Market should decide on solar technology to use

BANGALORE, INDIA: Bill Ash, IEEE, strategic program manager, who oversees smart grid activities at IEEE, is attending the Solarcon India 2013 show that concludes tomorrow. He found some time to speak with CIOL.

According to Ash, the show itself has been interesting. A lot of good topics are being discussed. A lot of the technologies being presented here will help India meet their goal for electricity for all.

Some of the good topics discussed are: integration of PV, micro grids and distributive resources for rural areas. Even if they are providing electricity for six to seven hours a day, that'll be a start.

Ash noted: "Here, the environment is the same - upgrade the grid, provide a reliable grid, etc. The market for spending has declined or plateaued. Once the 14 pilot projects have come to the conclusion, we could see utilities rolling out known technologies on a larger scale.

"PLC, WiFi, cellular backbone, wireless mesh, etc., are the different technologies that are being provided for AMI deployment."

There are lots of challenges in India. They are taking a good approach. The IEEE team also met Huawei's research facility. If we are looking at smart grid, smart technologies, etc., being able to gather and analyse the data, it will help India move forward.

The questions to be answered are, what data is useful, how to analyze that, and how to become effective and more efficient for being reactive and predictive.

"We are here to educate ourselves, companies here in India, to help with the expertise we can bring from India to the global community. Standards are already evolving. One of our goals is to look at experts here in India and help us develop newer standards," he added.

Regarding the question why are there less manufacturers in India, he said: "The conditions in India are not the same. Economy of scale in US or Europe may be $100-$200 for smart meters. In India, that's not the case. We need to find equipment that fits the need of India, say, for $20. The ability of supply and demand, and the ability of suppliers to meet the regional needs that cost effective. In India, solar suppliers are looking to improve the energy needs of the nations."

Next what technology should be used? "We leave it to the market to decide on technology to use. As more deployments happen in the world, costs of PV will decline, making them more affordable," Ash added. "If we are looking at India, and the power that brings to the manufacturer, the smart meter should cost $20-$30."