MUMBAI, INDIA: IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), the standards development body of IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, today announced its continued commitment to enabling the creation of a better ecosystem for Smart Grid in India.

The IEEE-SA India SIG (Standards Interest Group) set up early last year, will be working closely with Indian regulators, standards bodies, industry and academia to facilitate faster implementation of Smart Grid pilots in India, said a press release.
IEEE-SA would also be organizing activities such as seminars and workshops in the year ahead as it strongly believes that broader awareness is key to successful Smart Grid adoption in India. IEEE-SA is the Gold sponsor at GridWeek Asia, which is being held for the first time in India.

IEEE-SA has launched key standards and guidelines such as the IEEE 2030 TM Smart Grid Interoperability Guide, the first such standard that aids interoperability of energy, information and communications technologies; IEEE 1701 TM and IEEE 1702 TM advanced Smart Metering Standards; IEEE 1547 TM, the first guide for implementation of Microgrids; and the IEEE 1901 TM standard for Broadband over Power Line.

More standards are expected to be introduced in the years ahead providing among the most comprehensive, globally accepted and validated set of standards that enable better interoperability, connection, communication and management of the various elements that go into a Smart Grid.

William Ash, strategic program manager, IEEE-SA said, “India is the third market worldwide for Smart Grid investment behind only the United States and China, with its Smart Grid spending projected to increase from $1.1 billion in 2011 to $1.9 billion by 2015. Being among the most experienced and active global standard associations engaged in promoting Smart Grid standards across regions, the IEEE-SA is well positioned to play the role of ecosystem enabler.”

He added that have also been active in Smart Grid early and have been facilitating faster and easier implementation worldwide, which is beneficial for markets like India that are ramping up investments exponentially in this area. They are committed to increasing our engagement with key stakeholders in the year ahead.

Srikanth Chandrasekharan, chairperson, IEEE-SA India SIG said, “Smart Grid through efficient energy supply management will help bridge the 10 per cent supply demand gap in peak load hours prevalent in India. We are looking to play a facilitation role in the eight pilot projects currently underway to increase operational efficiency besides conservation of energy in transmission and distribution management.”

He added that they are closely interacting with the India Smart Grid Task Force and other key stakeholders in evolving strategies for effective implementation of Smart Grid in India.

Smart Grid being a concept with hardware, software and interconnection elements, is complex. Without standards effective and efficient realization of Smart Grid in India would be difficult. The 100+ IEEE Smart Grid standards or standards in development will help make the system more efficient and adoptive to new innovations and technology in the future.

IEEE-SA is investing in creating awareness and bringing multiple stakeholders together to transfer best practices and knowledge from Smart Grid markets and perspectives, the release added.