National workshop on future of smart metering in India
New Delhi: Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia, REC Limited and Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) partnered to organise a workshop on "Future of Smart Metering in India." This workshop brought together distinguished academics, representatives from industry, state governments, and power distribution companies to discuss the advancement of smart metering in India along with learnings and the challenges faced in its effective implementation. The workshop served as a platform for different stakeholders to facilitate informed discussion and knowledge sharing among participants. Discussions in the workshop were met with the enthusiastic participation of the stakeholders which contributed to the event's success.
J-PAL's (South Asia) Director of Policy, Training, and Communication Kunal Sharma inaugurated the event through his welcome address followed by the address of REC Limited's Executive Director Lakshmanan to set the context and purpose of the workshop. Department of Energy, Government of Bihar Principal Secretary Sanjeev Hans along with UPPCL's (Government of Uttar Pradesh) Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) M Devaraj presented the experiences of implementation of smart meters in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh – detailing the benefits of smart metering, acceptability among consumers, setting up of IT infrastructure, system integration, cyber security, supply chain issues in procurement of smart meters, management and training of staff. Following discom presentations, Dr Anant Sudarshan presented the role of experimental research to help measure and improve the effectiveness of smart meter implementation and share experiences from the Haryana smart metering evaluation. A panel discussion with Lakshmanan, Anil Rawal (CEO, IntelliSmart Infrastructure Private Limited), Shiv Tayal (Managing Director, Jammu Power Distribution Company Limited), and Sitaram Bamanke (Chief Engineer, MPPKVVCL), moderated by Dr Anant Sudarshan involved discussions on challenges faced in smart meter installation, cyber security, pre-paid vs post-paid smart meters, supply chain issues in procurement of smart meters, and regulatory changes to facilitate smart metering.
The event was concluded with a special address from REC Limited's Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) Vivek Kumar Dewangan reiterating the vision of the RDSS scheme and providing words of encouragement to the discom participants and a vote of thanks by Shruti Bhimsaria from EPIC India.
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