Energetica India Magazine December 2020

transition to clean mobility without a proper functional support system. We may fall in a “you-first” mentality where automakers will think let charging kiosks come first before we go full swing; station operators will think let there be more EVs before we add more EV charging kiosks. Fleet managers will await competitors to make the switch to EVs before they do to test waters. The entire ecosystem, therefore, has to evolve simultaneously, not in silos. We need all hands on deck – industry, academia and policymakers – to create a stimulatory environment for a sustainable clean energy and mobility transition. Wave of Data Centers India holds immense potential to become a data center hub in the Asia-Pacific region. The pandemic has significantly increased data traffic and added to the rising demand for bandwidth and storage devices. Indian data center market is expected to have a CAGR of 12% from 2019-2024. The government also further announced plans to set up 1 crore data centers in the country. However, the question we should be asking is - Are we prepared for a data center wave? The amount of energy data centers consume is enormous and can have a major impact on the electric grid. Ours is the largest synchronous grid in the world that is aging as well, and data centers can significantly increase grid load, risking its stability. Besides, while continually improving economics of renewables can lead to further data center expansion, we need to better prepare ourselves to handle the new and hybrid load from multiple points. In that, the power sector itself needs to deploy data to gain insights into their asset’s health and performance. So there are no stumbles and misfires, we should use data to help in load balancing and grid robustness. Power Transmission and Distribution The path toward carbon-neutrality has one common denominator: it will be built on much more electrification. Industry, transport, infrastructure and common households will come to rely heavily on the grid which will integrate an ever-increasing share of DERs. We have undertaken massive nation- building projects such the 800kV Raigarh Pugalur transmission link that will facilitate large amounts of renewable energy to the high consumption centers. But we cannot fathom a deluge of hybrid demand without grid modernization and digitalization. To improve DISCOM performance, to make existing schemes more fruitful and the transition to clean energy sustainable, digitalization is crucial. Besides, there is also no alternative to upgrading the power transmission and distribution infrastructure to improve energy efficiency. The volume of data that utilities produce continues to grow. Much of it is in silos or being warehoused. That approach has to transition to more liquid, inter- connected, interactive and intelligent digital solutions to gain real-time insights into equipment health and performance, bring down DISCOM losses, cut downtime and reduce our carbon footprint. Outlook The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of smart technologies, smart businesses, smart leaders, and smart policies todelivermeaningful changeand important solutions. Business as usual is no longer an option. Clamor is getting louder for businesses and government to do better, do more. We must make better use of our existing infrastructure, tap into new energy sources by transitioning to nature-positive solutions and usher in a stakeholder economy where everyone has a role to play. There should be a leveled playing field for all market players for the power sector to grow. Abrupt decisions that affect the supply chain can nip growth in its nascency. We therefore need to encourage cross-industry, cross- boundary partnerships that enable exchange of ideas and technologies and facilitate India to discover its true potential. As Hitachi ABB Power Grids, we are committed to building local capabilities and resources to ensure a sustainable energy future. POWER SECTOR 53 energetica INDIA- December_2020