
boxes are prone to mishandling and
accidents caused due to short circuits
are inevitable. In such scenarios, it is
essential to minimize general losses
and stealing by building a reliable
network through right installation and
using cables that can withstand wear
and tear and UV rays. Moreover, the
distribution losses can be well
controlled and buffer electricity can
be used for rural masses where there is
paucity of supply.
Technology upgrade is essential to
amplify the concept of energy efficient
electricity distribution. In fact, Rs.10
billion worth of international funds
have been demarcated for the development of electricity distribution network cable networks in
India. However, going by the experience all discoms (distribution
companies) make money but they burden the consumers with
higher tariffs and are doing little to prevent transmission network
losses. We also need to make it environment-friendly and reduce
the dependence on aluminum as it causes pollution.
For the bulk power system to operate reliably, it must be
designed and operated based on the following principles:
- The total generation at any moment must be kept equal to
total electricity consumption and losses on the system
including transmission and distribution.
- The electricity is allowed to flow through the transmission
system in accordance with physical laws and cannot be
directed to flow through specific lines.
- The system must be designed with reserve capacity in
generation and transmission to allow for uninterrupted
service when contingencies occur.
Maintaining synchronization among the generators of the
system and preventing the collapse of voltages must help for
system stability. Converting single circuit towers to multiplecircuit
towers and converting alternating current (AC) lines to
high-voltage direct current (HVDC) lines are the methods of
mitigating power transfer constraints due to individual
components. The use of highly energy efficient electrical
equipments is the major solution for reliable electrical
distribution.
In this era of energy crisis, efficient energy distribution is
very important. The option to increase transmission electricity
distribution network charring capacity by upgrading the
existing lines is of interest because it can be done at
considerably lesser cost than constructing a new electricity
distribution line transmission line and with a shorter lead
time. By using standard products such as e.g. suspension
clamps, only proper connectors which are less than 2 per cent
of the total line building costs and this only reduce minimize
electricity distribution line losses in country wide 5,000 mw
during peak hours of energy and thus enhance also the lifecycle
of electricity distribution network cable transmission
[Ashok Kaushik is Vice President - India Operations, Ensto
(www.ensto.com)]