HPL Electric Sets Up New R&D Center for Smart Meters at Gurugram Manufacturing Facility

In order to contribute towards making India ‘Atmanirbhar’ in Smart Meter technology, electrical equipment specialist HPL Electric & Power Ltd has setup a new Research and Development (R&D) center at it’s manufacturing facility in Gurugram, Haryana.

Further, the new center aimed to incorporate recent advancements in smart technologies and materials for the development of new generations of smart metering products.

The company is one of India’s leading electrical equipment manufacturer, with sizable presence in meters and smart meters segment.

With this investment in developing next generation of smart meter technology, HPL aimed to widen its smart meter portfolio, and further strengthen its market penetration domestically as well as internationally.

Commenting on the development, Gautam Seth, Joint Managing Director of HPL Electric & Power Ltd, said that, “we are very much focused on enhancing our smart meter technological base and become the market leader in the segment. With an aim to make technology a key pillar for future growth, we are investing in R&D to develop next generation smart technology to meet the future requirements with best-in-class metering solutions.”

At this R&D center, more than 200 engineers will be working, conducting advanced research in developing solutions for smart meters technology, other metering solutions and communication technology.

With a solution-based approach, the company is aiming to bring in advanced IoT and AI-enabled smart solutions and products for the Indian and international markets. 

“The company is bullish about the opportunities in the smart metering segment. We are expecting large-scale requirement for smart metering solutions in the coming years and we are fully capable and ready to meet the requirements of the industry with our best-in-class metering solutions. Our manufacturing facilities are adequately equipped to undertake larger production to meet the targets of the Government to install 25 million smart meters in the country within the next three years,” Seth added.

In Budget this year, the government had urged all the states and UTs to replace the conventional electricity meters into prepaid smart meters and plans to install 25 million smart meters in the country within next 3 years.

For this, the government has also allocated Rs 22,000 crore in the Union Budget for the development of infrastructure, enhancing electric grid across the country, implementation of smart meters, enlargement of green mode of electric generation, etc.

Smart meters will help the utilities to enhance their management of billings and collections by contact less ecosystem, thereby helping them reduce losses and enhancing consumer experience. With the enhancement in collection of consumer data, the power distribution utilities will also be able to better forecast the demand and supply requirement and manage their power purchases better.