Understanding the Smart Electricity Transmission System

As per the announcement by the Power Ministry, Government of India, the country is on the verge of implementing an intelligent transmission system with a range of features aimed at enhancing efficiency, disaster readiness and more.

Why are smart and modern electricity transmission systems important for India?

• They can limit forced outages with their self-healing capabilities.
• They allow for centralized, data-based decision-making processes.
• They can increase the utilization of transmission capacity.
• They offer enhanced situational analysis.
• They enable automated grid operation and real-time surveillance.
• They provide superior resilience against natural disasters and cyber threats.
• They have the potential to incorporate a larger share of renewable energy sources into the power mix.

The Expert Panel and its Role:

• The Ministry of Power constituted an expert panel in 2021 to suggest measures for modernizing the transmission sector and making it future-proof and intelligent.
• The panel also included representatives from various sectors such as:
  • MeiTY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology),
  • Central and state transmission utilities,
  • Central Electricity Authority (CEA),
  • IIT Kanpur, among others.
• The panel's long-term recommendations will be implemented over a period of 3-5 years, while short to medium-term recommendations will be implemented within 1-3 years.

Key Recommendations by the Panel:

• The panel proposed benchmarks for voltage control based on the performance of global transmission utilities and transmission network availability.
• The panel advocated for the use of robots to reduce human intervention, risks, and time while ensuring accuracy during construction and maintenance.
• The panel proposed the use of centralised remote monitoring, drones, robots, cybersecurity measures, process bus-based protection automation and control GIS/Hybrid substation, predictive maintenance techniques using AI/ML algorithms, Hybrid AC/HVDC system, Dynamic Line Loading system (DLL), flexible AC transmission devices (FACTs), and more.
• These recommendations have been divided into several categories, including:
• • Workforce up-skilling, construction, and inspection of transmission assets.
  • Creation of a smart and future-proof transmission system.
  • Operations and management.
  • Use of advanced technology in construction and supervision.
  • Upgradation of existing transmission systems.
• The panel's report recommended the adoption of technological and digital solutions to make the electricity transmission grids future-ready.