Electrical Mirror December 2017 Issue

EDITOR’S DESK Dear Reader!

Editor

Alka Puri Sub Editor

Ambika Gagar Associate Editor

N.P.K. Reddy

Editorial Advisor

Priyanka Roy Chaudhary Design & Production

Sr. Designer - Mukesh Kumar Sah National Business Head-India

Subhash Chandra Email: s.chandra@electricalmirror.net Manager West & South India

Pradeep Kumar Email: pradeep.k@electricalmirror.net Sales & Marketing

Neha Rajesh Kumar Hemant Chauhan

The power sector situation in India is going through some phases as the country growth is depend on its energy sector like coal is the basic element for this, but any how it is struck in between the gov policy of the ever increasing demand for energy, coupled with large scale Infra development projects in the developing nations has secured significant growth of switchgear demand in Indian market. According to industry report the global switchgear market is expected to grow at an estimated $74.77 bn to $136.71 bn with a CAGR of 12.83% from 2014 to 2019, being Asia Pacific region estimated highest growth.

Utilities will have the highest market share, followed by Industries, Residential sector and the rest.

Make in India, Digital India, Smart City Program, IPDS and AMRUT and many more schemes in India have been launched in the past year, and the current govt that could ensure a positive slope in switchgear demand.

The case study inside is basically deployed the status of the current Grid sub-station which is a in a continuation process shows you the developing the synchronization of practical observation to the theoretical concept please enjoy the reading.

Please give us your feedback at editor@electricalmirror.net

For more details check out our Website www.electricalmirror.net & you can also visit our facebook page www.facebook.in/electricalmirror

Manager-Subscription

Praveen Chauhan Email: subscribe@electricalmirror.net Call: 011-6510 4350/ 011-2275 8660 All rights reserved by all events are made to ensure that the information published is correct; Electrical Mirror holds no responsibility any unlikely errors that might occur.

Printed, published and owned by Usha, Published from 13/455, Block No. 13, Trilok Puri, Delhi-110091 and printed at Bright Tree, C-40, Gate No.-4, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110020. e-mail: brighttreesolutions@gmail.com

Editor : Alka Puri

Editor

S T N

E T N

CO

Special Theme

54

Scenario and Review on Indian UPS Battery Market

Special Focus:

58

Power Factor Corection Presents Several Technical and Economic Advantages Industry Feature

Cover Story

28

India Switchgears and Controlgear Market Analysis

News Update

10

64

Summary of Thermal Power Generation Issues

Guest Article

70

Get Control Through Touch and Fuel Optimisation

'India Needs to Store Solar Electricity for Use

Special Feature

34

Lighting Industry:LED Movement Underway

Case Study of The Month

38

Various Case Studies on Operation and Control Schemes for Grid Sub-Station Contd‌.

Guest Article

42

Non-Intrusive On-Site Testing of Circuit Breakers

Industry Focus

46

India Genset Market: on the Road to Recovery

Tenders Projects

74 75

Product Info Meco Flir Toshniwal

76 78

71 72 72

Advertisement Index

Event Diary

N

ews of The Month

India Needs to Store Solar Electricity for Use

India needs to build a storage system for electricity from its fast-expanding solar network in a bid to balance cost-effective energy mix, according to a senior researcher.

There is a mismatch between peak demand and electricity generation period for solar, said Nitya Nanda, Fellow & Area Convenor at the Centre for Resource Efficiency and Governance in The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

"The solar electricity must be stored for use during peak period, which is late at night (10:00 PM to past midnight), while the energy can be harnessed in afternoon (12:00 PM to 4:00 PM)," Nanda told a workshop on South Asia's Challenges and Opportunities in Sustainable Energy Transitions held

by Singapore's Institute of South Asian Studies and Energy Studies Institute.

While solar is seen as the cheapest form of electricity, as the latest bid shows that it could be available at

less than Rs 2.5 per unit and hence one can imagine a situation where solar power price go down to Rs 1-1.5 per unit, it is in a conundrum on supply and demand scenario, Nanda said.

However, Nanda expressed concern over the high cost of the storage system, mostly to be a batterybased setup.

This would raise the solar electricity cost to the consumer to Rs 10 per 2.5 kV, from just nominal right now, he said.

In such a case, coal-fired power plants will be more competitive with the green-energy, he pointed out.

India's coal-plant electricity would compete with solar during the off-peak period in the day, say, at Re 1 But as the night sets in, it would raise prices to as high as Rs 10, as solar without storage would no longer be in competition, or with storage system be offered at Rs 10 at least.

Solar operate at a nominal cost as no fuel cost is

involved and maintenance cost is the only operational cost.

Comparatively, coal-fired plant s cost is Rs 2 and above and it faces rising coal prices as well as environmental issues.

India's coal-fired plants also lack the flexibility of shutting during the off-peak period.

They are old and designed to operate 24/7, which compels the operators to run at full capacity and compete on prices in marketplace.

Building a coal-fired plant with flexibility to shut and restart will take a long time, and it is an option not in line with the Indian governments green energy and enhancing environment programmes.

Comparatively, India's slow-paced industrialisation would also not be able to support the 100-GW solar electricity output, he pointed out.

Higher industrial growth could generate higher demand during daytime.

Producing electricity without demand and or storage is wastage.

Nanda observed that India has made good progress on the ambitious solar development, 100-gigawatt by 2022, but has raised concern about backup of the green electricity.

He suggested solar electricity exports to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, where gas fired plants have the flexibility of shutting down during off-peak period and restarting during peak demand.

Bangladesh could take Indian solar electricity at prices much lower than their gas-fired generation cost as it continues to face gas shortage and its volatile prices.

Pakistan, also facing a huge shortage of electricity, is another export market.

But it is a political play though some talks have been held on exporting electricity to that country.

India has already installed 16 GW of solar plants and 40 GW of other green energy networks including Wind, of the total 175-GW target by 2022.

Tata Power Solar Commissions India's First Solar Carport Tata Power Solar said that it has commissioned India's first solar carport on the rooftop of mall in the national capital.

The company said it has reached a landmark by commissioning an unprecedented rooftop project in

India - a solar carport on the rooftop of the sprawling 70,000 sq mt Unity One mall in Rohini.

It said in a statement that the unique rooftop carport is estimated to set off 438 tonne of carbon emission annually.

Tata Power Solar won the bid in the open tender process fielded by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for multi-level car parking.

The project has been envisaged under net-metering scheme enabling self-reliance in the energy consumption and production cycle.

It enables the mall to receive real value of the energy produced by earning on the unused and excess solar electricity produced. It also cuts down the need to install a second meter or an expensive battery storage system as it is directly connected to the local power grid.

N

ews of The Month

NTPC Eyes Coal-Based Power Plants Built Only With Local Equipment

NTPC Ltd, country's largest power producer, plans to acquire operational coal-based power stations but only those built with Indian, not Chinese, equipment and with lower generation costs, which will keep many private plants out.

The company has invited bids from promoters, lenders or financial intermediaries offering their domestic coal-based power plants.

The company had earlier shelved buyout plans after exploring about 50 proposals due to concerns on valuations, a company executive said. "The fresh tender does not propose to value the assets. It will be based on bidding by the interested promoters. In no case the per megawatt cost should be more than Rs 3.5-4 crore," the official said.

The company had earlier shelved buyout plans after exploring about 50 proposals due to concerns on valuations, a company executive said. "The fresh tender does not propose to value the assets. It will be based on bidding by the interested promoters. In no case the per megawatt cost should be more than

Rs 3.5-4 crore," the official said.

"The buyout for us will be as good as placing a turnkey contract. The local content clause will keep Chinese equipment at bay," he said, adding the tender does not press the plants to have assured coal supply or power purchase agreements.

Another NTPC official said the company has not apportioned any funds for the proposal but it can raise finance as and when required. The company's capital expenditure estimate for the current financial year is Rs 28,000 crore.

The proposal comes at a time when the government

is trying to resolve stressed loans assets in sectors like power and steel. The power ministry had earlier identified 34 such stressed assets with combined capacity of 40 GW. The company will only be looking at running power plants commissioned in last three years that are close to any coal source and whose cost of power generation is less than NTPC's generation cost, a senior official said.

The average cost of electricity generation from NTPC stations last financial year was Rs 3.19 per unit. NTPC has an installed capacity of 51,708 MW comprising 28 coal-based, eight gas-based and 13 renewable energy and hydro power projects while another 20,000 MW projects are under construction.

It is also contemplating increasing its generation assets by means of possible acquisition of "coal-based power assets in India. Through this request for proposal, NTPC intends to shortlist suitable operational domestic coal-based power assets located in India for possible acquisition," the tender document said.

Government Plans to Procure 10 Million Pre-Paid Meters to be Deployed in U.P The government plans to procure 10 million pre-paid meters to be deployed in Uttar Pradesh as part of the Saubhagya scheme, which aims to add more than 40 million households to the power grid by December next year.

Leading national and international companies, including L&T, HPL, Landis and Gyr, Secure Meters, China-based Shenzhen Inhemeter, and Genus Power, have expressed their interest in the global competitive-bidding tender for the pre-paid meters.

“We have issued a letter of interest for procurement of these pre-paid meters and about 15 companies have submitted their pre-qualification documents, which we are currently scrutinising. We will float the tender next week,” Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) managing director Saurabh Kumar said.

Power Minister R.K Singh had said at a press conference last week that the government would push pre-paid meters so that even the poorest consumers could be connected to the electricity network.

“Just like you recharge your mobile, you will be able to recharge electricity. This will make it viable for the poor. With this pre-paid facility, the consumer will

not get disconnected,” Singh had said.

The Saubhagya scheme, launched by the Prime Minister in September, has an outlay of Rs. 16,320 crores, with a budgetary allocation of Rs 12,320 crores.

“The funds for procurement will come from the Uttar Pradesh government. It depends whether the state would want to use the Saubhagya budget for this,” said Kumar.

These pre-paid meters will be targeted at the population below the poverty line. Households will

be provided the electricity connection free of cost and the consumer will only have to pay for the electricity consumption.

“The meters will be stand-alone prepaid meters, as desired by the Uttar Pradesh authorities,” Kumar added.

The expression of interest (EoI) document issued

by EESL for the tender, and accessed by ET, also states that overseas suppliers may be required to manufacture a part of their order in India.

“Naturally, we would like the manufacturing to happen locally. We are expecting 75% of the order to be sourced in India,” Kumar said.

“These matters are still under discussion, and once we issue the formal request for proposal (RfP), we will be able to clarify on issues like local manufacturing, as this is a very time specific order and international players may not want to set up shop for such a short time-period in India,” another official aware of the developments said.

The pre-paid meters, which will allow consumers to pay beforehand for their electricity usage, are most likely to be supplied between February and December next year.

N

ews of The Month

Officials Charging Duty on Solar Panels is Wrong: RK Singh

Renewable energy minister Raj Kumar Singh has complained to finance minister Arun Jaitley that customs officials are demanding duty on imported solar equipment, which has led to ports getting jammed with shipments and jeopardised the prime minister’s flagship programme of accelerating renewable energy projects.

The solar industry has delayed acceptance of the consignments, protesting the decision of the Central Board of Excise and Customs to start charging basic import duty of 7.5% on solar panels and modules, which had been exempted from the levy until recently.

A new interpretation of import duty rules, initially at Chennai as reported in October 12, has been extended to other ports, leading to a pile-up of thousands of solar panel and module containers even after renewable energy ministry secretary Anand Kumar

brought the matter to the notice of the customs official concerned more than six weeks ago. More than 90% of the solar panels and modules used in India are imported, mostly from China.

Solar modules were traditionally clubbed with diodes, transistors, photosensitive semiconductor devices and light-emitting diodes, which are exempt from import duty.

Lately, however, customs officials insisted they fall in the category of electrical motors and generators and attract 7.5% import duty, apart from education cess.

“There is no doubt that panels and modules are used for generating electricity – but they are used for generating renewable energy and that is why the government took a conscious decision that they should be allowed to be imported without any customs duty,” Singh said in the recent letter. “The officers concerned do not seem to have grasped this distinction.”

“I shall be grateful if officers are directed that photovoltaic panels/modules being imported for solar power generating systems/plants be allowed to be imported under the nil rate of duty… as has been done so far,” the minister said in the letter.

However, the letter has made no impact. Instead,

developers with consignments reaching the ports of Krishnapatnam, Mundra and Nava Sheva faced the same duty demand.

When the problem started in September, most developers resisted paying, but with consignments piling up and the prospect of projects getting delayed, some are falling in line, either paying or providing bank guarantees.

“Ultimately, we gave a bank guarantee of Rs 52 lakh for the basic 7.5% duty. We were not charged any penalty,” said a leading developer with 108 containers held up for 20 days at Krishnapatnam. “At Chennai port, we had to pay Rs 3.15 crore, along with another 15% as penalty. We expect consignments of around 900 MW in the next few months and if this new classification continues, we will have to pay an additional Rs 162 crore.”

“It is simple arm-twisting,” said another developer, which provided a Rs 70-crore bank guarantee at Chennai and incurred an additional loss of Rs 40 crore on demurrage. Developers are unanimous that unless the matter is resolved, the additional charge will increase solar tariffs.

“There is certainly going to be an effect on tariffs, to the tune of 40 paise per unit or so, which will impact the bottom lines of developers,” said a developer.

“It is a matter of wrong classification,” MNRE secretary Kumar had told when the problem first emerged.

“They are sorting out the matter. I’ve talked to the board member concerned.”

This time, however, he declined to comment.

Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulator has Raised Tariffs for Such Households by 63% for the Current Year.

In a move to curb un-metered electricity connections, the Uttar Pradesh electricity regulator has raised tariffs for such households by 63% for the current year.

The order issued on encourages consumers to shift to metered connections, its chairperson S K Agarwal said in Lucknow.

14 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

Uttar Pradesh has over 65 lakh un-metered connections. This is the first electricity tariff revision after the Yogi Adityanath government took over in the state early this year.

The average hike for domestic consumers is 12% across categories. The electricity tariff for urban domestic electricity consumers has been raised by 9% for the current financial year, Agarwal said.

"The hefty hike for rural consumers was imminent as the electricity tariffs in the past have been very low. We have for the first time brought this change.

Under the Saubhagya scheme 2.15 lakh crore new households are likely to be added. Supplying electricity to them at such low tariffs is not viable," he said.

The fixed charge for un-metered rural connections

has been raised from Rs 180/kw- Rs 200/kw every month to Rs 300/kw/month. The charges will rise to Rs 400/kw/month from March next year. The metered connection fixed charges have been raised to Rs 80 per month from Rs 50 per month. The regulator has introduced a slab as per power consumption for rural consumers which varies from Rs 3/unit to Rs 5.50 per unit.

Earlier the rural metered consumers were being charged a flat Rs 2.2 per unit price irrespective of their consumption. There has been an average Rs 0.50 per unit hike in tariffs for urban metered connections.

Agarwal said hike narrows the gap between the average cost of supply and revenue by Rs 0.60 per unit to Rs 0.74 per unit. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 15

N

Cleanmax Will Deploy the Funds to Continue its Rapid Growth in India's Solar Market.

ews of The Month

Reaffirming its green credentials, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has made an equity investment of USD 15 million in CleanMax Solar.

This is IFC's first equity investment in grid-connected distributed generation globally, an official statement stated.

CleanMax Solar, a leading sustainability partner for large corporates, enjoys the No. 1 position in India as a rooftop solar developer with 24 per cent market share, according to Bridge to India May 2017 report.

It is commissioning over 250 MW of open access solar farms to provide power to corporate users.

Its marque clients include the Tata group, the Mahindras, the TVS group, Mindtree, Adobe India,

United Breweries Ltd, the Manipal Education and Medical Group, and SKF India.

This investment by IFC is in conjunction with the USD 100 million put in by Warburg Pincus, a global private equity fund, in CleanMax earlier this year.

CleanMax will deploy the funds to continue its rapid growth in India's solar market.

CleanMax Solar founder and MD Kuldeep Jain said: "IFC is a global leader in clean energy investment, and CleanMax is honoured to be their first investment globally in grid connected distributed generation. We welcome IFC's best in class environmental, health & safety, and governance guidelines."

IFC Regional Industry Head (Infrastructure & Natural

Deal With the Issue of Massive Stressed Assets in the Sector

As part of the ongoing process to deal with the issue of massive stressed assets in the sector, Power Minister RK Singh met bankers.

I had a meeting with bankers to review the status of stressed power projects," Singh said. Following a similar meeting with lenders earlier this month, he had said that the focus was on starting the stranded assets which could be revived.

Regarding the tender floated by NTPC to rescue stranded projects, the minister said that it is targeted at "promoters who have run into some financial problem".

"If a project can be rescued with some infusion of capital, then it makes sense

for NTPC to take these over."

Of the 40 GW stressed thermal power generation capacity, around 12 GW capacity worth around Rs 50,000 crore commissioned after April 1, 2014 is eligible under this tender.

NTPC will shortlist the suitable operational domestic power assets located for possible acquisition. As per the tender, each plant size should be at least 500 MW. The power sector accounts for a substantial chunk of the non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, in the Indian banking sector, which have reached a staggering level of over Rs 8 lakh crore.

16 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

Resources) Hyun-Chan Cho said, "IFC sees distributed generation segment playing a very important role in India's future energy mix. The Government of India has also laid strong emphasis on this segment.

"In a short span of time, CleanMax Solar has established itself as the market leader in corporate sustainability space, with an impressive client list and a strong management team, which has contributed to our decision to invest in the company."

CleanMax Solar business has grown to nearly 100 MW in 2016-17, from 8 MW in 2014-15, and is expected to add an additional 300 MW of capacity in 2017-18. The company recently made its first foray into international markets with projects in the Middle-East.

ONGC Says Current Price is not Enough to Make the Discoveries Viable

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has sought more than doubling of natural gas prices to help bring significant discoveries in KG basin and Gulf of Kutch to production.

Gas discoveries in shallow sea off Andhra Pradesh on the east, and off Gujarat on the west are economically unviable to produce at the current government-mandated price of USD 2.89 per million British thermal unit, a senior company official said.

The company wants a price of over USD 6 per mmBtu to help it produce the gas without suffering any losses. In the absence of a viable gas price, it will have to mothball the USD 1.5-billion projects, he added.

"We have made representation to the government that the current price is

not enough to make the discoveries viable. We have sought special pricing dispensation," he said.

The BJP-led government in October 2014 had evolved a new pricing formula using rates prevalent in gas surplus nations like the US, Canada and Russia to determine rates in a net importing country.

While prices have halved to USD 2.89 since the formula was implemented, the government has allowed a higher rate of USD 6.3 per mmBtu for gas fields in difficult areas like deepsea.

The official said the Krishna Godavari basin block KG- OWN-2004/1 is in shallow water and does not qualify as a 'difficult field'.

On the western side, the block GK-28 in Gulf of Kutch is a nomination block which does not qualify for higher rates, he said.

While the KG block will produce a peak output of 5.35 million standard cubic meters per day, the same from Gulf of Kutch block will be around 3 mmscmd. It would take a minimum three years to bring the gas finds to pro.

||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 17

N

ews of The Month

Cabinet Agree Soon for Hydro Power Policy: R K Singh

Power Minister R K Sings said the hydro power policy is in the final leg and will soon be sent for the Cabinet approval.

"The hydro policy is in final stages. It will soon go for Cabinet for approval," Singh said while addressing roundtable on hydro power organised by Assocham.

Asked how soon the policy will be sent for the Cabinet approval, the minister said, "it may take ten days".

The minister also assured the industry representatives that he would look into their demands for restructuring debt over stranded hydro projects as well as their refinancing by Power Finanace Corp and Ireda.

As per the draft hydro-power policy, it will aim to

provide Rs 16,709 crore support for 40 stalled hydel projects with 11,639 MW capacity, and to classify all such ventures as renewable energy.

Once it is approved, the distinction between large and small hydro plants will go, which would help India to achieve clean power capacity of 225 GW by 2022.

At present, a hydro power project of up to 25 MW is classified under renewable energy and is entitled to various incentives provided by the government.

Projects beyond this capacity are not in this category and hence not entitled to the benefits.

India has set an ambitious target of adding 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, which includes 100 GW of solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-power (up to 25 MW capacity each).

Under the policy, the government will provide interest subvention of 4 per cent during construction for up to 7 years and for 3 years after the start of commercial operation to all hydro power projects above 25 MW.

It is proposed that the funding for this policy will come from coal cess or national clean energy fund or non-lapsable central pool of resources for Northeastern states for eight years till 2024-25.

A Hydro Power Fund would be created under the power ministry for providing funds to the projects under the policy. The policy also provides for Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO) for hydro projects of over 25 MW capacity. Under this, the discoms would be mandated to buy a proportion of power from these plants.

A Hydro Power Fund would be created under the power ministry for providing funds to the projects under the policy. The policy also provides for Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO) for hydro projects of over 25 MW capacity. Under this, the discoms would be mandated to buy a proportion of power from these plants.

However, this benefit will be available to those hydro power plants, which would be able to begin commercial operations after five years of notification of this policy.

The policy will also mandate power ministry to engage with bankers and financial institutions for modifying lending terms and conditions for hydro power projects.

State Oil Aiming to Add 5,000 Distributors for LPG by 2019

State oil companies are aiming to augment their cooking gas distribution network by nearly a third in a little more than a year to cater to the rapidly expanding consumer base, mainly in rural areas.

The past three years have witnessed a spectacular rise in access to cooking gas, putting strain on the current distribution network that hasn’t grown as fast. Between April 1, 2015, and September 30 this year, the number of active domestic cooking gas consumers has risen 44% to 21.4 crore, while the 18 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

number of LPG distributors has expanded just a fifth to 19,200.

The government is now pushing oil companies to accelerate the process of appointing new distributors and ensure they quickly become operational, an oil ministry official said.

“By March 2019, we should have more than 5,000 new LPG distributors functioning on the ground,” the official said.

The government has already issued 2,000 new licences. In addition, nearly 600 applicants have been selected through draw of lots in recent months while another 3,400 are slated to be picked for licences by March.

After obtaining licence from an oil company, it usually takes about a year for an applicant to set up a cooking gas distribution agency, which involves obtaining many local regulatory clearances as well as readying an office and warehouse.

New distributors are mainly coming up in regions

that have been short on distributors or places which have seen a surge in new cooking gas consumers.

States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Odisha and Maharashtra are set to have a big share of new distributors.

“This time we undertook geospatial mapping to figure out efficient locations for distributors,” the oil ministry official said. The aim was to go to the needy places, instead of adding one more distributor to an already covered area.”

The new LPG consumers are mostly located in remote and rural areas and from underprivileged background.

Big distance to gas agencies become a deterrent for consumers to seek a refill when they run out of gas.

In these regions, services by distributors are relatively weak and home delivery of cylinders mostly absent, making it difficult and expensive for consumers to use cooking gas.

By staying close to consumers, state oil companies can hope to overcome these consumption hurdles and increase their sales volume. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 19

N

Fuel Economy Rules for Tractors to Moderate their Diesel Consumption

ews of The Month

The oil ministry has set up a high-level committee to help frame fuel economy rules for tractors to moderate their diesel consumption that constitutes nearly 7.7 per cent of India's annual diesel use.

The nine-member Steering Committee, headed by an additional secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, will submit an interim report in six months and a final one on the road map for development of the norms in 15 months, a ministry order said.

Tractors are used for different applications and the average fuel consumed for each application varies. On a rotavator, they may consume 7-8 litres per house while on a trailer, they may give an efficiency of 5-7 km per litre with the load. On static application like alternator or straw reaper, it could be 6-7 litres per house.

Diesel is the most consumed fuel in India, accounting for over 56 per cent of 82 million tonnes of petroleum products used in April-October.

As much as 57 per cent of diesel is used by automobiles, with trucks guzzling 28.25 per cent. Tractors, agri

equipment and agri pumpsets use 13 per cent diesel while cars and SUVs use 13.15 per cent of the fuel.

As much as 57 per cent of diesel is used by automobiles, with trucks guzzling 28.25 per cent. Tractors, agri equipment and agri pumpsets use 13 per cent diesel while cars and SUVs use 13.15 per cent of the fuel.

"In view of growing dependence of the country on import of crude oil and the fact that the consumption of diesel by tractors is about 7.7 per cent, it has been felt imperative by the government to define various norms for economic usage of fuel/diesel," the order stated.

The panel will "develop road map for fuel efficiency norms of tractors in India" and finalise phase-wise implementation.

Also, it will recommend category-wise norms for tractors and define a methodology for measurement of fuel efficiency.

It will also examine norms and regulations being followed internationally and the effectiveness and possibility of replication to suit Indian conditions.

It will "consider and recommend to the appropriate government to take forward required legislation or Act or notification or suggest an amendment to an existing legislation, Act or notification for enforcement of norms and its promotion in India, if necessary".

The panel will consist of a joint secretary-level representative from the Department of Heavy Industries, the director general of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, the Director of Pune-based Automotive Research Association of India and the president of the Tractor Manufacturers Association. ANZ ARD

Recorded 45% Jump in the Number of Petrol Pumps in India

India has recorded 45 per cent jump in the number of petrol pumps in the last six years, possibly the highest growth rate in the world, as public and private sector firms jostled to capture retailing sites.

With 60,799 outlets dispensing petrol and diesel at the end of October, India is behind only US and China in number of petrol pumps, data available from Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell of the Oil Ministry.

In 2011, the country had 41,947 outlets, of which 2,983 or 7.1 per cent, were owned or operated by private retailers like Reliance Industries and Essar oil.

20 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

Private firms own 5,474, or 9 per cent of the total outlets, with Essar being the leader with 3,980 stations.

US and China have around one lakh petrol stations each.

Several countries around the globe have seen the number of petrol pumps drop as they moved towards Electric Vehicles (EVs) and alternate forms of energy but they have grown in India, which is the world's fastest growing oil consumer.

India had in 2015 overtaken Japan as the world's third- largest oil consuming country behind US and China. Fuel consumption grew by 9.5 per cent in the April-October period of the current fiscal.

Oil ministry data showed that 18,852 outlets were added between 2011 and 2017. Of the 60,799 petrol pumps in the country, 55,325 are owned by stateowned fuel retailers.

India Oil Corp (IOC owns and operates 26,489 petrol

stations, of which 7,232 are rural outlets. Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) is the second biggest fuel retailer with 14,675 outlets, 3,159 being rural sites.

Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) owns 14,161 outlets, of which 2,548 are rural outlets.

In the private sector, Reliance Industries owns 1,400 outlets while Royal Dutch Shell has 90 stations.

Besides, there are 1,273 outlets dispensing CNG to automobiles, the most number of 423 being in Delhi, the data showed.

Industry officials said public sector oil companies will continue to add at least 2,000 petrol pumps per annum over the next few years.

In the private sector, Essar, which was recently taken over by Russia's Rosneft, had been the most aggressive.

It had 1,382 outlets in 2011 and now has 3,980, which it plans to take up to 5,600 by March 2019.

Reliance Industries is going slow on the fuel retailing business and hasn't added any new site recently. It has concentrated on reopening the pumps that were shut because it could not compete with subsidised price of fuel at PSU outlets.

With deregulation of petrol in June 2010 and diesel in 2014, private players have once again become active on fuel retailing expansion. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 21

N

Quantum of the Reserve Being Offered is More than Double that of Last Time

ews of The Month

The government plans to launch by January-end the second round of auction of discovered small fields (DSF) in which, drawing lessons from the first round, fields will be grouped in bigger contract areas and deepwater fields will be left out.

A total of 61 fields with reserve of about 180 million tonnes of oil and oil equivalent will be offered in

this round, said an oil ministry official, who did not wish to be identified.

In the first round, 67 fields, clubbed into 46 contract areas, with reserve of about 80 million tonnes of oil equivalent were offered, prompting many potential investors to complain about the unattractive size of fields. About 40 of the 67 fields were less than 25 square kilometres in area, nearly 20 less than 10 sq km, and one field was as small as 2.35 sq km.

“This has been addressed in the second round. This time contract areas will be bigger than last time so that it’s attractive to bidders,” the official said, without revealing the number of contract areas. Besides, the quantum of the reserve being offered is more than

GAIL Preparing to Send Cargoes from April Under the 2.5 Million-Ton-A-Year

GAIL India Ltd received notification from Russia’s Gazprom PJSC that it plans to start deliveries of liquefied natural gas through a contract the Indian buyer is trying to renegotiate, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The world’s largest gas producer wrote to GAIL this month saying it’s preparing to send cargoes from April under the 2.5 million-ton-a-year deal that was agreed in 2012, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. The notification, which is standard practice before a contract starts, is seen as a setback for GAIL’s efforts to renegotiate, said the people.

Gazprom and GAIL declined to comment.

GAIL, which has contracted new long-term volumes that account for almost half of India’s total LNG imports in the year to March, is struggling to find buyers in the local market where adverse tax provisions are hindering

the use of the fuel. A lack of domestic buyers has forced the company to sell some LNG sourced from the U.S. on the international market.

GAIL Chairman B.C. Tripathi said late last year the company was seeking to overhaul the contract with the wholly-owned unit, Gazprom Marketing and Trading Singapore, and discussing terms including duration, price and source of supply. In October, he said Petronet LNG Ltd., in which GAIL is a key shareholder, successfully renegotiated two contracts and that GAIL was working toward renegotiating two more.

New Delhi-based GAIL pared earlier losses, rising as much as 1 percent to 469.10 rupees, and traded down 0.8 percent as of 2:06 p.m. in Mumbai.

“There seems to be some finality to Russian supplies and that will boost GAIL’s volumes,” said Dhaval Joshi, an analyst at Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd. “Renegotiation can continue even after supplies commence as we have seen in the previous two LNG deals.”

Petronet LNG Ltd. reached an agreement to rework a liquefied natural gas supply agreement with Exxon Mobil Corp., Bloomberg News reported in September. The Indian company also renegotiated a similar deal for gas supplies with Qatar in 2015.

22 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

double that of last time, he said.

Another flexibility being offered this time is that a winner can ask for a licence to operate an idle adjacent field. The fields on offer this time include 22 fields relinquished by companies, which had won these in previous exploration auctions but didn’t develop, the official said. But deepwater fields that couldn’t be awarded in the first round of DSF auction due to lack of investor interest will not be offered in the second round. “Smaller players may not be interested in such difficult fiel.

Deepwater fields require higher expertise and immense capital investment, which most potential bidders in DSF rounds are unlikely to be equipped with or inclined to undertake.

Peak Demand Here Has Been Growing At A Cagr Of 7.7% in Ahmedabad

Torrent Power announced the commissioning of a new 400 kV GIS sub-station in Nicol area of Ahmedabad to meet the ever-growing power requirement of the city.

Owing to the rapid development of the city of Ahmedabad, the peak demand here has been growing at a CAGR of 7.7% over the last 5 years and now stands at 1832 MW, the company said.

The new 400kV substation is a state-of-the-art unmanned Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) with an installed capacity of 945 MVA. With the commissioning of the new substation, the total power import capacity in the city of Ahmedabad stands at 2965 MVA, which will enable Torrent to continue to maintain high standards of reliability in the city of Ahmedabad.

||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 23

N

ews of The Month

Trina Solar Shelves Plan to Set Invest for Plant in India

China-based Trina Solar, the world’s biggest solar panel maker, has put on hold its make-in-India plan to set up a 1,000 megawatt manufacturing unit in India because of low prices and absence of supportive policies but it will invest up to $500 million if it gets the right incentives.

“We have put on hold the plans to start production in India, because the prices are too low. This is not the right time to invest in solar as there are over capacities in the (global) market,” Gaurav Mathur, India sales head of Trina Solar.

Mathur said international players like Trina will be interested in incentives to set up manufacturing in India, and the government’s domestic manufacturing policy for solar, which is in the works, may provide some clarity on the plans. “We are willing to manufacture in India, provided we get some kind of benefit, specifically for solar industry. It is only a matter of time. We will set up (the manufacturing unit) provided we have the right kind of policy support

from the government,” he said.

In 2015, Trina Solar bought land near Visakhapatnam to set up a manufacturing unit for solar cells and modules, with an estimated capacity of over 1 gigawatt.

The project entailed a Skill India element, where 2,000-3,000 individuals would be trained and then eventually absorbed to work at the manufacturing unit.

The plant at Visakhapatnam would require an investment of $400-500 million, Mathur said. He added that India remains one of the most important markets for Trina, and they cannot ignore it even

though it is a low selling price market. Trina Solar’s CEO Jifan Gao recently said the company might be re-considering its decision on a planned manufacturing unit in India, because prices there are “too low”. Industry experts say demand had firmed up in the Chinese market, influencing prices.

IIndia, on the other hand, remains an extremely pricesensitive market.

“India is an extremely price-sensitive market with prices paid by Indian developers amongst the lowest in the world,” said Vinay Rustagi, managing director of solar consultancy firm Bridge to India.

Industry sources say the Chinese player, which holds about 20% of India’s market share, was looking for a partner to set up the said plant. Indian conglomerate Shapoorji Pallonji was also in active discussions with Trina but the talks seem to have died out over the past few months on account of uncertainty around prices and government policies.

Wind Auctions Destroying the Industry, Says Industry Body in SC Petition Opposing Gujarat Auction

Small scale manufacturers of components for wind turbines are being squeezed by the relentless fall of wind energy tariffs in successive auctions, according to the petition filed by the Indian Wind Energy Association (Inwea) in the Supreme Court, whose admissibility will be decided soon.

The petition, opposing the 500 MW wind energy auction Gujarat’s power utility Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) wants to hold, harps mainly on technicalities, maintaining that the auction is contrary to law because the Centre has not yet issued guidelines on the conducting of such auctions, as required by Section 62 of the Electricity Act, 2003, and Section 6.4(2) of the National Tariff Policy, 2016. Another industry body, the Indian Wind Power Association (IWPA), has also made an intervention in the matter, 24 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

supporting Inwea’s petition with similar arguments.

But Inwea’s also draws attention to the plight of the segment due to the fall in wind tariffs. “Competitive bidding ...could squeeze the developers of wind generators to put more pressure on the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) ...and in the absence of lowering of costs... developers would be forced to import the said equipment...thereby frustrating the Make in India policy,” it said. “It will lead to sustainability issues for the small scale sector ...and would also affect scores of jobs direct and indirect.”

Wind energy tariffs, formerly fixed solely by the power regulators of the wind energy producing states, had varied between Rs 4 and 6 at the beginning of this year. The first 1000 MW wind auction, conducted by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in February, brought the winning tariff down to Rs 3.46 per unit, while the second, in October, lowered it further to Rs 2.64 per unit.

An industry source maintained the bleak future Inwea’s petition predicts had in fact already come to pass.

“Around 30-40% of the OEMs vendors, most of which are small and medium enterprises, have already shut down,” he said. “In their eagerness to win auctions, wind developers have been quoting unrealistically low tariffs and then forcing the OEMs to lower turbine prices. The OEMs have no choice since developers are their only customers, but they in turn are similarly squeezing their forcing many to shut shop.”

A leading investor in several wind energy projects, however, felt wind turbine makers were equally to blame. “If only they were bold enough to hold their prices, developers would know their limits and aggressive bidding would not happen,” he said.

The OEMs claimed they were not opposed to wind auctions, but wanted ‘closed bid’ ones, in which developers submit tenders quoting a fixed tariff, whose viability has been worked out in advance with the OEMs and their vendors. “In reverse auctions, the winning bid is arrived at dynamically, so no pre-bid tie-up with an OEM is possible,” said the industry source. “Tie-ups happen only afterwards, which leads to arm twisting.”

So far, however, Inwea’s efforts to stop reverse wind auctions have proved futile. It has approached the Supreme Court only after its petition was twice dismissed, first by a single bench judge of the Gujarat High Court and later by a division bench, in November. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 25

R

eport

Connectors Boost the Efficiency Of Wind Power Plants Connectors boost the efficiency of wind power plants

Germany’s roughly 30,000 wind turbines (WT) currently produce a good 50,000 megawatts of electricity for households and companies. The expansion of wind energy both onshore and offshore is helping determine the pace and success of the shift in energy policy introduced at the beginning of the decade – a move away from nuclear power (NPP) towards renewable energies and reduced energy consumption.

For installers and operators, profitability and efficiency are of paramount importance when it comes to site preparation, installation, operation and the maintenance of wind turbines. These factors determine the level of investment and operating costs (CAPEX/OPEX) – and ultimately determine the economic impact a wind power plant can provide.

Plants which are down produce no energy, receive no feed-in tariffs, and leave their potential to generate revenue untapped.

With its innovative connection technology, the HARTING Technology Group is accompanying the transformation under way in the energy sector.

Harting’s product portfolio ranges from single components through complete customer-specific solutions and digitisation strategies. The company’s offerings also include consulting and services, thus providing the basis for long-term, lucrative and secure investments in this sector.

As the world's leading manufacturer of industrial connectors, HARTING has decades of experience in the development and use of connectors for an extremely wide variety of applications and challenges. WT are subjected to extraordinary stresses both onshore and offshore due to the particularities of the respective location, climate, corrosion and other environmental influences. Creating the foundation for maximum value retention of these systems takes optimal reliability, the best materials, high mechanical robustness of the 26 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

components that are used, rapid assembly, optimal maintenance cycles and servicing that is simple to perform.

HARTING connectors help reduce the costs of erecting and operating wind turbines.

Modular wind turbines are characterised by flexibility of design and rapid component switch-out. Connectors significantly increase the modularity of these facilities – and more and more wind turbines are being designed accordingly.

The pre-assembly of individual units makes the modular concept possible. Components are quickly and easily joined together only at the final location of the WT. HARTING connectors are characterised by a number of advantages: using connectors to bridge WT modules can limit the monetary and personnel costs accrued during installation and operation of wind turbines.

A good example is connectors at the interface between the slip ring body and stationary nacelle.

The slip ring is used to e.g. transmit the signals for the pitch systems that determine the angle of incidence of the rotor blades. A pluggable design – for example Han-Modular® contact inserts and the Han-Modular® hinged frame – offers many advantages over permanently attached wiring.

The slip ring can be replaced more quickly, thereby reducing downtimes and minimising revenue loss. In addition, if servicing is required, the slip ring can be replaced without intervention in the pitch system and without dismantling the connecting cables.

The drives for rotor blade adjustment, blade heating, lighting systems and yawing, as well as the generator brakes, can also be connected simply. Complex wiring is no longer required. In the event of maintenance, worn parts can be quickly and easily replaced in Plug & Play fashion. Connectors also facilitate the work of the assemblers, which sometimes need to install components in difficult-to-reach angles on the gondola and tower.

Many types of WT employ a gearbox to tune the speed and torque between the rotor and the generator and thus optimise efficiency. Connectors speed up installation here as well: pre-assembled cables and

connectors with a high degree of protection, e.g. the Han® Eco, Han® HPR or Han® M quickly make the necessary connections between the gear units.

Using HARTING connectors also offers advantages for tower lighting. The energy bus elements for the lighting can be pre-installed in the tower segments.

At the construction site, fitters only need put the segments together. Electricians do not necessarily need to be used for this activity.

Connectors also simplify the handling of the interior areas of WT power cabinets. Instead of the usual fixed wiring, we recommend plug-in solutions from the HARTING series Han® B, Han® Eco, Han® Com, Han® E and Han Modular®.

In all scenarios, using plug-in connectors provides convincing proof to users in the form of a reduction in costs and time expenditure. Connectors speed up installation and increase the modularity of a wind turbine, reduce investment and operating costs, and provide options for the optimisation and modularisation of the power cabinets. In addition, without a modular design the on-site logistics of onshore plants with an average output of 3.3 MW – including connectors – would quickly reach their limits. As a rule, the cost associated with the use of plug-in connectors is usually amortised within just a few years in the form of cost and time savings.

In addition, HARTING produces LED lighting systems as turnkey system solutions with pluggable device connection, pre-assembled cables, distribution units and, if required, uninterrupted power supply. Lights can be sited in a plant in such a way that their total number remains low and energy costs decrease.

HARTING also offers high-precision current transformers for metering for WT which can be used to connect display devices such as current meters and voltage meters. On request, HARTING can also have its current transformers for metering specially calibrated by a state-approved body in order to further boost the precision of a metering and billing process that employs the devices.

With its innovative products and solutions, the HARTING Technology Group is a partner to the wind industry and is contributing to the energy transformation. HARTING researches and produces – partly autonomously, partly in cooperation with wind turbine manufacturers – concepts, components and customised offers for the specific requirements of wind turbines on land and at sea. The company focuses heavily on connector solutions for the increasing digitisation of plants, among other in the areas of fiber optics and sensor technology. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

Ursula Ida Lapp, Founder of Lapp Group, receives the business medal of the state of Baden-Württemberg A tremendous honour for an outstanding businesswoman

During a ceremony at the former royal palace in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg economic minister Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut awarded the state’s business medal to Ursula Ida Lapp, Founder of Lapp Group.

The medal represents a tremendous honour bestowed on an outstanding businesswoman. Among the federal state's most prestigious honours, it is awarded only to people who have made an outstanding contribution to the economy of Baden-Württemberg.

"With diligence, ambition and perseverance, you and your family have created a company of international renown over the past 58 years. You are open, interested person and you participate in the lives of your fellow human beings. Your varied and considerable social and entrepreneurial achievements are to be particularly emphasized. For this reason, it is a particular pleasure for me today to personally hand over the business medal to you”, Minister Hoffmeister-Kraut emphasized in her laudation.

An entrepreneur through and through, Ursula Ida Lapp has made German business history. Together with her husband Oskar Lapp (1921-1987), she channeled her passion, energy and understanding of the industry’s requirements into founding a company of international renown. Today, the Lapp Group employs approximately 3,440 people around the world and has 17 production sites and 40 distribution companies. The company also works in cooperation with around 100 foreign representatives.

The first chapter of the Stuttgart-based Lapp Group's success story was written at the end of the 1950s.

Ursula Ida Lapp's husband Oskar Lapp was a gifted inventor and innovator. When the company started out, single cores and strands had to be inserted into cables by hand, a time-consuming task. Oskar Lapp set to work developing the first industrially produced oil-resistant and flexible control cables that used different colours to distinguish cable cores. Another innovation followed: the ÖLFLEX® brand name ||www.electricalmirror.net||

for the invention. Coined by the Lapps, the name became synonymous with extremely oil-resistant and flexible cables.

U.I. Lapp KG was founded in 1959 with initial capital of DM 50,000. U.I. stands for Ursula Ida. The fledgling company was based in the couple's garage in the Vaihingen suburb of Stuttgart. Oskar Lapp took on the role of a sales representative and visited customers, while Ursula Ida Lapp remained in the home as the couple's three sons were still young.

In the evenings, she wrote advertising letters and took care of the bookkeeping. She often drove to the freight depot with a cart to pick up the ordered cables (which were delivered in bundles), label them and then send them off on their onward journey straight away. ÖLFLEX® delivered the right product at the right time. The Lapps set quality standards that are still applicable around the world today in the field of cable production. Their company's product range even offered ready-made cables containing up to 130 coloured cables. Demand was huge. In 1963, the company opened the first factory of its own to produce ÖLFLEX® cables. Two years later, in 1965, it moved to Schulze-Delitzsch-Straße in Vaihingen, where the headquarters of the successful group remain to this day.

Following Oskar Lapp's death in 1987 after a long battle with a heart condition, Ursula Ida Lapp took over leadership of the company together with her sons Siegbert and Andreas. Under her aegis, the firm continued with its expansion outside of Germany.

Today, the Lapp Group is the global market leader for integrated solutions in the field of cable and connection technology. The Group’s product range includes standard and highly flexible cables, industrial connectors and cable entry systems, customised and standard system solutions, automation technology

and robotics solutions for the intelligent factory of the future, as well as technical accessories. The Lapp Group’s core market is in the industrial machinery and plant engineering sector. Other target markets are in the food industry, along with the energy and the mobility sector. The Lapp Group was awarded the TOP 100 seal in 2016 for its innovations.

Ursula Ida Lapp played a key part in shaping the company's philosophy. The international family-run enterprise nurtures and practises a corporate culture that is unmistakably its own and lives according to its values of customer focus, informality, innovation and a passion for success. Other focal areas include sustainable business practices and responsibility for employees. Acknowledgement came in the form of an award from the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth: in 2016, Lapp was the winner of the "Family as a success factor" competition for mid-sized firms.

Ursula Ida Lapp upholds the principles of corporate social responsibility, an ethos born out of conviction.

She and her sons founded the Oskar Lapp Foundation in 1992 in memory of Oskar Lapp to support research into heart disease. The construction of the “Bürgerhaus” community centre in the Stuttgart suburb of Möhringen was also possible only due to the Lapp family's generous support. Ursula Ida Lapp's sons are following the example that she has set. Siegbert Lapp was co-founder of the organisation Kind e.V. and has been active for many years in promoting improved care services for children of working parents. Andreas Lapp is Honorary Consul of the Republic of India for Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland Palatinate.

The company is wholly owned by the Lapp family, and two of Ursula Ida Lapp's grandchildren have now joined the firm. She herself remains Honorary Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board at Lapp Holding AG and U.I. Lapp GmbH.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 27

Cover Story

With rise of commercial and industrial sectors and initiative such as Make in India, the switchgear market is poised to continue on the path of growth in the near future. According to 6Wresearch, India switchgear market is projected to reach $3.7 bn by 2022.

India Switchgear market is anticipated to witness robust growth during the forecast period as a result of development of power Infra due to surging power demand from industrial, commercial and residential sectors.

India Switchgears and Controlgear Market Analysis 28 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

||www.electricalmirror.net||

T

he Switchgear industry can be categorised into two main categories, Low Tension (LT) switchgears and High Tension (HT) switchgears.

LT switchgears operate upto a maximum of 660 V and are relatively less technology-driven, used in domestic, light industrial applications. LT version has a 35% share in the switchgear turnover. On contrast HT segment is more tech-intensive. Higher price realisation, better margins and the presence of multinationals with access to higher technology attract a premium in this segment. Safety concerns have led to an increase in the demand for ELCB, MCBs, the 2 major varieties of switchgears used in the household segment. The growth in MCB sales volume has been between 30 and 40%, primarily driven by replacement of old model switches. India produces a range of circuit breakers from bulk oil, minimum oil, air blast, vacuum and SF6, to standard specifications. The range of products produced cover the voltage range from 240KV to 800KV and includes switchgear, control gear, MCBs, air circuit breakers, switches, re-wireable fuses and HRC fuses with their respective fuse bases, holders and starters etc. The industry is competitive in design and engineering and the skill sets available in the country are relatively less expensive than comparable developing countries.

Market size of switch and control gears across India from FY 2015 to FY 2022 (in bn U.S. dollars) Rising investments in power infra, govt initiatives and developing commercial and industrial sectors would boost the demand for Switchgears in India.

With govt’s focus to provide adequate power infra to its citizen, power sector is expected to reflect strong growth in future. Schemes like UDAY, IPDS, DDUGJY and Power for All are the prime pillars which are expected to spur the overall power sector. As of May 25, 2017, 13,523 villages have been electrified, but 100% household connectivity has been achieved in only 1,089 villages, according to data in the power ministry’s Grameen Vidyutikaran (GARV). Further, with rise of commercial and industrial sectors and initiative such as Make in India, the switchgear market is poised to continue on the path of growth in the near future. According to 6Wresearch, India switchgear market is projected to reach $3.7 bn by 2022. India Switchgear market is anticipated ||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 29

C

over Story

to witness robust growth during the forecast period as a result of development of power Infra due to surging power demand from industrial, commercial and residential sectors. Low voltage switchgear holds the major revenue share on account of increasing homes, commercial buildings and industrial facilities with rising urban population. By 2022, GIS is projected to register highest growth rate amongst all due to their ability to be installed in harsh conditions and constrained spaces and require min maintenance. Other types of switchgears such as solid insulated switchgear is also anticipated to witness growth owing to their smaller footprint and environment friendly nature in comparison to AIS and GIS. Power utilities accounted for the major revenue share in India switchgear market and would continue to dominate the market by 2022 with growing investments in power transmission & dist sector in the country. Industrial and Residential sectors are other key contributing verticals in India switchgear market owing to growing residential buildings and manufacturing activities across the country.

Some of the major companies in India Switchgear market include- GE, Schneider, Siemens, ABB, BHEL, and L&T. The ever increasing demand for energy, coupled with large scale Infra development projects in the developing nations has secured signifi cant growth of switchgear demand in Indian market. According to industry report the global switchgear market is expected to grow at an estimated $74.77 bn to $136.71 bn with a CAGR of 12.83% from 2014 to 2019, being Asia Pacifi c region estimated highest growth. Utilities will have the highest market share, followed by Industries, Residential sector and the rest. In India, various schemes and agendas have been launched in the past year by the current govt that could ensure a positive slope in switchgear demand. Some of these include Make in India, Digital India, Smart City Program, IPDS and AMRUT among others. These schemes are focused at development of new Infra and also revamping of the existing Infra in the country thereby improving India’s standing on global arena.

The Switchgear industry can be categorised into two main categories, Low Tension (LT) switchgears and High Tension (HT) switchgears. LT switchgears operate upto a maximum of 660 V and are relatively less technology-driven, used in domestic, light industrial applications. LT version has a 35% share in 30 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

the switchgear turnover. On contrast HT segment is more tech-intensive. Higher price realisation, better margins and the presence of multinationals with access to higher technology attract a premium in this segment. Safety concerns have led to an increase in the demand for ELCB, MCBs, the 2 major varieties of switchgears used in the household segment. The growth in MCB sales volume has been between 30 and 40%, primarily driven by replacement of old model switches. India produces a range of circuit breakers from bulk oil, minimum oil, air blast, vacuum and SF6, to standard specifications. The range of products produced cover the voltage range from 240KV to 800KV and includes switchgear, control gear, MCBs, air circuit breakers, switches, re-wireable fuses and HRC fuses with their respective fuse bases, holders and starters etc. The industry is competitive in design and engineering and the skill sets available in the country are relatively less expensive than comparable developing countries.

||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 31

C

over Story

Switchgears and control panels form a part of power distribution equipment and are widely used in power grid or electricity distribution systems. Low-voltage and medium-voltage switchgear are used in many industries such as oil and gas, and paper and pulp, while high-voltage switchgears are primarily used in power substations. Capacitors are widely used as parts of electrical circuits in many common electrical devices and also in power distribution systems. Asia Pacific is the largest switchgear and control gear market and is expected to rise strongly owing to large investments in the power sector during 2016–2019.

Increasing electrification in developing countries of this region will boost demand. Growing demand for consumer electronics and the rising significance of capacitors in electronics manufacturing is likely to drive the capacitors market to ~$ 24 bn by 2020.

Global switchgear and control gear (panel), and capacitor markets expected to grow at CAGRs of 6.1% (2014-19) and 5.1% (2015-20). Indian switchgear and capacitor markets to witness robust CAGRs of 19.2% and 29.2%, during FY’15-22. Market is expected to witness robust growth owing to significant electricity capacity additions supported by large govt and foreign investments. Demand for capacitors is expected to be driven by rising demand for consumer durables, IT hardware coupled with increasing use of electrical circuits in diverse applications. Robust electricity capacity additions supported by govt investments will drive demand for switchgear and control gear.

Large-scale planned investments and installed capacity addition of ~220 GW during (FY16-22) will drive demand for switchgear and control gears in India to ~$ 8.2 bn by FY22. Robust demand for consumer electronics and durables will drive the capacitors market. Rising disposable incomes, easy access to credit, increasing electrification and wide usability of online sales will boost domestic capacitors production capacity to $ 450 mn by FY22. Investments by the govt will further strengthen domestic manufacturing.

In 2014-15, the govt invested ~$738,000 to set up a facility at Thrissur, Kerala for developing super capacitors and reduce dependence on imports.

32 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

In India, we have a mix of global players and local competitors. We have also witnessed new entrants in this market over the past few years. Indian switchgear market is very peculiar and complex; customer needs vary in different segments, geographies. In addition to cost conscious customers, there is a huge proportion of customers, who are willing to pay a premium for innovations, technology advancements in products / solutions. We believe in value selling rather than just competing on price. Schneider Electric is committed to continuous innovation and our globally R&D spend is ~5% of total revenue. Deep understanding of customer values across segments, keeping up with evolving trends, higher R&D spend lead to product introductions which create a new benchmark in the industry. A testimony to this statement is our latest SMART power Infra offerings in India.

India’ is undergoing massive restructuring of the power sector which offers lot of opportunities and challenges for global fi rms. One of the things we are looking at is that state enterprises have fi nancial challenges. Solvency of some of these is what we are paying attention to. Inadequate demand could be attributed to insuffi cient planning by the users and delay in fi nalizing tenders resulting in bunching of orders which also creates supply-delivery problems.

Also, the procurement system in utilities, which entails procuring products at lowest price, creates a hurdle for bringing in good quality material into the system. Further, the insistence by utilities on repeated type testing of products, despite there being no change in design, poses additional delays and adds to unnecessary cost. This is further impacted by inadequate type-testing laboratories.

The need to have a safe, reliable, and efficient power distribution setup at both micro and macro levels will provide growth opportunities to the LV & MV switchgear markets in India. The growth of switchgear market and its subsequent actualization will benefi t all stakeholders like energy producers, Infra developers, switchgear OEMs, right up to the end users of electricity. This will directly lead to upliftment of standard of living when users will have access to safe and reliable energy. With schemes like smart city, AMRUT and Smart gid mission on the role would definitely fare well in near future as of 2017

is concerned we are to witness the roll out outcome of govt policies that would peg up production process.

Switchgear is a collective term used for a combination of devices that are used to monitor, control, regulate and protect electrical installations throughout the grid ranging from generation, transmission, distribution, right till the end user. Technology and range of switchgear varies across different segments of the grid depending on the voltage level. Switchgear market in India is categorized into three segmentsLV, MV, HV. The ever increasing demand for energy, coupled with large scale Infra development projects in the developing nations has secured significant growth of switchgear demand in these markets.

The nation’s developing infra across various sectors including residential, commercial and transport will be the prime factor for growth in the demand for switchgears in India. Development in sectors of oil and gas, petrochemicals, steel, concrete, and telecom will prove to be a huge stimulus to the development of this business especially in the MV section. This trend signifies a positive time for various stakeholders as the need of the hour has been identified as not just development, but sustainable development with a huge focus on safety, reliability and efficiency of our systems.

For eg, energy producing companies need reliable and efficient systems in place to transmit energy to users. OEMs of switchgear need to utilize the local expertise of low key players like panel builders and system integrators to provide such systems. Ultimately, the growth of switchgear market and its subsequent actualization will benefit all stakeholders like energy producers, Infra developers, switchgear OEMs, right up to the end users of electricity. This will directly lead to upliftment of standard of living when users will have access to safe and reliable energy.

The transmission and distribution utilities segment is expected to hold the largest share of the Switchgear Market, by end-user. T/R and Dist. utilities sub-segment of the end-user segment led the Switchgear Market in 2016 and is projected to dominate the market. T/R and Dist. utilities segment is also expected to grow at the fastest rate. The growth of this segment is primarily driven by increasing investments in sub-station automation, modernisation of electric grid, and smart utilities which includes smart grids and smart meters. This would enhance the protection by decreasing energy losses, due to poor operational efficiency of traditional equipment.

This would ultimately create new revenue pockets for the Switchgear Market.

GIS is expected to hold the largest share of the Switchgear Market, by equipment. GIS sub-segment of the equipment segment led the Switchgear Market in 2016 and is projected to dominate the market.

Rising energy demand, replacement of old switchgear at substations can drive the gas insulated switchgear ||www.electricalmirror.net||

equipment in the Switchgear Market. However, the circuit breaker sub-segment accounted for the second largest share in 2016 in the Switchgear Market, based on the equipment segment. The market in Asia Pacific led the global Switchgear Market in 2016. Increasing grid investments especially in developing economies, such as China and India and plans for electrification in remote areas in countries, such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines are expected to drive the Switchgear Market in Asia Pacific. Indonesia aims to achieve 90% electrification rate by 2025 and countries, such as Philippines, Malaysia have similar plans. Rise in investments in smart grid tech’s including distribution grid automation, smart meters, and demand response systems in countries, such as Japan, South Korea, Australia would create opportunities for Switchgear Market in the Asia Pacific region. Leading players are trying to understand the markets in developing economies and are adopting various strategies to increase market shares.

The Indian electrical equipment industry, comprising of multinationals, large, medium & small players, is robust and capable of producing, supplying and exporting a varied range of electrical equipment including switchgear and control gear items needed for expanding industrial and power sector in India.

This industry sector in fact manufactures the entire voltage range from 240V to 800kV. Besides, 1,200kV equipment is also under development. The tech-level is contemporary.

The present size of the switchgear market (not including RMU, GIS & domestic switches which amounts to about Rs.3,000 crore) is estimated at about Rs.9,000 crore and the industry grew by 21% in volume terms in FY11. Overall exports decreased by 15%, whereas imports increased mainly for MV/HV switchgear by more than 50%. Weightage of switchgear industry based on IEEMA electrical industry Index is 15.2%.

The population of IEEMA members from switchgear industry is around 140.

Currently, the MV & HV segments are suffering from overcapacity due to lack of orders. Inadequate demand could be attributed to insufficient planning by the users and delay in finalizing tenders resulting in bunching of orders which also creates supplydelivery problems. Also L1 procurement system in utilities, which entails procuring products at lowest price, creates a hurdle for bringing in good quality material into the system. Further, the insistence by utilities on repeated type testing of products, despite there being no change in design, poses additional delays and adds to unnecessary cost. This is further impacted by inadequate type-testing laboratories.

Utilities Segment: HV and EHV demand mainly comes from the utilities. The Govt is focusing on increasing the penetration of power supply in villages and schemes like APDRP and RGGVY are providing an excellent opportunity for the LV and MV switchgear market with about 10% villages yet to be electrified. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

Industrial Segment: India's industrial sector accounts for about 30 to 35% of GDP, with most of the industrial divisions reporting growth in output in the fiscal. Investment in new infrastructural setup is set to increase the market for intelligent switchgears, RMUs, MCCBs, ACBs and C&Rs. Another indicator of sustainable growth is the increasing gross assets of organisations Commercial and Infra: Infra sector is one of the most important thrust sectors in the 11th FYP of the GoI with an estimated investment of $475 bn over five years which has actually slipped; the demand figures were based on an average growth of 7.6% of GDP consequently, benefit for the RMUs, ISGs ACBs and MCCBs market for switching, control and general protection applications did not materialise fully.

Residential Segment: In the residential construction sector which has actually slipped, the demand for MCBs, ELCBs and MCCBs has clocked a growth about 12%. However the revised National Electrical Code has created some optimism for the segment.

Power Plant Modernization and Refurbishment: As in other parts of the world, numerous power plants in India are nearing the end of their service plan, thus requiring overhauling and modernization.

This includes replacement of existing transformers, which are on average over 30 years old and the replacement of LV, MV and HV switchgear. Power plant modernization and refurbishment is expected to additionally support growth of the switchgear market.

Alternative Energy Sources: The Electricity Act 2003 also stipulates buying about 6% of the total supply power from renewable energy (RE) sources on a mandatory basis, the concerned CERCs fix applicable tariffs. The India Govt continues to financially incentivize investment in renewable energy sources such as wind, solarthermal and hydroelectric power.

The RE market has grown from about 2,400 mw to 18,655 mw and this growth is likely to sustain at current/higher levels for the next 4-5 years. The MCCB and MCB markets are expected to benefit considerably from alternative energy expansion.

The switchgear industry continues to innovate and upgrade its products to meet the evolving/future needs of its customers. In recent years, the following products/trends have been noticed.

LV: Increased acceptance of electronic releases in circuit

breakers;Embedded Intelligence and communication enabled; Improved materials for cost saving, environmental reasons and ROHS; Movement from motor starters to submersible pump controllers; Soft Starters; Increased use of modular device in building electricals;Vacuum contactors for higher ratings; More use of magnetic actuators; Field for Life-Maintenance free (IEC- M2 duty -10000 Operations);Shift from Electromagnetic to Numerical relays; Shift from Electrical sensors- CT/PT to electronic sensors; Ring Main Units; Intelligent switchgear;VCBs with higher

ratings.

HV- EHV: Compact GIS; Compact AIS; Compact

switchgear; Controlled switching; Solid State switchgear; Intelligent switchgear; VCBs with higher ratings (50kA-4000A); 800-1200KV circuit breakers under development; Substitute for SF6 gas; Harmonisation of protocol IEC : 61850; Package substation; Polymer of HV equipment;Smart Grid.

The switchgear industry is largely dependent on the financially weak electricity boards for its sales.

Moreover, the L1 procurement system in utilities, which means procuring products at lowest prices, creates a hurdle for bringing good quality material in the system. Some other weaknesses in the industry are: L1 procurement system in utilities i.e procuring products at lowest price creates a hurdle for bringing good quality material in the system. Uncertainty and slow pace of reforms and policy paralysis. Increasing Competition from unorganized sector and low cost and bad quality imports. Macroeconomic challenges which constrain public & private funding. Low investments in R&D & innovation. Integration/ Assimilation of new tech’s into development of new products in the sector needs improvement.

Major threats facing the switchgear industry can be summarized as follows: Underutilization of installed capacity. Lack of HV switchgear testing capacity in the country. Increasing competition from unorganized sector in low end/low tech items/imports in LV segment and project imports. One sided contracts by the user industries/price variation contracts not accepted by many users. Improper procurement planning/ bunching of orders. Entry of unproven contractors/ subcontractors with minimal technical knowledge. Lack of standard specification and design parameters clubbed with increasing trend of customization is adversely impacting the delivery schedule as well as taking away benefits of economies of scale. The new clause of consequential damages which in short means an organisation supplying equipment is not only responsible for the supply but also for the damages arising out of the equipment.

The biggest opportunity for the switchgear industry comes from the upcoming power generation capacity.

Power generation capacity is expected to be augmented by around 1,50,000 mw under the 11th & 12th FYP periods. More than 60,000 mw is currently under construction. Centrally-sponsored nationwide schemes like R-APDRP, AMRUT, UDAY, IPDS are providing an excellent opportunity for the LV and MV under the "Electricity for All" initiative. Expansion of key industry sector (cement steel petrochemicals, telecom & others) and expansion of other Infra segments like telecom, railways, airports, ports, roads, hospitals, are also key opportunities for the switchgear industry. Other opportunity areas could include replacement & retrofitting programmes, and 800 HVDC, 1,200kV AC transmission line development. Moreover, after publishing of the revised NEC by BIS, the nation-wide awareness program to promote revised NEC 2011 should enhance the use of safety and protection devices like MCB, RCB etc.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 33

S

pecial Feature Road Lighting

Lighting Industry: LED movement underway 34 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

||www.electricalmirror.net||

L

EDs v/s CFLs v/s ICLs

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a sort of semiconductor.

The movement of free electrons across a diode releases energy in the form of a photon (basic unit of light). An LED is heat sensitive; to ensure that heat moves away and does not damage the semiconductor, an aluminum heat sink plate is used to move heat away. The heat sink plate becomes part of the design of the bulb and from the heat sink plate, the heat moves into the air surrounding the bulb. An LED bulb has four key components: 1. LED chip/ module: LED chips come in a wide range of performance standards. High performance lamps use CREE or OSRAM brand chips. The chip usually constitutes 30% of the lamp’s cost. 2. LED driver: The second key component is the power system, commonly referred to as the driver. It is the limiting factor in the lamp’s longevity. 3. Heat sink: LEDs are temperature-sensitive; hence, a heat sink is required in an LED bulb. Most products use an aluminum alloy heat sink for its cost efficiency. 4. Printed circuit board: The PCB connects the chip to the heat sink. The material used for the PCB and its design are important. A PCB with low thermal conductivity results in a hot lamp. Metal and ceramic core PCBs have good heat transfer coefficient, but most manufacturers choose fiberglass to save money.

Working of an incandescent lamp Conventional light bulbs have two metal contacts, which connect to the ends of an electrical circuit. The metal contacts are attached to two stiff wires, which are attached to a thin metal filament. As electric current flows from one contact to the other through the filament, it gets heated. When heated to ~4,000 degree Fahrenheit (2,200 degree Celsius), the bulb emits a good deal of light. However, only 10% of the energy is converted to light; the remaining goes into heat generation.

Working of a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are designed to replace incandescent lamps (ICLs). A CFL uses a tube, which is curved or folded to fit into the space of an ICL, with a compact electronic ballast at the base. The tube contains argon and mercury vapor. When electric current passes through the vaporous mixture, it excites the gas molecules and produces ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light, in turn, stimulates a fluorescent coating painted on the inside of the tube. As this coating absorbs energy, it emits visible light. CFLs are more energy efficient than ICLs.

Measures taken by the govt to promote LEDs

The LED market has emerged as one of the fastest growing industries in India. This industry has been primarily driven by factors such as falling prices of LED lights, increased initiatives taken up by the govt and rising concerns with respect to energy conservation. The LED market in India is hugely driven by a number of govt initiatives. The revenue generated by this market has grown at a CAGR of 56.1% over the past five years. The market has evolved over the years, with south India and north India driving growth.

However, low awareness with respect to LED lights continues to deter consumers from using them. The major players in the LED industry are Philips, Osram, Bajaj, Havells and Syska LED Lights, among others. Philips held the largest share in terms of revenue generated in FY’14, followed by Havells. Syska LED Lights was the third largest revenue earner. The LED market in India is expected to touch ₹ 216 bn by 2020 on the back of the govt’s decision to switch to LEDs for all street lamps and public space lighting. The Indian lighting market is projected to grow by over 32% during 2015-20, and the factors which would lead to this are increasing demand for electricity, govt initiatives to replace traditional incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs, and increasing adoption of LED lighting across commercial and residential sectors.

Indian Lighting Industry is having a steady growth of over 10% in the last few years. The growth has remained consistent, even when there has been up’s and downs in many other sectors due to the slum in the recent past in the Western world. In 2013, Indian LED Industry generated a revenue of Rs. 20 Bn. As per the ELCOMA estimation in 2014 LED industry , which had a turnover of Rs. 120 Bn will reach Rs. 370 Bn by the year 2020. Although late, the govt of India has announced a lot of incentives and measures in order to prioritize LED manufacturing in the country. The consistent favorable policy by the Govt of India is one of the major factors for rapid development of the Light Industry in India. The Govt of India’s policy of rural electrification has created new demand besides infrastructural development covering urban housing, roads and other projects have also created new demand for lighting products. It is reported that 20% of the total electricity produced all over the world, is consumed by domestic lighting users. However, by replacing the out of date incandescent, halogen, fluorescent lamps, etc with the modern LED lights, will reduce the consumption level of electricity to the level of 4% from 20%. This grants us the opportunity to utilize the surplus energy in other sectors. Considering all the above facts, it is expected that the Indian Lighting Industry will continue to grow at higher rate per annum ranging between 13% and 15% until 2020.

Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP): A

number of facilities for manufacturing and assembling LED lights have sprung up in India over the past few years. Many LED exhibitions have also been held in the country ever since the advent of LED lights. The govt is also playing an important role in increasing LED penetration ||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 35

S

pecial Feature Road Lighting in the country with new schemes such as the DELP. This ambitious LED lighting initiative run by EESL, a joint venture between PSUs under the Ministry of Power, has made the LED lamp industry scale heights in less than two years. However, awareness about the benefits of LED lights is still low in the rural areas of the country. Under DELP, EESL has acquired LED lamps in bulk through competitive bidding, and distributed these to consumers through power distribution CoS. Recently, the govt announced the decision to end the subsidy on CFL-based solar lighting systems in a bid to promote the use of LEDs. This scheme is presently running in six states – RJ, DL, MH, UP, AP and HP and is rapidly expanding to all other states. The target of the project is to switch all the 770 mn incandescent bulbs sold in India to LEDs, which will directly result in reducing electricity consumption by 20GW. According to govt data, the initiative will save around 100 bn kWh of energy and will slash GHG emissions by 80 MTs every year. The yearly saving in the power bills of consumers will be about Rs 400 bn, assuming the average charge of Rs 4/kWh. India has taken an international pledge to reduce its carbon emissions by 30-35%. According to Arun Gupta, MD, NTL Group, “DELP is a very good initiative, which will propel the early adoption of LED bulbs by consumers. As on date, there is no proposal to make it mandatory. The govt is taking all the possible steps to ensure that it gets adopted, including subsidising the costs to a great extent and offering low EMI schemes to balance costs. A slew of innovative technologies such as inbuilt sensors have revolutionised the lighting industry, enabling it to make inroads into the residential, commercial and govt space, in particular, in the Smart Cities project.

Light Fidelity (LiFi), a brilliant technology that fulfils a user’s need for high-speed data transmission using nanosecond flickers of LED lights, is expected to be the next big revolution. The govt needs to sustain this momentum and enhance awareness about LED lights and their energy conservation capabilities. It remains to be seen how the next five years would shape up for the sector, considering the govt’s focus on replacing incandescent bulbs with LED lights.

The iLEDtheway campaign: In an attempt to create mass awareness regarding LED lighting, the Indian govt has launched a campaign known as iLEDtheway.

The Ministry of Power has tied up with several PSUs to promote the benefits of using LEDs all over India.

There are 47.5 mn LEDs deployed all over India at present. A website has been created by the govt that shows the number of LEDs installed via this initiative, coupled with the energy and cost savings.

LED usage is being promoted across different govt

36 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

departments too. For example, about 100,000 Western Railway employees have adopted 7 W LEDs. The Delhi Cantonment Municipal area is going to replace 15,000 traditional bulbs with LEDs too. This campaign is surely going to have a far reaching impact.

Market forecasts: India’s LED market is forecast to

reach a turnover of around US$ 1.46 bn by 2019.

The China based company, Advanced Optronic Devices, and India’s Syska LED Lights are planning to jointly invest US$ 75.21 mn in an LED manufacturing unit in Telangana. Given the current Indian market size and our national focus on LEDs, 2015 has been a growth year for the energy-efficient lighting segment.

Although this industry has been growing at a robust pace over the last few years, govt initiatives such as the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme and consumer awareness about the economic benefits of energy-efficient lighting have given a good push to the industry, not only benefiting individual consumers, big and small, but also enabling the nation to save energy and cut carbon emissions.

Various segments of the LED lighting market

The Indian LED market comprises various segments like street lighting, outdoor lighting, industrial lighting, railway lighting, automobile lighting, indoor lighting, etc. As stated earlier, the growing demandsupply gap in the energy sector, govt initiatives, increasing awareness and declining prices are the factors driving the growth of LED lighting in India.

Lighting accounts for around 17% of India’s power consumption, hence energy efficiency in this sector is crucial. Street lighting applications make up the biggest chunk of India’s LED lighting market, due to various state govts’ initiatives to replace incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. For instance, in Chandigarh, street incandescent bulbs will be replaced by LED bulbs in 18 major areas. Kolkata and Mumbai are the key cities implementing LED lights in street lighting.

Indoor, automobile and railway lighting are the other fastest growing applications in the Indian market.

Indian CoS are also coming forward to start local manufacturing of LEDs. Domestic player, Sahasra Electronics is planning to invest US$ 1.79 mn to start production of LED lighting products in India. According to ‘India LED Lighting Market Outlook, 2021’, India’s LED lighting market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 32.15% over the next six years. LED lighting, which currently accounts for 19% of the overall lighting market, is anticipated to reach 62% by the year 2021. The report reveals that Philips, Surya Roshni, Osram, Bajaj, Havells, etc, are the leading players in the Indian lighting market and are expected to dominate it throughout the forecast period also. The growing awareness about LED lighting in southern India has made it the most important market for

LED lighting CoS.

GST Pros

• A unified tax structure may help to create a unified market across the country.

• A unified tax structure may encourage big industries to support the formation of manufacturing clusters to avoid logistics costs, which were earlier nullified by differences in taxes across the country.

• Non-tax payers, who account for 30-35% of the LED industry, have been enjoying an unethical price advantage compared to the big brands. Implementation of GST will compel non-tax compliant players to adhere to the tax system. This will have a long term positive impact on the market as well as give genuine brands a fair advantage.

• Less paperwork and borderless transits may bring down costs and delivery timelines, creating benefits across the value chain.

• GST will improve the efficiency of the supply chain across industries, including the LED lighting sector.

• The rate of GST on LED lights or fixtures including LED lamps is 12%, whereas the components and raw materials used for manufacturing LED lamps have GST rates ranging from 18 to 28%. This anomaly may result in huge revenue leakage, and might even lead to unethical accounting practices like under-invoicing.

• Metal core printed circuit boards (MCPCB) and LED fixtures will be roughly charged 12% GST. This may result in higher imports of fixtures rather than them being assembled in India.

• Some of the imported raw materials, which have been sourced from the countries under category C of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20, were earlier attracting tax at the rate of 2%, but after GST implementation these will come under the 28% tax slab. This will make local manufacture of products that use these materials unviable. Similarly, most of the electronic components fall under the 18% category, up from 6% earlier.

• In the case of most SMEs, some amount of work is done by unregistered dealers. Earlier, such services attracted 0% tax as the turnover of those unregistered dealers tended to be very low. After GST implementation, CoS are bound to pay 18% tax (as reverse GST) even in the case of services offered by non-GST registered vendors.

||www.electricalmirror.net||

Emerging technology trends

LED lighting is going to open up immense possibilities not only by lowering energy consumption levels but also enhancing the overall lighting experience with respect to control, monitoring/sensing and connectivity, coupled with the convenience of longer life and improved aesthetics. Survey participants shared some insights about emerging technology trends that will shape the LED lighting market in India.

Here is a collation of their views. Lighting systems will get smarter, as the possibility of autonomous, self-commissioning illumination systems is emerging.

The industry has been transformed from analogue to digital as LED lighting allows users to control, monitor and measure lighting output. This transformation is taking place across public, home and professional lighting, and the smart connected LED lights will emerge as the largest IoT device segment within the next five to ten years. Control devices, dimmers and wireless lighting with advanced sensors will cater to the needs of modern consumers. Changes in on board technology will happen through the use of IC based drivers to support touch based technology, which is the need of the hour for smart lighting systems.

This will also reduce the number of components compared to those used in traditional drivers. Use of fewer components can reduce costs while enhancing the efficiency of the final product. Use of Chip Scale Packaging (CSP) or ‘Flip Chip’ packaging technology will enhance lumen output and also increase the reliability of the final product. Use of CSP eliminates the traditional sub-mount, directly attaching the LED die to the PCB, allowing for overall system cost reductions. Introduction of driverless low voltage direct current (LVDC) operated products will enable energy saving by reducing AC-DC current conversion losses.

It will also make the products compatible with solar photovoltaic systems, helping them run as LED-solar hybrid systems, which will be quite effective in India.

Shift in manufacturing techniques from through-hole to surface mount technology (SMT) will enhance efficiency while reducing operational costs. This, in turn, will help achieve break-even points quickly, in spite of a relatively higher capex.

market stood at INR685b as at the end of FY16, having grown at a CAGR of 9% over FY11-16. Slowdown in construction activity had led to a slowdown in the sale of Light Electricals as well during this period.

Over FY16-19, we expect Light Electricals to grow at 10% CAGR, with faster growth in Appliances (15% CAGR), Lighting (12% CAGR), Fans (12% CAGR) and Switches (11% CAGR).

Govt plan to replace inefficient pumps via EESL; big demand driver for the industry. Under the National Energy Efficient Agriculture Pumps Program, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) intends to replace 20m grid connected pump sets with BEE star-rated energy efficient agricultural pumps. These pumps will come enabled with smart control panels and SIM cards, giving farmers the flexibility to remotely control them from their mobile phones. This will result in energy savings for the DISCOMs, as farmers get electricity either free or at a subsidized rate. EESL purchases these star-rated energyefficient pumps via the competitive bidding route. EESL replaces the old pumps with new energy-efficient ones free of cost and also undertakes their repair and maintenance during the project duration. DISCOMs save some energy, which is then multiplied with the prevailing power rates to monetize the same. This is then shared between the DISCOMs and EESL. EESL targets to replace ~7m grid-connected pumps in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan in the next two years. The total energy saved, assuming most of the pumps replaced are 5HP pumps, is ~25%. The total energy consumed in these four states through pumps is 60b units; hence, 15b units will be saved.

At the average power rate of INR4.5/unit, it implies annual savings of INR60b. The cost of procurement of 7m pumps at INR30k/unit works out to INR200b-230b, which EESL can recover in 2-3 years. The eventual aim is to replace 10m diesel power pumps with solar power pumps. However, the cost of one solar pump is INR300k, which makes this currently unfeasible for EESL.

Multiple drivers falling into place

Over FY16-19, we expect Light Electricals to grow at 10% CAGR, with faster growth in Appliances (15% CAGR), Lighting (12% CAGR), Fans (12% CAGR) and Switches (11% CAGR). The key growth drivers are (a) rising disposable income, (b) improved power availability and increased reach through the govt’s rural electrification program, (c) implementation of the 7th Pay Commission wage hikes for central govt employees, followed by hikes for state govt and PSU employees, (d) govt impetus on low cost housing and (e) shift of sales towards the organized segment post GST implementation. The Indian Light Electricals ||www.electricalmirror.net||

Switch from traditional lamps to LEDs to drive growth

Growth in the lighting industry would be driven by

a sharp jump in LED sales. The LED market, which stood at INR5b in CY10, is expected to jump to INR113b by CY18, driven by the govt’s initiatives.

LEDs would form 45-50% of the overall lighting market in CY18 v/s 6% in CY10 and 15-20% currently. We expect the overall lighting market to grow at a CAGR of 13% over CY16-18 to INR262b.

Replacement of incandescent lamps (ICLs) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) with LEDs makes economic sense, as LEDs have a longer life (50,000 hours v/s 10,000 hours for CFLs and 1,500 hours for ICLs), are more energy efficient (80- 100 lumens/ watt v/s 50 lumens for CFLs and 13-15 lumens for ICLs), and have a payback period of 2-2.5 years vs.

CFL’s. The key driver of increased usage of LEDs over the next few years would be the govt’s push to replace street lighting (via municipalities) and residential lighting (via state DISCOMs) to achieve energy efficiency and savings. There are ~27m street lights in India, which the govt targets to replace by FY19. It has banned the sale of 100W ICLs and intends to ban 60W and 40W ICLs by CY17. This along with a further fall in LED prices (already down to INR200 from INR1,000-1,200 earlier) would fuel a large scale switchover to LEDs. We also expect commercial establishments (retail outlets/offices/shops) to increasingly opt for LED down-lights instead of the less efficient FTLs and CFLs, especially as the price gap between LED and CFL down-lights has narrowed significantly.

Increased pace of village electrification and improved power availability to drive rural demand for Electricals Rural electrification has been a challenge for successive central govts. Given India’s federal structure, the states provide last-mile connectivity and maintain infra; the center provides policy and financial support. With its aim of “Power for All”, the Govt of India has put village electrification at the top of its agenda. The Modi govt launched the DDUGJY to ensure rapid electrification, feeder separation, and strengthening of rural distribution infra. The aim is to electrify the remaining 18,452 villages across India by May 2018. In FY16, a record 7,008 villages were electrified (target: 7,000 villages), higher than the total villages electrified in the preceding three years. A total 580k villages (~98% of total villages) have been electrified and the aim is to complete the electrification of all villages in FY17 itself, much before the deadline of May 2018 that the govt has set for itself. An increase in grid connected villages, and in turn, higher availability of power for households would lead to higher demand for Light Electrical Products such as Fans, Lights, Switches, etc.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 37

C ase Study of

The Month

VARIOUS CASE STUDIES ON OPERATION AND CONTROL SCHEMES FOR GRID SUB-STATION Contd‌.

1. Introduction: For the last few months, the response of the readers to the

case studies on various incidents is overwhelming. Hence this month we are again choosing the write up on similar kind of studies for developing the synchronisation of practical observation to the theoretical concepts.

The analysis of each incident being supported by actual observations had been described during the situation to add awareness amongst the operation, testing and commissioning engineers to know the cause of problems and be helpful for easy rectification of the problems. This can also help to develop economic schemes for the smooth running of the operation and control system in the Grid Sub-Station.

38 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

2.1. SOTF Tripping of a healthy Line: Two different Grid Sub-stations were

connected with four nos of 220 KV inter-connected lines. One day a tree fault occurs on Line-3 and accordingly the system tripped. Then to revive the system, when Line-1 was charged, SOTF (Switch On To Fault) resulted at charging end.

Observations:

1. Both the Grid Sub-stations were connected as one station being the source and the other one as Loads. The remote station was radially connected with 4 Numbers of Auto transformers of (2x100 + 2x160 MVA capacity). ||www.electricalmirror.net||

2. At 15 kms from Supply station, a tree fault resulted with tripping of the line at supply end, but due to ERROR in the DP(Distance Protection Relay) at remote center, the line did not trip.

3. So all the lines at supply end tripped, resulting no supply to the loading station.

4. After that when line-1 was charged from Supply end, SOTF tripping was resulted at this end with no trip at remote end.

5. The detail analysis is explained in the following table.

System Affected

Tripping with Relay Indication Local End ( Supply end)

Fault on 220 DP1, DP2-Zone-1, No any Initiation KV line -3, (In RE, Dist =15.1 (LINE-3 DID between) KM with IL1= NOT ACTUATE 3.64KA DUE TO DP 220 KV line-1 BU, O/C and E/F RELAY ERROR at on RE with IL1= REMOTE END) 3.73KA 220 KV line-2

220 KV Line-4

Analysis

Remote End ( Load)

BU, O/C and E/F on RE with IL1= 2.29KA

1. There had been a (Tree touching Earth fault) on (Rph- Ground) on 220KV line No3, for which the relay correctly tripped on Zone-1 at Supply end, but did not trip at Remote end ( due to DP relay Error) 2. Because of NON-TRIPPING of this feeder at Remote end and persistence of fault in the system, all the feeders (Line-1,2 and4) at Supply end tripped on Back up relay.

3. DP Relays on other feeders at Supply end should have to record the fault as Zone-2, but because of RESISTIVE fault, the zone has picked up but made OFF immediately.

BU, O/C and E/F on RE with IL1= 1.84KA

4. However, the Directional Back up relays on its E/F feature have worked due to availability of fault current and tripped successfully with isolation of the lines.

The line was decided to charge after the fault, but this time SOTF came on Line-1 with no tripping at Remote end.

System Affected 220 KV line-1

Tripping with Relay Indication Local End

Remote End

DP1 :- No indication DP2- SOTF IL1= 0.91KA IL2= 1.41KA, IL3=1.23KA

No any Initiation

Analysis 1. Charging of the 220 KV Line-1 was done from Supply end.

2. All the breakers (Line-1, 2, 3 and 4) at remote end (Load end) were in CLOSED condition. Only 132 KV outgoing feeders and 33 KV loads were kept OPEN 3. All the Auto transformers and Power Transformers were in closed condition at Chandaka end.

4. So during this situation, the fault on Line-3 and sudden charging of the ATs and Power Transformers, resulted with rise current on all the phases as recorded (IL1= 0.91KA, IL2= 1.41KA, IL3=1.23KA). The DP relay on Line-1 from supply end tripped on SOTF and successfully cleared the fault, without tripping of breakers at Chandaka end.

5. The relay on Line-3 as in ERROR mode, did not cause any relay actuation, the other protection like Back up protection did not actuate as because of the relay at supply end actuated before to it.

Action taken:

The faulty relay at remote end was replaced by a new one and all the settings were reviewed.

Recommendations

1. Always ensure the outage of the remote end breaker during 1st re-charging of the system after fault occurrence.

2. The setting of Zone-2 to be selected earlier to that of Back up relay E/F setting.

2.2. Damage of Relays at CR Panel: During a close and short-circuit fault

on a line at 132/33 KV Grid Sub-station, the panel used for feeding the fault system was found with damage of the relays on this panel.

Observations: Er P.K.Pattanaik, is presently working with OPTCL as Asst. General Manager (Elect) in E & MR Division, Bhubaneswar- Odisha and associated with the Protection and Control schemes of Electrical systems.

He is having 25 years of technical experience in Designing, Testing and Commissioning of Protection Control and operational Schemes, project Implementation, co-ordination, operations & maintenance of Electrical Equipments at various LT/ HT/ EHT level Grid Sub- Stations. He has also published around 70 technical papers in different national/international seminars/journals. ele.pkpattanaik@optcl.co.in

||www.electricalmirror.net||

1. At one 132/33 Kv Grid Sub-station, due to damage of 33 KV indoor solid CT at 2 kms at the receiving station, resulted the successful tripping of the relay at the Grid station.

2. But without knowing the fault at the remote center, the operator closed this line with short circuiting damage of the 33 KV CT. 3. During this closure, the current was heavy and following damages resulted in the system with tripping of all the incomers in the system. a. VCB Breaker Limb on Faulty phase (R Phase) busted and splitted into pieces as shown in the figure.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 39

C ase Study of

The Month

b. The fault current on leaks through different points at the panel. c. The relays, installed in the CR panel inside the control room, got damaged and automatically removed from the base. d. The damage was severe due to heavy current in the system.

connected to EARTH MAT. 5. So the EARTH MAT was again connected by suitable size of flats.

6. The metal sheath secondary Control cables were also connected to earth mat.

3.

Actions Taken:

1. The faulty relays were replaced with testing and checking of the control and protection scheme in detail.

2. The damage CT at remote end was replaced and the earthing system at that end was reviewed and found with only few electrodes being inter-connected without mat. As shown in the figure 2.2-1.

3. So the use of earth MAT was recommended at the remote end with proper number of electrodes and earth pits.

4. The panel earthing at the Grid Sub-station was also reviewed and found with connection of Copper cable to earth flat with loose in the bolt. Moreover this earth flat was not

40 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

2.

Fig 2.2-1 Damaged CT at Remote end

Fig 2.2-2 Sparking at Panel end

4.

5.

Fig 2.2-2 Burst of Breaker Limb

Analysis:

Fig 2.2-4 Damage of Relay end

1. Due to insulation failure on the 33 KV solid

CT at the remote end, the earth fault resulted on R Phase and accordingly the relay actuates at the Grid end causing the successful outage of the fault in line.

But the operator without inquiring the reason and cause of tripping, attempted the closure of the 33 KV line to dead short fault.

This time the current becomes very high and has caused the tripping of the breaker by the relay, but due to severity of the fault current the gap inside the breaker might have caused the MAKE ( re-striking condition), causing the rupture of the vacuum chamber and burst of the breaker.

After Burst, the fault current has moved to the earth mat at the all possible points.

The panel end earth of not being properly connected to earth mat and due to development of GPR (Ground Potential Rise) has caused the sparking at the junction points as shown in the figure.

Recommendations:

Earthing is the most important point for fault

||www.electricalmirror.net||

dissipation. So any metal part available in the grid premises (Both Switch yard and Panel end) must be solidly connected to earth and again connected to GRID EARTH MAT.

6.

2.3. Blowing out of PT secondary fuses: At one of

7.

the 132/33 KV Grid Sub-station, during the situation of MONKEY fault on 33 KV side, it was observed with blowing out of R and Y phase fuse at the 132 KV PT secondary box.

Observations:

1. This station was installed with 3 Nos of 63MVA 132/33 KV Transformers catering the approximate loads of 80MVA to the downstream.

2. One day a MONKEY fault occurred at the 33 KV bus of Station Transformer on B Phase inside the switchyard.

3. Suddenly the concerned feeder was tripped on earth field.

4. After clearance of the fault, the system was availed, but it was found with erratic supply on the secondary side of the 132 KV PT supply.

5. So shutdown was availed and found with blowing out of fuses at PT secondary box

||www.electricalmirror.net||

8.

9.

on the metering core.

On detail checking of the circuit, it was found with the Neutral of both the CORES (Protection and metering) was of single wire.

Technically the wires have run from PT Console box to CRP (Control and Relay Panel) as Protection core (E11, E31, E51, E71) and Metering core as (E111, E131, E151 and E71).

This was connected with a 7 core cable with E71 being the one wire and common to both Cores. The earthing of the cable was done at Panel end.

On checking it was observed with Panel end earthing not connected to Grid Mat.

Actions taken:

1. Another 4 core cable was laid for metering core and common neutral wire was taken separately and metering core was ferruled as (E111, E131, E151 and E171).

2. The earthing at Panel end was again connected to EARTH MAT, considering primary and secondary as the same potential.

3. The blown out fuses were replaced by the correct rating fuses and graded with the fuses

at panel end.

Analysis:

1. Practically the fault has occurred at 33 KV end on B phases So it happens to be reduced voltage on this phase with rise of voltage on the other two healthy phases on the system.

2. Similarly the same has to be reflected on the upper side (132 KV side) of the system. The development of high voltage depends upon the common earthing of the system.

3. In this condition the 132 KV side Primary earthing was not proper, for which healthy R Phase and Y phase might have resulted the rise of voltage.

4. Same time the secondary earthing of PT supply( 110 Volt end) was also not at same potential of the primary. So rise of corresponding voltage causes the blowing out of fuses.

Recommendations:

It is recommended to provide proper earthing in the system and for the case of PT supply, The star point earthing should be connected to Earth Mat of the Grid Station.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 41

Guest Article

Non-Intrusive On-Site Testing of Circuit Breakers Thomas Renaudin, OMICRON electronics Canada Corp.

Circuit breakers play a security- and safety-relevant role within a power system because they are capable of immediately discontinuing electrical flow. Therefore, it is important to regularly test the performance of their key components, including the kinematic chain, control circuits and main contacts wear. This article gives an overview of the important tests used during circuit breaker analysis and shows how they can be performed using the latest testing tools.

Circuit breaker tests

Thomas Renaudin is currently a Regional Application Specialist for Circuit Breakers and Switchgears for OMICRON electronics Canada Corp. He obtained his master's degree in Electrical Engineering from INSA in Strasbourg. He joined VATECH T&D Grenoble (later Siemens T&D) in 2006 and worked as a Field Supervisor and Commissioning Engineer on many international switchgear projects.

Thomas joined OMICRON in 2009 as a technical Application Engineer with a particular focus on primary equipment testing.

Modern test equipment makes it possible to perform all important tests without the need to disassemble the circuit breaker: • Static resistance measurement • Timing analysis and coil current analysis • Motion analysis • Motor current • Dynamic contact resistance measurements For a reliable condition assessment of a circuit breaker, it is of vital importance to have a correct interpretation of the results obtained during an analysis.

Static resistance measurement The micro-ohm measurement, or static contact resistance measurement, on the closed main contacts of a circuit breaker is a measurement that reflects the main contact’s condition.

Therefore, it should be performed regularly. During the measurement, a higher DC current is injected via the main contact and the voltage can be picked up with separate cables as close as possible to the main contact. The international standard IEC 62271-1 requires a minimum test current of 50 A. If deviations from the expected values are observed, further tests at higher currents must be performed to determine if a contact is defective [5].

Timing and coil current analysis The interpretation of a timing analysis is addressed by the Standards, therefore, this article only discusses how timing is influenced by different operating mechanism designs.

useful information can be derived. For instance: • The electrical properties of the coils, such as the time constant • The force, for instance current which is proportional to that force, and must be applied in order to trigger the loaded spring • The correct timing sequence of the auxiliary contacts During a coil current analysis, the current flow in the trip or close coil during the closing or opening sequence of the main contacts is measured and plotted over time. The deviations of the measured curve from the expected electrical coil properties (time constant), the necessary driving force (proportional current) and the correct timing sequence of the auxiliary contacts can be used to identify electrical or mechanical problems within the trip and close mechanism of the circuit breaker. A typical current curve (see Figure 1) is given below [2].

Fig. 1 Typical coil current shape

The coil supply voltage has an influence on the current shape.

In the spring mechanism the operation speed is directly linked to the coil current and, therefore, also to the supply voltage.

In order to make a timing test repeatable, the coil voltage must be controlled.

Spring mechanisms

Spring mechanisms are used in many HV circuit breakers to store energy. The energy is released by close and trip coil actions. By taking a closer look at the coil current a lot of 42 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

Fig. 2 Coil current profile for different voltages from 0.25 % to 1.25 % of the nominal voltage [4] ||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 43

Guest Article Magnetic operating mechanisms

Magnetic operating mechanisms are used more and more in MV vacuum circuit breakers. A big actuator coil is directly linked to an interrupter. The energy is provided by one or two pre-charged capacitors which discharge several tenths of amps into the coil. With less mechanical links, this type of breaker requires less maintenance over time and is easier to manufacture.

Moreover, the digitally-controlled discharge of closing and opening capacitors allows for better handling of the respective sequences.

A current measurement on breakers with an actuator coil shows a very similar current profile to the one discussed previously. Similar principles can be applied for the assessment. In order to monitor the breaker operation in sequence (for example, CO sequence), it is essential to be able to measure the coil current.

Fig. 3 Actuator current and motion curve during closing sequence on a 12 kV recloser breaker

Motion analysis

A motion analysis can detect weak mechanical components in a circuit breaker, such as worn out damping units, problems with storing the energy (a worn spring or leaking pressure system) for tripping or closing and contacts which have reached the end of their life cycle. By detecting these problems at an early stage, preventive measures can be taken to ensure safe circuit breaker operation.

A motion sensor attached to the mechanical linkage of a circuit breaker reveals a lot of useful information.

Therefore, it is highly recommended this method is used for tracing the motion of the current interrupting mechanism. In order to classify the condition of the damping units and mechanical issues of the circuit breaker’s operating mechanism, it is necessary to take note of important performance parameters such as overtravel (amplitude, duration), total travel and speed behaviour of the contacts (see Figure 4). Each motion analysis compares the reference data specified by the circuit breaker manufacturer with the measured values [1].

Fig. 4 Damping analysis over time

Motor current recording

The motor current is recorded in order to determine any lubrication problems of the operating mechanism including the motor and the drive. If the motor current has increased, or if it takes longer to charge the drive, the operating mechanism must be investigated.

Dynamic contact resistance measurements A dynamic contact resistance measurement (DRM) combined with a motion analysis is a commonly used method as it determines the contact length without having to disassemble the circuit breaker.

When the arcing contact becomes shorter than the minimum requirement specified by the circuit breaker manufacturer, safe operation can no longer be guaranteed and the interrupter unit needs to be maintained properly.

The DRM continuously measures the contact resistance of the circuit breaker’s interrupter unit. It is done by performing a four-wire DC-resistance measurement during an open operation while the breaker is isolated from the high-voltage side: • A DC current is injected into the interrupter • The DC voltage drop across the interrupter is measured (see Figure 5)

Modular design for safe and easy tests

Fig. 5 DRM curve interpretation for an SF6-circuit breaker

Modern circuit breaker testing

Meanwhile, modern all-in-one test devices are 44 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

available which offer all essential functions to test all types of circuit breakers without the need for any peripheral devices. Such a test device can perform all the previously described tests on a circuit breaker as it combines the functions of a timing analyzer, a voltage source and a micro-ohmmeter in one device.

This multi-functionality helps to overcome a lot of the usual drawbacks of conventional test devices.

Built-in coil and motor supply One of the most challenging tasks is to make the tests repeatable. In order to test a circuit breaker, the voltage supply must not only be sufficient to operate the trip and close coils, but also to drive the motor which tightens the springs or compresses the gases or oil with which the circuit breaker operates. Either a station battery or an external supply can be used to supply the circuit breaker during the test. There are disadvantages when using a station battery: • Depending on the system, the connection to a station battery can be very dangerous • The voltage of a station battery cannot be controlled. It can fluctuate within a certain range and thus the test performed is only conditionally repeatable An external supply does not have these disadvantages as long as it is electronically stabilized. However, unfortunately, this is often not the case. It also creates the need for an additional device.

One way to overcome these disadvantages is to have an electronically-stabilized coil and motor supply built into the test device. This supply is independent from a station battery supply and provides a stable voltage at different levels.

Undervoltage tests which trigger the trip coils, for example, with a voltage of 20 % of the nominal voltage, also require a controllable power supply.

Moreover, searching for the minimum-pickup voltage by using a pulse-ramping sequence can be easily configured with a controlled embedded power supply.

In addition, an embedded power supply makes it easier to test breakers with an undervoltage coil. The opening time initiated by the undervoltage coil can be easily measured as the time difference between when the supply is switched off and the instant when the breaker is open.

Separate tests on the motor and a recording of the motor current over time can also be conveniently performed with a built-in supply.

A modern test device should meet certain requirements, especially when testing high-voltage circuit breakers with large dimensions on site. It should be able to perform a timing analysis and a DRM and measure all interrupters simultaneously. Figure 6 shows an example of a measurement setup using main contact ||www.electricalmirror.net||

modules (at the top of each breaker between the interrupter units) to fulfill these requirements.

The main contact modules are mounted close to the circuit breaker’s interrupters and far away from the operator. This prevents inductive loops which would create measuring interference and dangerous voltages for the operator.

A main contact module generates the stabilized test current and is connected to the main testing device via a communication bus. The bus cable is used for both the transfer of digitized measurement data from the main contact modules to the main unit and for the power supply of the modules. Each module can test up to two interrupters. With an additional motion module, contact displacements can also be measured. While using the main contact modules, the same wiring setup can be used for timing and contact resistance tests which saves a lot of time

Fig. 8 Remote modules and short high-current cables prevent inductive loops.

Time saving

Thanks to the main contact modules, it is not necessary to change the wiring or to climb on top of the breaker between timing and contact resistance tests. A high-voltage breaker can be completely tested in less than one hour, including wiring. When testing MV breakers, a modern test device can save 20-30 % of time. In case of a large breaker, where a lift is needed to set up the test, up to 50 % of testing time can be saved as the breaker only needs to be climbed once for wiring.[8]

Expandability for larger breakers

As the modules are connected to the main device via a communication bus, the number of possible modules is unlimited. Therefore, all generations and sizes of circuit- breakers, including those with numerous interrupting chambers, can be tested without limitation and with a short testing time.

Measurements with both sides grounded Fig. 6 All-in-one device test setup

Easy DRM testing

With the described test setup, DRM can be easily performed on site as a default test method. Only one main contact module is necessary whereas conventional test devices need several boxes, cables and power supplies. The DRM can be performed simultaneously for all interrupters.

It is recommended a circuit breaker is grounded on both sides during maintenance operations. Any floating conductor may cause a dangerous voltage due to capacitive coupling with energized lines in parallel. With a main contact module it is possible to perform a timing test (see Figure 9) while the breaker is grounded on both sides.

Fig. 7 Inductive loops when using long high-current cables ||www.electricalmirror.net||

Static contact resistance can be measured with both sides grounded because the ground path resistance is much higher than the interrupter resistance. If the ground loop resistance is lower than expected, then the resistance in both closed and open positions will be measured and computed to get the main contact resistance.

Case Study

A circuit breaker maintenance job on 11 live-tank SF6 breakers was performed in Norway. First a visual inspection of all breakers was done where no abnormalities were found. Then, the all-in-one device described above was used for a fast and cost-effective condition assessment. As a result of the static and dynamic resistance, as well as a motion measurement, a failure in one phase of a breaker was quickly found.

In order to double check, an SF6 gas analysis was performed which revealed an abnormally high SO2 content. The circuit breaker was dismantled and the failure could be identified as a flashover in the main contact carrier due to loose parts. This test situation gave proof of the reliability of the results obtained by such a system and also showed that this approach helped the operator by clearly reducing testing time.

Literature

[1] Andreas Nenning, “Interpreting the results of circuit breaker analysis”, OMICRON Paper of the month, Klaus, Austria 2013 [2] T. Renaudin, A. Taneja, U. Klapper, “Circuit Breaker Testing – A New Approach”, Paper presented at the Electricity 2013 SEEEI conference, Jerusalem, Israel (2013).

Safe and clear wiring

The heavier high-current cables at the top of the breaker are kept short. This minimizes the cable weight and the measurement interference from inductive coupling (see Figures 7 and 8). It prevents induced dangerous voltages which could be sent back to the operator.

Fig. 10 DRM curve when measuring with both sides grounded

[3] Tavrida Electric, Vacuum circuit breaker product pages, South Africa [4] A. Herrera “Pruebas a Interruptores de Potencia”, Guatemala, 2013

Fig. 9 Timing test with both sides grounded

The transition between a closed and open position can be detected based on a resistance threshold (see Figure 10). The test current must be high enough to get rid of the 50 Hz of current which is induced into the ground path when the interrupter is closed.

On-site experience shows that 100 A is the minimum value in order to get reliable results. Usually the arcing contact behavior of SF6-breakers can also be measured with this setup.

[5] IEC 62271-1 ed1.1 “High-voltage switchgear and controlgear - Part 1: Common specifications” §6.4.1 (2011) [6] Moritz Pikisch, “Circuit Breaker Testing with the CIBANO 500”, OMICRON Academy, 2013 [7] R. Smeets, L. Van der Sluis, M. Kapetanovic, D. F. Peelo, A. Janssen, “Switching in Electrical Transmission and Distribution Systems”, Wiley, 2014 [8] OMICRON Magazine | Volume 6 Issue 2 2015, “Nordic testing”, p. 24ff.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 45

I

ndustry Focus: Diesel Genset

India Genset Market: On the road

I

ndian Genset Market

While India’s power sector struggles to provide extensive, uninterrupted and reliable grid supply, diesel generator sets assume great importance as preferred power back-up in prominent sectors like agriculture, construction, industry, households, and other commercial applications. Easy to install and operate, low space requirements and easy availability in the market make diesel generator set a preferred choice even when diesel is more expensive on a per-kilowatt-hour basis. India DGSET market to witness growth owing to Infra expansion, establishment of new industries and changing business environment in the country. Strong economic growth coupled with power deficits in many parts of the country would foster the demand for DGSETs. According to 6Wresearch, India DGSET market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 6.64% during 2016-22.

Over the years, demand for power has increased tremendously in India. Requirement for continuous power has become one of the major challenges in the

46 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

country. During last couple of years, DGSET market in India registered sluggish growth due to improved power demand-supply situation and slowdown in industrial and construction activities especially in southern region. Further, with the adoption of alternative fuel powered gensets and increasing generation of electricity from solar power affected the growth of the market during this time frame.

However, in the forecast period, ‘Make in India’ campaign, smart cities project, expansion of public & private Infras would fuel DGSET market in India.

In 2014, govt introduced new emission norms which increased the prices of DGSETs throughout the country.

Also, with these norms, share of unorganized market declined along with the import of low rating gensets from China. In India’s DGSET market, 5 KVA-75 KVA segment has generated key revenue share in the overall market. Over the next 6 years, share of medium rating gensets is expected to increase on account of deployment in manufacturing sector and usage in Infra development activities.

While the power back-up market in India is expected to grow at 10-15% pa, this growth is entirely dependent on the govt´s economic activities in manufacturing, real estate and Infra industries. The gap between power production and consumption is widening in India and will further vitiate with the govt´s thrust on manufacturing. Since power outages have become the norm, industrial consumers are left with no option but to use DGSETs. As such, with a genset power range of 10 kVA-200 kVA, the Indian market is about 100 thousand units per year. High volume is from smaller gensets, considering the preference of small consumers in the market. While major contribution for the segment is from real estate, banking and nancial services, and retail and hospitality, with the telecom industry also pushing in demands recently.

It is also expected that with manufacturing getting a boost and market investment increasing due to govt’s ´Make in India´ campaign, the demand will pick up. Current status There are an estimated 24 lakh DGSETs in play across the country, up from ||www.electricalmirror.net||

behind the drop in operating hours for gensets, which still remain the primary source of power for housing and other construction projects. First is of course the country’s generation capacity, estimated at more than 260 GW, which has risen in the last 2-3 years. Stress on solar power and advent of LED technology too have edged out gensets in many cases. But, this by no means is an end of DGSETs, which have recorded a growth of roughly 10% in annual sales.

Opportunities, Trends

to recovery the 20 lakh pegged around 2010-11. The report, prepared by the Petroleum Conservation and Research Association and Bureau of Energy Eciency suggests that the aggregate capacity of gensets of all sizes operating in the country by the end of 2012-13 was 105,512 MW, which is roughly 20 times more than Delhi´s daily demand for power. The report pegs the total generation at 52,756 MUs from these gensets at current avg annual running rate of 500 hours. These gensets are estimated to gulp an estimated 159,78,981 kl of diesel in a year. The cost of generation, at Rs 54/ litre of diesel and technical standards laid down by the CEA, works out to Rs 11.54/unit for gensets of 100 kW to 1 MW with four-stroke engine. This comes down by several notches to bottom out at Rs 9.57/unit for sets of 10 MW spinning on two-stroke engines. Gensets are known as major contributors to air pollution and a fall in their running hours has a positive bearing on environment. It also means reduced consumption of diesel, which was subsidised before October last year. There are several factors ||www.electricalmirror.net||

Challenges hampering growth of the Indian diesel industry over the last few years has primary been related to the sluggish economy and zero Infra growth. The outlook for power backup is likely to be stable in the short term. But for some experts, the diesel stationary generator market is likely to grow at 10% over the next 3-4 years due to power grids having more and more demands placed on them. Opportunity for gensets is dependent on economic activity in the manufacturing and Infra industries as well as real estate build up in the country. With the current status of muted economic sentiment and lower power decit in the country, growth of backup power, especially gensets could be pegged at less than 5% in the short term.

However, for long-term, the expected growth in this industry can be anything between 10-15% depending on how fast we as a country are able to implement various initiatives announced by the govt. There is evident focus on improving our expressways, modernising railways, launching smart cities, indigenising defense procurement etc., which will open up many opportunities for back-up power market. The industry is predominantly witnessing two major technical trends in the DG sets sector which generally attracts customer demand - fuel eciency and emission controls. Today, the market has products compliant to CPCB II norms and even Euro IV standards. Availability of such products hence drives the customer towards purchasing and utilising DG sets which are far more superior to the alternatives which were available. Any product which oers increased productivity, fuel eciency, minimal maintenance and more importantly are cost competent, drives customer choice towards superior products. While load characteristics does not inuence the choice for DG sets, it denitely denes the operational efficiency of that particular product.

The ability to maintain a stable load ensures eciency and longer operational life of DG sets.

Current market scenario is conducive as the economy is opening and there seems to be political stability creeping in. Fuel availability is also expected to improve following the auction of coal mines, thus helping in commissioning of unnished thermal projects. Besides this, the focus on renewables is

expected to add signicantly to the grid, though there are constraints which we are sure will be addressed going forward. Meanwhile, the back-up power sector will get impetus on the back of growth in various allied sectors particularly Infra, defence, railways, manufacturing and IT. Demand for DG sets will grow with growing economy and improved grid. This has been the trend in the developed world over the years and is fully supported by the fact that diesel is the only choice of fuel for backup power. With improved installed grid capacity, the only change expected is in the usage of gensets. Before, gensets were run on 24x7 basis as a continuous source of power, which over the last 15 years has come down to eight hours a day, and now seems to be moving towards around two hours of daily usage. This trend is expected to continue and with improved grid, gensets will one day be applicable only for emergency use. However, demand for the equipment as such will not come down and is expected to grow in the long run.

Solar or renewable energy only compliments the back-up DGSET industry. The demand-supply gap in power distribution is the main reason for the boom in the power backup sector. This is due to the govt´s initiative to fast track development of energy Infra and renewable energy deployments in India. We feel that the demand for power back up gensets will not reduce and the market is expected to grow at over 10% in the medium term. Even if grid connectivity in the country increases, the present growth drivers will subsequently increase the demand for backup power. Besides this, the quality of power is always a challenge. Hospitals, industries will always have a demand for highly reliable standby power and DG set. Backup power is required by every segment and diesel is the only choice of fuel for backup or emergency power. With ‘Make in India’ initiative, we can expect world class quality Infra in the coming years. There is evident focus on improving our expressways, modernising railways, launching smart cities and indigenising defence procurement, which will open up many opportunities. The expected growth in this industry can be anything between 10-15% depending on how fast we as a country, are able to implement various initiatives announced by the Govt.

On the road to recovery

After a subdued FY13-17, when industry volumes declined at a compounded annual rate of 5% (primarily due to a sharp fall in sales for telecom towers), we expect the industry to grow at a CAGR of 10% over FY17-20. (Over FY04-08, the industry had grown at a CAGR of 10%). Growth would be driven by higher volumes in the mid/high horse power (HP) segment; demand for low HP products is likely to remain subdued. Key end markets that are seeing a revival are Infra (Roads, Metro Rail, Railways), Commercial (IT/ ITES, Data Centers,

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 47

I

ndustry Focus: Diesel Genset

Hotels, Hospitals, Educational Institutions), and Manufacturing (Pharmaceuticals, Automotive). We highlight that less than 15% of the demand for DG sets is for prime power and 85-90% of the DG market is for backup power – this implies that despite low power deficits, the need for DG sets would continue. Pricing alone would not lead to market share gains for any player in the DG industry. Given that DG sets are primarily used for backup and typically last for 10 years or longer, the decisive factors go beyond price. Brand positioning, dealer network/distribution, service centers, product portfolio, and reliability are some of the key decisive factors. This is all the more important in case of the MHP (375-750kva) and HHP (>750kva) ranges, where timely availability of backup power is crucial.

For the last 5 years, DG industry volumes have been subdued. During FY13-17, volumes declined at 5% CAGR, driven by - lower power deficits, as demand for power declined with macroeconomic slowdown; weak demand from key end markets- Industrial/ Manufacturing, Real Estate and Infra, and; collapse in demand from telecom towers from a peak of 100,000 DG sets in FY11 to 30,000 units in FY17.

One of the key reasons for the decline in DG industry volumes has been the sharp fall in demand from the 48 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

Telecom sector. From a peak of 100,000 DG sets in FY11, demand from the telecom sector declined to 30,000 in FY17. Mahindra, which has 60% share in telecom industry DG sets, was the worst affected. 1575kva DG sets are primarily used in telecom towers and constitute 55-60% of Telecom sector demand.

The share of 15-75kva DG sets, which was 78% of overall DG set sales in FY10, fell to 56% in FY17.

Expected that the industry volume growth to revert to 10% CAGR over FY17-20; growth would be driven by rising demand in the key end markets of Infra (Roads, Metro Rail, Railways), Commercial (IT/ITES, Data Centers, Hotels, Malls, Hospitals, Educational Institutions), and Manufacturing (Pharmaceuticals, Automotive). Growth in the DG industry is linked to base power deficit and IIP growth – both of these are a reflection of the demand for industrial and residential power, and have been declining over the past five years. A revival in economic growth would drive up both manufacturing/IIP growth and power deficit, in turn resulting in higher demand for DG sets. That usage of DG sets to generate power is expensive, is often presented as an argument against them. While the cost of power produced by renewable sources has declined to Rs 3/unit and the cost of power produced by using coal is Rs 4/ unit, the cost of power produced by using DG sets is INR15- 17/unit. However, demand for DG sets would

continue, given that DG sets are used primarily for backup power and not prime power, and the power dist. network is still patchy in India.

||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 49

I

ndustry Focus: Diesel Genset

Key drivers

One of the key push backs we have always received from investors is that with a fall in power deficits, there would also be a fall in the requirement of DGSETs. In our view, genset demand is driven by higher capacity building/capex in the economy which in turn triggers a demand for backup power. As in developed economies, India too is witnessing a shift of genset demand to back up power than standby ~85-90% of genset usage is currently for back- up power. To illustrate our point, we cite the example of the DGSET markets in US and China (the largest markets for gensets globally). As seen in the chart below, despite a power surplus situation in both the countries, genset demand continue to grow and has a high correlation to IIP – higher industrial capex ideally should lead to higher demand for backup 50 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

power. While reported power deficits in India may have come down, the reliability of power is still a concern – in turn, gensets are installed as an ‘insurance’ against power cuts. We believe there are multiple drivers for a pick-up in demand for DG sets, going forward. With >85% of DG sets being used for backup power, low power deficits do not directly translate into lower demand for DG sets. In our view, the bigger demand driver for DG sets is industrial, Infra and real estate capex. A revival in these three end markets is critical for a recovery in DG demand.

Govt is focusing on pump priming the economy through increased Infra spending, especially on roads, metro rail and railways. Roads: The govt intends to order 25,000km of roads in FY18, and also take road construction to 41km/day from 22km/day in FY17.

In FY17, there was a 40% jump in road construction.

During road construction, the need for DG sets is felt in remote locations, where availability of power is an issue. Railways: The Indian Railways is looking at installing/replacing the diesel generators used to power air conditioners in trains. Each generator car has two DG sets and the annual industry volumes are 500 units, implying a market size of INR 2-2.5 bn. Key participants are Cummins, KOEL, Volvo and Greaves Cotton. Metro Rail: Another big opportunity for DG sets over the next few years is in metro rail projects, with a new metro rail policy on the anvil and every large city (>1m population; 360 cities) in India looking to construct a metro rail network. Each metro station would need to have DG sets as backup in case of power failure. The typical ratings used in a metro station vary from 500kva to 1,000kva. With 855km of metro rail projects coming up in India over the next few years at an overall capex of INR3t (see following table), the opportunity in this segment is immense. The residential market of the top eight cities in India started off on a positive note in CY16.

Sales volume grew 7% YoY in 1HCY16; over 135,000 units were sold in 1HCY16 as compared to 126,620 units in 1HCY15. However, following demonetization in November 2017, transactions came to a complete standstill. Developers refrained from announcing any new launches and buyers turned extremely cautious.

Sales volume dropped 44% YoY in 4QCY16. New launches declined 61% YoY during the same period.

At 40,940 units, 4QCY16 sales volume was the lowest in a quarter since CY10. The avg quarterly sales used to be in excess of 90,000 units in CY10. The new launches number was much worse in 4QCY16 at just 24,300 units, not even one-fifth of the peak quarterly level observed in CY10. All cities witnessed a crash in 4QCY16, including the usually resilient Bengaluru. As a result, CY16 replaced CY15 as the worst performing year in terms of sales volume in recent history. Sales volume in the top eight cities dropped 9% from 267,960 units in CY15 to 244,680 units in CY16. Strict implementation of the RERA, 2016 within

the stipulated timeframe could be a major factor in bringing back the confidence of homebuyers. Timely implementation of this Act across the country would not only make the sector more transparent but would also help attract institutional participation. During Jan-Mar 2017 (1QCY17), residential project launches fell 8% YoY, with the fall most severe decline being in the NCR. New launches are expected to remain muted over the next 2-3 quarters, as developers make changes to their business structure to align with the RERA norms. CY16 closed with total transactions of 40.6msf, marginally lower than 41.1msf in CY15.

Potential demand for office space was much higher in CY16, but due to shortage of good quality office space in prime locations of cities such as Bengaluru, Pune and Chennai, many occupiers had to either delay or curtail their leasable area. Additionally, the new supply that entered these six cities during the year was just 29msf, down from 35msf in CY15.

The IT/ITeS sector continues to be the largest driver of office space in India; the sector accounted for nearly half the transactions during 2HCY16. This was followed by other services, which include sectors such as Consulting, Media, Telecom and Infra, at 21%.

However, in Mumbai, it was the BFSI sector that accounted for a lion’s share at 31% during this period.

Vacancy, which peaked at 20% in CY12, has been falling with each passing year and is currently at one of its lowest levels in recent history at 13%. Outlook: In the first half of CY17, transactions are expected to be largely muted and there would be pressure on prices. With consumers in a wait-and-watch mode, demand could be subdued due to the mindset that property prices could undergo reduction along with a substantial lowering of home loan interest rates.

A data center (or datacenter) is a facility composed of networked computers and storage that businesses or other organizations use to organize, process, store and disseminate large amounts of data. A large datacenter uses as much electricity as a small town.

Every datacenter includes backup power supplies in the form of HHP DG sets. This power usually requires multiple 750kVA-and-above DG sets. Key sectors looking at putting up datacenters are BFSI, Social Media, Entertainment, Ecommerce and Telecom.

According to a report by IAMAI (2016), the Indian datacenter market shows promising growth over the next few years due to increased usage of data through smartphones, social networking platforms, e-commerce platforms, and govt projects. The Indian datacenter Infra market was valued at USD2.2b in CY16 and is expected to touch USD4.5b by CY18. It is predicted that India would move to be the secondlargest market for datacenters in the Asia Pacific by 2020, with investments reaching USD7b or 4.5% of the global investments.

For branded hotels in India, occupancy (in FY17) has risen to a 9-year high of 65%. The growth in ||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 51

I

ndustry Focus: Diesel Genset occupancy and tariff is projected to continue in FY18 and FY19, driven by macroeconomic growth, which has led to pick-up in travel and accommodation needs.

The last time Indian hotels saw their rooms this full was in FY08. Hotel room supply in India grew 7-8% in FY17 and HVS expects growth to remain in this range for the next three years. However, demand is growing at 11-14%. With demand outweighing supply and outlook for travel remaining positive, the upward trend in occupancy rate is likely to continue.

It is estimated that 30,000 DG sets are sold annually by the unorganized sector and these account for 21% of the industry’s overall sales. The presence of the unorganized sector would be largely in the LHP (<160kva) With GST expected to ensure better tax compliance and bring the unorganized segment into the tax net, we expect the price gap between the unorganized and organized players to narrow. With this, organized players should gain share.

Wayahead

BEE’s decision to launch S&L scheme for upto 200 kVA is a step in the right direction as this segment necessitates priority intervention due to wide variation in efficiency levels and gap in efficiency with respect to global models. The star labeling scheme should encourage manufacturers to make additional efforts to get eligible for the label. Since the scheme design is still under discussion, a proposal by the BEE constituted technical committee for improving SFC by at least 5% above the existing market average SFC will promote technical modifications by manufacturers aspiring for higher star label. Making the S&L scheme mandatory for ‘19 kW and below’ category would be a constructive step. Empanelment of independent institutions for application approval processes and check testing will help in smooth implementation of the S&L scheme. In order to accelerate the penetration of energy efficient diesel generator sets in market, Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal (DGS&D) can incorporate a guideline for purchase of star labeled DGSETs in public procurement.

Need to strengthen the process of standards setting, approval processes, testing processes, through involvement of designated agencies at both central (BEE, SPCBs) and state levels (SDAs and SPCBs). For instance, there has to be a defined procedure for the formation of technical committee which is currently not properly represented in case of BEE. Improved co-ordination between central and state agencies during standards setting and enforcement is required.

For diesal generator sets of 300 kVA and above, emissions norms stringent than the CPCBII norms can be mandated by respective SPCBs of critically identified cities. This would require users of diesel generator sets to install additional technologies and 52 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

means for emission control. Another regulatory intervention would be to introduce a policy for mandatory retirement of diesel generator sets once they outlive their designed operational.

The diesel generator set market in India also consists of a 30- 40% small-scale unorganized sector. These brands have sizeable regional markets. There is a dire need to enforce compliance for this segment else it will continue to distort the market and lead to policy failure.

This is going to be extremely challenging to implement and would require political will. But it should not be ignored any further as it offers huge potential for fuel savings and emissions reductions. Awareness promotion regarding the use of waste heat from exhaust flue gas for heating/cooling purpose is another area where fuel/ electricity savings can occur. Typically 33% of the total input energy is lost through flue gases, and its recovery has been found to be technically and economically feasible.

In many countries, the responsibility for reducing diesel emissions is moving more towards owners and operators rather being fixed only to manufacturers.

It is the operating performance of diesel generators which determines fuel consumption and emission.

The responsibility for consumers should not be limited to purchase of efficient and environment friendly diesel generators but should also cover their efficient operation. Hence, O&M practice if exercised properly is one of the most cost-effective measures for improving SFC and thus reducing operating costs of diesel generators especially for units above 75 kW. State agencies should start enforcement of better O&M practices by mandating owners to conduct energy audit of their diesel generator sets. To begin with, all government owned Hotels, Hospitals, and Offices having 75kW and bigger diesel generators can be mandated to conduct energy audit periodically.

Random monitoring through inspection by state agencies can be done to inculcate these practices.

State pollution control boards need to be proactive in stipulating tighter norms and strict compliance check for users of large diesel generator sets. This falls within the purview of their powers. State Designated Agencies (SDAs), SPCBs can also provide facilitation support for capacity building of operators/users through workshops, trainings, awareness campaigns.

50 ppm diesel is currently available in only 33 cities and the plan is to make it available to 50 cities by 2015.

Since CPCB has notified revised emission standards enacted from Apr’14, there should be immediate focus to provide nation-wide availability of at least 50 ppm diesel. Present thinking to introduce BS VI (10 ppm) norms after 2017 is a good step. However, making BS VI available by 2020 would be a constructive step

though economic challenges in implementing BS VI fuels will be huge. It is estimated that INR 800 bn of investment will be required by refineries to deliver BS VI quality diesel. According to a study done by ICCT, the impact of investment for up-gradation to 10 ppm diesel will be increase in cost of diesel by INR 0.40 to 0.55 per litre. But it has been observed worldwide that benefits exceed the investment multi fold and hence could be implemented for overall national benefit as done in other countries. For example, US EPA found that human health and environmental benefits due to sulphur reduction were ten times higher than the costs. Furthermore, a European study showed that nearzero sulfur fuels significantly reduce total fuel costs by increasing fuel economy. Such findings are understood to have been used by policy makers while design emission roadmap for the sector.

The CPCB II norms will require technology upgrades in existing diesel generators, entailing new investments by manufacturers. Diesel generators equipped with advanced exhaust emission-reduction technologies are available today, which not only help to meet the mandated emission standards, but also offer improved energy efficiencies. Technological innovation such as high-pressure fuel injection system which is presently under R&D should be given greater attention in order for it to become commercialized.

Government can facilitate collaboration between industry and research institutes to provide thrust to R&D activities for availability of these technologies at lower cost. Diesel generators are run on diesel, a commodity dependent on expensive imports of crude oil. Diesel combustion in these generators also contributes to air pollution, and therefore improving performance of diesel generators demands urgent attention. The activities identified under five point agenda could be of immense help to policymakers (e.g.

BEE, BIS, CPCB) while formulating future strategies and to implementers (SDA, SPCB, Testing bodies) while ensuring enforcement. These activities can be initiated quickly in next 12-18 months by the concerned department/authority to tap the potential of diesel savings and emission reductions by 2022.

||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 53

S

pecial Theme: UPS & Battery

Scenario and Review on Indian UPS Battery Market

M

arket Scenario

UPS and inverter industry in India is expected to grow slowly but steadily. It has some interesting technology trends in its pipeline too.

We explore in this article what is exactly driving this industry, new market and technological trends, challenges faced and future expectations. Indian battery industry, comprising automobile, sealed maintenance free (SMF), tubular and lead acid batteries, has been growing at an annual rate of 25% for the last 4 years, mainly in the automotive segment but, sig., also in the industrial sectors powered by usage in telecom, railways, power and other industrial applications. Presently, the battery market in India is worth Rs 100 bn, with automotive battery segment accounting for >65% of the overall market value. While SMF valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries have a share of 25-30%, lead acid

54 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

batteries dominate the market with a 70-75% share.

This growth is expected to continue in the future as well, due to growth in the telecom sector and the govtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus on infra development and renewable energy such as solar power. In addition, with the increased use of inverters due to frequent power outages and the requirement for power backup to prevent loss in productivity, the battery market is likely to surge ahead, with demand coming from manufacturing facilities, banking, insurance and finance CoS, followed by IT sector. The growth of the battery business in India continues, with the current year being a lot more robust compared to the previous two years, thanks to the unprecedented buoyancy in the power backup segment, the booming solar and telecom sectors, the growth in industrial automation and in exports. Slowdown in the Chinese battery industry, caused by env. concerns, has resulted

in India being now looked upon as the main battery producer in Asia. Hence, demand for Indian batteries from importers worldwide has increased many times over. The battery industry has also got a boost with the import of lead and lead products from countries like China becoming difficult, following the imposition of duties on them.

Lithium Ion Batteries Marketâ&#x20AC;Ś

Li-ion batteries are finding application majorly in consumer electronics. Especially, the entire range of power banks, smartphones, laptops, and digital cameras are deployed with Li-ion batteries. Further, as India is moving towards RE storage, these batteries are gaining acceptance in this segment. Previously, lead acid batteries were used in energy storage projects but since Li-ion batteries have longer lifecycles these are considered as ideal solutions for energy storage. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

ISRO, BHEL, CECRI are working together to develop Li-ion battery technology in the country, which would further shape the overall industry over the next six years. Some of the major players Li-ion market include Samsung SDI, Coslight, AMCO Saft, LG Chem, and Panasonic.

MF vs conventional types…

These batteries are gaining immense acceptance owing to its high energy capacity and power densities.

In the current scenario, it is majorly deployed in consumer electronics; however, the GoI is making continuous efforts to promote local manufacturing of automotive batteries. Rising Adoption of EVs and Surging Demand for UPS are catalyzing the growth of Lithium Ion Batteries Market. Stringent regulations on auto-emission and fuel efficiency along with awareness towards non-hazardous wastes have resulted in a shift towards Li-ion batteries in India. Govt efforts towards promoting the adoption of EVs, growing renewable energy storage projects, surging demand for quality & uninterrupted power supply are some of the key factors which are contributing to the growth of Li-ion batteries market in the country; moreover, developing consumer electronics sector in India is likely to complement the growth of this market.

According to 6Wresearch, India Lithium Ion Batteries Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 27% during ||www.electricalmirror.net||

2017-23. Consumer electronics application segment held major share in the overall market in 2016 and is likely to exhibit tremendous growth during the forecast period. Among several components, cathode captured majority of the market share. Further, Lithium Cobalt Oxide bagged highest share among different chemistries as it is majorly used in consumer electronic devices. Additionally, consumer demand is likely to drive this market, for this reason, Govt is coming up with several schemes such as FAME, offering incentives, tax rebates on purchase as well as manufacturing of EVs in the country. Various application areas of these batteries include electronics, automotive, industrial, medical equipment etc. Various manufacturers are coming up with varied material combinations to offer high efficiency yet economic batteries. High cost remains a barrier for Li-ion market growth; however, the local production of these batteries is likely to overcome high-cost constraint in the coming years. In addition to various organizations such as

With the demand for batteries growing, buyers’ expectations are also increasing by the day. They are looking for advanced technologies that are green and clean. Customers are demanding batteries that require minimal maintenance, hence the trend is shifting towards SMF (Sealed Maintenance Free), VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) batteries. Today, SMF batteries are used in a host of applications-from small UPS systems to large systems deployed in huge industrial plants. At present, the largest user of SMF batteries is in the telecom industry, followed

by UPS systems with solar applications, which are catching up slowly. The inverter market, too, is shifting towards SMF batteries, owing to their lower pollution. We keep inverters in living rooms, which is quite dangerous. When we charge batteries in our homes, lead fumes can be fatal for our brain and kidney. Hence, people prefer to shift to SMF batteries.

SMF batteries do not need maintenance and are pollution free. They, hence, comply with the expectations of those customers who need to install batteries that require minimal or no maintenance, while being clean and ‘green’. Nowadays, customers are becoming more aware and don’t mind spending a few hundred rupees more for SMF batteries.

They know about the disadvantages and hazards of lead acid batteries. Despite SMF batteries becoming popular, the lead acid battery industry, which supports many facets of Indian industry, is booming. This is despite the fact that lead, the basic raw material, has doubled in price. Also, thanks to the huge growth in the automotive sector, the demand for auto batteries is growing very rapidly.

The stressed power sector and rejuvenated solar sector have combined to make the lead acid battery market a bright one. Conventional lead acid batteries are here to stay in India for the next two decades.

In fact, both the segments, SMF and conventional, will continue to grow together, at an equal pace.

Indian lead acid battery industry is poised to double within 4 years, given the current rate of growth of over 25% pa. The automobile industry is expected to grow by more than 12% annually in the next five years, which means that the demand for lead acid batteries will also grow. Lead batteries are also used for cooling railway coaches and running the railway’s signalling system and communication exchanges. They keep telephone exchanges buzzing.

Presently, the majority of the inverters run on lead

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 55

S

pecial Theme: UPS & Battery acid batteries as in India, where power cuts are for long durations, only lead acid batteries can handle extreme temperature conditions.

Added to this is the rapidly rising number of cars, trucks, submarines and army tanks across India.

With lithium-ion cells still a long way from becoming mainstream, lead batteries are the predominant power source in vehicles. In India, according to a recent report

by Angel Broking Ltd, lead acid batteries form nearly a Rs 10 bn industry. Some industry estimates point out that with local battery brands flourishing across the country, that figure could even be as high as Rs 17-18 bn. New standards for the manufacture and recycling of lead acid batteries have been established to ensure cleaner production. These standards will require battery manufacturers to address battery collection, transport, storage, recycling, and pollution control measures. Lead acid batteries are still popular as they have a few advantages over SMF batteries.

Flooded batteries can handle extreme temperature conditions much better than SMF batteries. In a country like India, no SMF battery can operate without the prescribed ambient working temperatures. Also, lead acid batteries can handle deep discharge conditions much better than SMF batteries. In India, batteries are ‘abused’ more than they are used! a customer would spent thousands on buying a battery, but would place it in the most dingy place in the house/office. To some extent, even battery CoS are to blame. Instead of educating the customers, they use the customer’s lack of knowledge to their advantage. So, given the market scenario, where no substantial effort is made to make the battery user friendly, CoS just outdo each other by promoting a technology.

However, SMF batteries will take over from all other types by 2015, as the demand for green energy is rising. At least 40-50% of the market’s needs will be catered to by SMF batteries, not only because of the ‘green’ aspect but also since people are reluctant to keep adding water and batteries emit fumes that are bad for health. As customers are now more health conscious, they don’t mind spending more for SMF batteries. So SMF battery market has a great potential. However, there are some applications like solar and invertors, where conventional batteries are still used, specially the tubular batteries as they still hold advantage in some specific applications compared to SMF batteries. Since tubular batteries contain more acid compared to SMF batteries, the former last much longer and have more service life.

Market Review

The growth of the battery market is driven by not just the automotive sector but significantly by the telecom, railways, power and other industries, says Avnish Arora, vice president, HBL Power Systems Ltd. 56 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

With several parts of the country being short of power, the use of inverters too has gone up significantly, and this is not going to come down soon. Banking, insurance and finance CoS continue to be the largest segment for battery usage, followed by IT/ITeS and telecom. Other important users are the small office home office and manufacturing sectors. Growth in renewable energy, like solar and wind power, will drive additional demand for energy storage capacity.

With the govt promoting the solar energy sector, demand for batteries will take a quantum leap in the years ahead.

Besides these uses, newer product applications are emerging every day. Some other imp applications of SMF batteries are in the traction sector, in material handling applications in food industries, in the pharmaceutical industry, textile industry, etc, where a clean environment is required in the manufacturing facility. Transition from unorganised to organised sector is also a key growth driver. Besides, the advent of VRLA applications amongst bulk users is building up the necessary demand. The telecom market is also picking up, with many new cellphone towers coming up in India. This will lead to a jump in the demand for batteries. The continuous growth in the battery market can be attributed to the growth in the inverter market, new business opportunities in non-grid areas, and the large-scale generation of renewable energy.

UP, Bihar had always been good markets for batteries.

South India did is doing well in power generation so a lot of demand for batteries comes from KA, TN, AP. Demand from the east has also exceeded.

And the demand from the semi-urban and rural markets is growing across all the segments. India’s unorganised battery sector flourishes due to price competitive imports, and is beyond the scope of the govt’s intervention. Some environmentally unacceptable recycling practices prevail in the unorganised sector, resulting in questionable quality and technology standards. But it is still a debatable point as to how much of the Indian battery market is controlled by the unorganised sector. The unorganised sector is still an equal player, if not a dominant one. Firms in the unorganised sector particularly dominate verticals like hybrid commercial vehicle, light commercial vehicle, jeep and tractor segments and are also strong in the inverter segment. Small capacity VRLA battery segment comprising the 6V4 Ah and 12V7 Ah models are serviced basically through imports by the unorganised players. However, the unorganised sector is shrinking slowly due to the high standards of pollution control in India, and small CoS cannot invest in effluent treatment plants.

The battery market is also becoming competitive and margins are shrinking, making survival difficult for the unorganised players. Growth in the unorganised sector is mainly because of the high value of imports

by traders and direct equipment manufacturers, but small manufacturers are reducing in number. Also, with the import of lead products becoming expensive, the unorganised sector will see a downslide.

Battery market is witnessing increased competition which has lead to the expansion of the market, and as a result, customers get the benefit of superior products and services, as well as good value for their money. With the growth in several industrial sectors, the demand for batteries is increasing and most major CoS dealing in batteries are growing too.

Battery manufacturers are doing everything possible to capitalise on the opportunities that the inverter segment is offering. Efficient logistics, competitive pricing, aggressive aftersales service and a good product, backed by a long warranty period are the focus. Also the market is clearly shifting from the existing flat plate technology to tubular plate technology for longer power backup and longer life of the battery, which are required in the Indian environmental conditions. The market for small lead acid batteries is currently growing as most of the CFL applications are now being shifted to LED products and this generates a requirement for small batteries.

As far as buying trends are concerned, consumers base their purchase decisions on various parameters like price, warranty, aftersales service, credibility of brands, retailer recommendations, etc. However, the retailer recommendation is the biggest influencer.

Lead constitutes about 60-70% of the cost of batteries.

Hence, the cost of batteries invariably depends on the cost of lead, which fluctuates drastically due to its non-availability and the premium to be paid to source it. This, to a great extent, increases the cost of batteries. Battery prices are, hence, governed by lead prices at the London Metal Exchange (LME) and also by the dollar to rupee exchange rates. India has just one lead mine and hence most CoS import lead.

Hence, the price of batteries fluctuated this year, along with fluctuations at LME. Special separators, cost of technology and manufacturing processes for batteries also add to production costs, which raise the overall price of batteries. There has been about 15-20% increase in battery prices in the last 12 months. Taking positive cues from the global markets, lead prices today edged up by 0.10% to Rs 109.40/kg. Buyers generally compare prices of batteries manufactured in India with those made in China. In India, we do not have any AGM separator manufacturer, so this has to be imported. ABS container also needs to be imported. So the Indian battery prices are generally 5-6% higher than that of the Chinese products. But buyers should not just get lured by low price of the imported batteries, but should remember that Indian batteries comply with the specifications of the BIS. These products go through all the required tests.

Until the govt formulates proper norms on pricing of lead, Indian manufacturers will continue to suffer ||www.electricalmirror.net||

from the unfair advantages enjoyed by low cost batteries dumped by the Chinese manufacturers. Today, importing and selling batteries is much cheaper than manufacturing them in India. However, with higher volumes, this problem can be overcome.

New technologies like Bi-Polar batteries and LiFePO4 are emerging globally. LiFePo4 batteries are available in the Indian market through imports but they are very expensive compared to lead acid batteries. Bi-Polar batteries, on the other hand, seem competitively priced.

Despite the emergence of these new technologies, which are still at a very nascent stage, demand for tubular batteries is growing as govt programmes require a five year warranty on batteries, and this warranty can be offered only with tubular batteries, say experts. Lead acid batteries have been proven over decades and are the most cost effective batteries.

In commercial use, it is difficult to replace lead acid batteries with new technologies. Going further, the tech platform continues to be dominated by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lead acid floodedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, but there is a considerable shift towards tubular plate batteries as far as power backup applications otherwise deep discharge applications are concerned; VRLA, as far as 2-wheeler applications are concerned. Existing technologies like flat plate, tubular, VRLA technology are constantly being upgraded for true deep cycle application, higher energy density, higher efficiency and longer life of the batteries, ease of maintenance, etc. The technologies that are currently more in demand are normal lead acid batteries, tubular flooded batteries, SMF VRLA batteries and tubular gel technology batteries.

The battery replacement market in India is about 5 million units per annum. This unorganised sector continues to become bigger and is in competition with the organised battery makers. Battery makers in the organised sector are definitely under pressure as competition is mounting from the replacement market and volumes are shrinking due to cyclicality of the business. CoS that are already facing high input costs have not been able to pass the recent excise duty hike to consumers. Instead they are cutting prices to keep volumes up. However, price cuts would help in gaining market share, as the CoS may shrink their margins further. Major CoS like Exide have cut their price of batteries by 5-8% in an attempt to gain a share of the replacement market and keep volumes up. However, industry pundits feel that though the price cut may help CoS get back some market share, this reduction in product price may not have a positive impact on its financial performance. Another major player, Amara Raja, has not cut its price because it is already gaining market share. Battery dealers also feel the heat of Exide cutting its prices, as their margins and incentives have also been cut.

Wayahead

India being a power deficit nation has a large market ||www.electricalmirror.net||

for power backup products. There has been a growing trend in recognizing UPS systems as an essential power backup device as nearly every organization today uses computers to smoothen their workflows. e-Commerce, data centers, servers, and electronic & medical equipments need high level of UPS and thus generating significant demand for high power range of UPS systems in India.

Hence, Indian UPS market expected to witness double-digit growth in the coming years. UPS market is witnessing tremendous growth with growing demand for power back-up systems in the country. UPS systems market (up to 100 KVA) anticipated growth at a CAGR of 11% in value terms during 2014-2018. Spaced out from domestic usage, UPS systems have found their considerable role in data centers as well. An UPS is a vital cog in the wheel of data center backups as it provides protection against power disruptions that would interfere with workloads or even paralyze server hardware.

Data center providers forced to adopt UPS solutions to counter the falling tolerance limit among businesses regarding disconnections in data transmission or data loss. Key application areas include cloud storage, data warehouses, ERP systems, CRM systems, file servers, application servers, etc. Another big customer for UPS industry is Indian pharmaceutical industry, ranked third in the world in terms of production volume and 14th in terms of domestic consumption value.

The sector requires uninterrupted energy flow in the manufacturing units. Manufacturing processes are energy intensive and the requirement of thermal and electrical energy varies depending on the product. The major factor drives the usage of UPS industry is the sever power cuts all across the country. Govt of India has not sufficient power grids to meet our domestic & industrial usage. Because of which, people has to go for power back-up equipments UPS & Inverters.

Another major factor is the changing trends in rural areas. People of rural areas in India are no more ready to bear power cuts of 8-10 hours, Enhancement of capabilities of Indian rural to afford power backup equipments have open and additional prominent market for UPS industry in India and that is promised to increase drastically in future. With the increase in UPS, usage and we may see a technological makeover in future UPS systems.

With the aim of conserving energy and reducing their carbon footprints, more vendors are coming up with an eco-friendly UPS or with an eco-mode built in.

Vendors such as Eaton and Socomec have launched

their eco-friendly UPS. Green UPS technology offers higher efficiency of up to 94-97% against the normal 80-88%. Also the demand for solar power is mostly from the rural areas, large NGOs, the hospitality industry and retail. With the TN and Gujarat govts announcing a no of policy changes promoting in solar usage, a number of partners are working on solutions around solar power. Mumbai-based Vardhaman Technology is trying to develop an integrated PC with a built-in UPS that draws solar power. With the promising growth in the Indian battery market, players see it growing by 25% YoY for the next few years. Substantial growth in UPS and telecom sector will further boost the battery market. A very good demand can be seen for SMF batteries as the corporate world is preferring SMF batteries due to safety concerns. Also, it has been made mandatory for the telecom CoS to use SMF batteries. These factors account for a boost in the SMF battery market that is expected to grow at the rate of 30-35% YoY in the coming few years.

Considering the fact that battery innovations are a major factor in the development of new devices, battery market will always see a healthy growth in the coming years. Though being a highly sophisticated product, today, batteries have become a commodity.

However, customers demand low price products, the demand is so huge that it is not possible to be met

by Indian manufacturers and so large quantities of batteries are being imported under various brands from countries like China, Taiwan, etc. The potential in this market is huge, if the Indian manufacturers start meeting this demand. Consumer education, better technology offered in batteries, upgradation as per international regulations and interface with durables of these batteries, better after sales service and extended warranty, upsurge in economy, and huge consumption will continue to push for a very high growth in the battery sector. Indian battery industry will undergo significant change over the next decade as it adapts to the enormous economic and technological pressures of our rpidly changing world.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 57

S

pecial Focus: PFC

58 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

||www.electricalmirror.net||

P

ower Factor (pf)

Where open electricity markets have been introduced, the supply of electrical energy becomes competitive between the supply utilities. Although discoms are obligated to run a profitable and successful business, they are also committed to maintain the quality of supply at a high level. Competition in an open electricity market creates new opportunities for even better quality of supply of electricity. One very imp aspect of improving quality of supply is the control of power factor (pf).

Low pf means poor electrical efficiency. Lower the pf, higher the apparent power drawn from the distribution network. This means that the supply company must install larger generation capacity, larger size transmission lines and cables, transformers and other distribution system devices, which otherwise would not be necessary. This results in a much higher capital expenditures and operating costs for the discom, which in many cases is passed on to the consumer in the form of higher tariff rates. This is the main reason behind why the discoms in modern economies demand reduction of the reactive load in their networks via improvement of the pf. In most cases, special reactive current tariffs penalize consumers for poor pf’s.

Factors affecting electricity supply quality

Power Factor Corection presents several technical and economic advantages

Harmonics The presence of harmonics in the waveform of the network voltage can be attributed to various causes such as rectifiers, variable speed drives, thyristors, saturated transformer, arc furnaces, etc. The main problems caused by harmonics are: Interferences in telecommunications systems and equipment.

Distortion of the Electricity Supply Voltage. Erratic operation of control and protection relays. Failures in transformers and motors due to overheating caused by core losses. If the harmonic power is significant, i.e. THVD greater than 7 %, THID greater than 40 %, this may result in overvoltages and overloads, which may lead to the failure of the capacitors, circuit breakers, contactors etc.

Resonance Amplification of both voltage and current at the same time will occur if the resonant frequency is close or equal to one of the harmonic frequencies present in the distribution system. The power feeder (overhead line or underground cable) have an inductive impedance. By putting a capacitor in parallel with the load (for Pf correction) it is possible for the combined system to have a resonance condition.

Cable Losses As the pf of a three phase system decreases, the current rises. The heat dissipation in the system rises proportionately by a factor equivalent to the square of the current rise.

Low PF Causes

The main cause of low Pf is Inductive Load. As in pure inductive circuit, Current lags 90° from Voltage, this large difference of phase angle between current and voltage causes zero pf. Basically, all those circuit having Capacitance and inductance (except resonance circuit (or Tune Circuit) where inductive reactance = capacitive reactance (XL = Xc), so the circuit becomes a resistive circuit), pf would be exist over there because Capacitance and inductance causes in difference of phase angle (θ) between current and voltage. There are a lot of disadvantages of low Pf and we must improve Pf . Single phase and three phase induction Motors (Usually, Induction motor works at poor pf i.e. at: Full load, Pf = 0.8-0.9; Small load, Pf = 0.2 -0.3; ||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 59

S

pecial Focus: PFC

No Load, Pf may come to Zero (0). Varying Load in Power System(As we know that load on power system is varying. During low load period, supply voltage is increased which increase the magnetizing current which cause the decreased pf). Industrial heating furnaces. Electrical discharge lamps (High intensity discharge lighting) Arc lamps (operate a very low pf). Transformers. Harmonic Currents. In case of low Pf, there would be large voltage drop and large line losses and this will cause the system or equipments efficiency too low. For instant, due to low pf, there would be large line losses; therefore, alternator needs high excitation, thus, generation efficiency would be low. Discoms imposes a penalty of pf below 0.95 lagging in Electric power bill. So you must improve Pf above 0.95. In case of low pf, current will be increased, thus, to transmit this high current, we need the larger size of conductor. Also, the cost of large size of conductor will be increased.

In case of Low Pf (lagging Pf) there would be large voltage drop which cause low voltage regulation.

Hence, keeping Voltage drop in the particular limit, we need to install Extra regulation equipments i.e.

Voltage regulators.

Pf Correction Devices

With the high cost of energy, many individuals and companies are becoming more conscientious of wasteful spending and are looking for ways to cut expenses. One of the ways to cut expenses is by using less energy. A number of manufacturers have been promoting the use of pf correction equipment as a way of reducing electricity use and saving money.

Claims of up to 50 percent savings can be found with 60 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

a routine internet search. As is generally true with such product claims, one should be cautious when considering products that claim to save money by reducing electric consumption. The purpose of this article is to describe how pf correction equipment functions, and how this relates to reducing energy consumption and expenses. So-called "Power Saver Devices" are nothing but Pf Correction (PFC) devices that would connect to the mains and improve pf measured by your electricity meter. However it is important to note that utilities bill a residential user based on real power that does not factor in Pf and thus none of these devices would really reduce your monthly bill. The so-called "Power Saving" device may be useful for industrial applications, where utilities charge the user based on PFC rather than real power.

Power measured in Watts (W) and Volt-Ampd (VA) is often used interchangeability and is often considered to the same. This is far from true in a practical scenario: Real Power (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (I) over time. Note that Real power is measured in Watts (W) and represents the actual work done by an electric current or actual energy consumed by a load. Electrical systems usually have inductors and capacitors, which are referred to as reactive components. So this specific power is the Reactive power and measured in Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR).

The combination of real (active) power, and reactive power makes up apparent (or total) power, measured in Volt-Amps (VA).

apparent power: Power factor (PF) = Real Power (Watts) รท Apparent Power (VA).

People often convert Watts to VA (Watts = VA), which is not true unless the Pf of a device is 1.

For the purely resistive circuit - for example, an incandescent light bulb - the pf is 1 because the reactive power equals zero. Pf can be an important aspect to consider in an AC circuit; because any pf less than 1 means that the circuit's wiring has to carry more current than what would be necessary to deliver the same amount of (true) power. Usually electrical equipment with a non-resistive load has a pf of less than 1. As an example, CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs have a Pf of between 0.5 and 0.7, depending on maker and wattage, while incandescent light bulbs have a pf of 1. Note that what a residential consumer is billed is for real power and not for reactive power that is a result of pf, so a CFL usage is, purely from an electrical consumption point of view, good for the consumer but bad for the power company. In the home the amount of power consumed for the same level of lighting is highly reduced. The utility must transport the power to the home and if the reactive power gets higher it means more losses in the lines and transformers, etc., along the way. Electric motors, fluorescent lamps, refrigerator, air conditioning and consumer electronics (such as televisions and computers) are examples of appliances that have pfs of less than one. This is because they include some type of storage element such as a capacitance or inductance.

Understanding Pf

Pf explained

How is Power measured?

Pf (PF) by definition is the ratio of real power to

Consider a single-phase induction motor. If the motor ||www.electricalmirror.net||

presented a purely resistive load to the supply, the current flowing would be in-phase with the voltage.

This is not the case. The motor has a magnet and the magnetizing current is not in phase with the voltage. The magnetizing current is the current that establishes the flux in the iron and, being out of phase, causes the shaft of the motor to rotate. The magnetizing current is independent of the load on the motor and will typically be between 20% and 60% of the rated full load current of the motor.

The magnetizing current does not contribute to the work output of the motor. Consider a motor with a current draw of 10 Amps and a pf of 0.75. The useful current is 7.5 A. The useful power from the motor is 230 × 7.5 = 1.725kW but the total power that has to be supplied is 230 × 10 =2.3 kVA. Without pf correction, to achieve the required output of 1.725 kW (7.5 A) a power of 2.3 kVA (10 A) has to be supplied. A current of 10 A is flowing but only 7.5 A of that current is producing useful output. The pf can be expressed in two ways: Pf (pf) = Useful power (kW) divided by the total power (kVA), or Pf (pf) = The cosine of the angle between useful power and total power = cos ø.

Pf Correction

So a pf correction device typically includes nothing but a capacitor that is to be connected in parallel as the additional load. The effect of these two opposing reactances in parallel is to bring the circuit's total reactive power close to zero. This correction, of course, will not change the amount of true power consumed by the load, but it will result in a substantial reduction ||www.electricalmirror.net||

of apparent power, and of the total current drawn from the 230 Volt source. This is the principle behind most of the Power Saver devices available in the open market. As explained earlier, this does not impact the real power, and since residential consumers are billed on real power this has no impact on the monthly bill. Even though a PFC device may not reduce the electricity bill, it does not change the fact that inductive loads run more efficiently with corrected or at least improved pfs and thus means less wear and tear of the appliance (i.e., the motor since current drawn by the motor is reduced), improving product life. One situation where PFC can be extremely useful for residential situations is in the design of a backup energy system like a Home Inverter or UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). Correcting the pf from 0.65 to 1 results in a 35% reduction in the size (VA rating), thus a less expensive inverter can be chosen though power consumption remains the same. In homes today, and particularly since Energy Star-rated appliances have hit the market, motor driven appliances like air conditioners already have an appropriate sized capacitor attached to them. Energy Star products not only define maximum real power an appliance can draw in various modes but also define the minimum pf the appliance must satisfy to get Energy Star certification. For eg, Energy Star version 5.1 for game console/computer requires pf to be greater than 0.9 at 100% rated output, or maximum rated output of less than 75W to be able to meet the requirements. By purchasing another PFC and connecting it to your electric meter, you are basically adding a redundant device into your home than your appliance can use, so there is really no monetary savings by doing so and is certainly a marketing gimmick.

Pf correction is the term given to a technology that has been used since the turn of the 20th century to restore the pf to as close to unity as is economically viable. This is normally achieved by the addition of capacitors to the electrical network which compensate for the reactive power demand of the inductive load and thus reduce the burden on the supply. There should be no effect on the operation of the equipment. To reduce losses in the distribution system, and to reduce the electricity bill, pf correction, usually in the form of capacitors, is added to neutralize as much of the magnetizing current as possible. Capacitors contained in most pf correction equipment draw current that leads the voltage, thus producing a leading pf. If capacitors are connected to a circuit that operates at a nominally lagging pf, the extent that the circuit lags is reduced proportionately. Typically the corrected pf will be 0.92 to 0.95. Some power distributors offer incentives for operating with a pf of better than 0.9, for example, and some penalize consumers with a poor pf. There are many ways that this is metered but the net result is that in order to reduce wasted energy in

the distribution system, the consumer is encouraged to apply pf correction. Discoms now penalize for pfs below 0.95 or 0.9.

Improve pf

Pf correction is achieved by the addition of capacitors in parallel with the connected motor or lighting circuits and can be applied at the equipment, distribution board or at the origin of the installation. Static pf correction can be applied at each individual motor by connecting the correction capacitors to the motor starter. A disadvantage can occur when the load on the motor changes and can result in under or over correction. Static pf correction must not be applied at the output of a variable speed drive, solid state soft starter or inverter as the capacitors can cause serious damage to the electronic components. Over-correction should not occur if the pf correction is correctly sized.

Typically the pf correction for an individual motor is based on the non load (magnetizing) power since the reactive load of a motor is comparatively constant compared to actual kW load over compensation should be avoided. Care should be taken when applying pf correction star/delta type control so that the capacitors are not subjected to rapid on-off-on conditions.

Typically the correction would be placed on either the Main or Delta contactor circuits. Pf correction applied at the origin of the installation consists of a controller monitoring the VAr’s and this controller switches capacitors in or out to maintain the pf better than a preset limit (typically 0.95). Where ‘bulk’ pf correction is installed, other loads can in theory be connected anywhere on the network.

Methods for Pf Improvement

Static Capacitor: We know that most of the

industries and power system loads are inductive that take lagging current which decrease the system pf.

For Pf improvement purpose, Static capacitors are connected in parallel with those devices which work on low pf. These static capacitors provides leading current which neutralize (totally or approximately) the lagging inductive component of load current (i.e. leading component neutralize or eliminate the lagging component of load current) thus pf of the load circuit is improved. These capacitors are installed in Vicinity of large inductive load e.g Induction motors and transformers etc, and improve the load circuit pf to improve the system or devises efficiency.

Capacitor bank offers several advantages over other methods of pf improvement. Losses are low in static capacitors. There is no moving part, therefore need low maintenance. It can work in normal conditions.

Do not require a foundation for installation. They are lightweight so it is can be easy to installed. The age of static capacitor bank is less (8-10 years). With changing load, we have to ON or OFF the capacitor bank, which causes switching surges on the system. If the rated voltage increases, then it causes damage it.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 61

S

pecial Focus: PFC

Once the capacitors spoiled, then repairing is costly.

Synchronous Condenser: When a Synchronous motor operates at No-Load and over-exited then it’s called a synchronous Condenser. Whenever a Synchronous motor is over-exited then it provides leading current and works like a capacitor. When a synchronous condenser is connected across supply voltage (in parallel) then it draws leading current and partially eliminates the re-active component and this way, pf is improved. Generally, synchronous condenser is used to improve the pf in large industries. Its advantages include - Long life; High Reliability; Step-less adjustment of pf; No generation of harmonics of maintenance; The faults can be removed easily; It’s not affected by harmonics; Require Low maintenance.

Its dis-advantages include - maintenance cost is high and therefore mostly used by large power users; An auxiliary device has to be used for this operation because synchronous motor has no self starting torque; It produces noise/.

Phase Advancer: Phase advancer is a simple AC exciter which is connected on the main shaft of the motor and operates with the motor’s rotor circuit for pf improvement. Phase advancer is used to improve the pf of induction motor in industries. As the stator windings of induction motor takes lagging current 90° out of phase with Voltage, therefore the pf of induction motor is low. If the exciting ampere-turns are excited by external AC source, then there would be no effect of exciting current on stator windings. Therefore the pf of induction motor will be improved. This process is done by Phase advancer. Lagging kVAR drawn by the motor is sufficiently reduced because the exciting ampere turns are supplied at slip frequency (fs). The phase advancer can be easily used where the use of synchronous motors is Unacceptable. Using Phase advancer is not economical for motors below 200 H.P.

Why improve pf ?

Improvement of the power factor of an installation presents several technical and economic advantages, notably in the reduction of electricity bills. Good management in the consumption of reactive energy brings economic advantages. These notes are based on an actual tariff structure commonly applied in Europe, designed to encourage consumers to minimize their consumption of reactive energy. The installation of power-factor correction equipment on installations permits the consumer to reduce his electricity bill by maintaining the level of reactive-power consumption below a value contractually agreed with the power supply authority. The benefits that can be achieved by applying the correct pf correction are: Environmental benefit. Reduction of power consumption due to improved energy efficiency. Reduced power consumption 62 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

means less GHG emissions and fossil fuel depletion by power stations. Reduction of electricity bills Extra kVA available from the existing supply reduction of I2R losses in transformers and distribution equipment Reduction of voltage drop in long cables. Extended equipment life – Reduced electrical burden on cables and electrical components. Pf improvement allows the use of smaller transformers, switchgear and cables, etc. as well as reducing power losses and voltage drop in an installation. A high pf allows the optimization of the components of an installation. Overating of certain equipment can be avoided, but to achieve the best results, the correction should be effected as close to the individual inductive items as possible. Against the financial advantages of reduced billing, the consumer must balance the cost of purchasing, installing and maintaining the power factor correction equipment and controlling switchgear, automatic control equipment (where stepped levels of compensation are required) together with the additional kWh consumed by the losses of the equipment, etc. It may be found that it is more economic to provide partial compensation only, and that paying for some of the reactive energy consumed is less expensive than providing 100% compensation.

Solutions

Pf correction capacitor:s A poor pf can be improved

by adding pf correction capacitors to the plant’s distribution system. Correction capacitors provide needed reactive power (kVAr) to the load. Therefore, the Electricity Supply Company is freed from having to supply it. Pf correction capacitors reduce the total current supplied by the discom to the load and as a result the distribution system capacity is increased.

Capacitor ratings: Pf correction capacitors are rated

in electrical units called “VAr”. One VAr is equivalent to one volt-ampere of reactive power. VAr is the unit of measurement for indicating just how much reactive power the capacitor will supply.

Filter reactors: In most cases it is necessary to

reduce the effects of the harmonic currents. One way of reducing harmonic currents is to install an inductance (filter reactor) in series with the capacitor.

The filter reactors protect the electrical installations and equipment but it does not eliminate the harmonics.

The reactor value should be calculated and designed in order to reduce the resonant frequency of the circuit to a value lower than that of the lowest harmonic in the system. A capacitor equipped with a filter reactor is protected from harmonics regardless of the layout of the network to which it is connected.

Except in some cases when switching in steps the inductance and capacitance values could add up to equal one of the harmonic frequencies in the system causing resonance.

Power loss reduction: Distribution system losses

are also reduced through pf correction by reducing the total load current in the system.

Voltage improvement: Pf capacitors decrease

distribution system voltage drops and fluctuations during the start of large inductive loads.

After determining the required size capacitor in kVAr, the next step is to decide on the location for installation of the capacitor bank. It is difficult to set definite guidelines for location of capacitor installation.

However, the following general rule should be kept in mind: As close as possible to the load to be compensated. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 63

I

ndustry Feature: Thermal Power

Summary of Thermal Power Generation Issues Power is one of the most critical components of infrastructure crucial for the economic growth and welfare of nations. The existence and development of adequate infra is essential for sustained growth of the Indian economy. India’s power sector is one of the most diversified in the world. Sources of power generation range from conventional sources such as coal, lignite, natural gas, oil, hydro and nuclear power to viable non-conventional sources such as wind, solar, and agricultural and domestic waste. Electricity demand in the country has increased rapidly and is expected to rise further in the years to come. In order to meet the increasing demand for electricity in the country, massive addition to the installed generating capacity is required. India ranks third among 40 countries in EY’s RE Country Attractiveness Index, on back of strong focus by the govt on promoting RE and implementation of projects in a time bound manner. India has moved up 73 spots to rank 26th in the World Bank's list of electricity accessibility in 2017. Indian power sector is undergoing a significant change that has redefined the industry outlook. Sustained economic growth continues to drive electricity demand in India. GoI’s focus on attaining ‘Power 64 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

for all’ has accelerated capacity addition in the country. Also, competitive intensity is increasing at both the market and supply sides (fuel, logistics, finances, manpower). Total installed capacity of power stations in India stood at 330,260.53 MW as on May’17. MoP has set a target of 1,229.4 BUs of electricity to be generated in the FY 2017-18, which is 50 BU’s higher than the target for 2016-17. Annual growth rate in RE generation has been estimated to be 27% and 18% for conventional energy. Govt has added 10.2 GW of conventional capacity and 12.5 GW of RE capacity in FY’17. Under the 12th FYP, the Govt has added 93.5 GW of power generation capacity, thereby surpassing its target of 88.5 GW during the period.

An olving risk paradigm

Two recent events have displayed the financial viability and competitive advantage of investment in RE, as compared to investments in coal-based power. On 11 April, the SC disallowed Tata Power and Adani Power from charging compensatory tariff to neutralize the price hike of imported coal due to a change in Indonesian regulations. On 9 May, Indian solar tariffs fell to yet another record low of Rs 2.44 for Solar Energy Corporation of

India’s 500 MW project at Bhadla in Rajasthan.

What are the implications of these events for India’s rapidly transforming electricity market?

They range from balance of payments, capacity utilization, construction delays to financial risks.

The SC judgement highlights the risks prevalent in the thermal power market, seeded in fuel sourcing, availability, and import dependency.

Volatility in imported coal prices and the uncertainty around cost-efficiency of domestic coal production add more concern. Non-availability of coal could swiftly turn the once lucrative and viable coal power plants into stranded assets.

Further, the ministry of coal’s latest discussion paper on auction of mines for commercial mining examines free pricing of domestic coal. The paper suggests pegging the min revenue to be generated at 1.2 times of Coal India’s run of mine price, which is likely to increase operating costs for thermal operators. While India’s renewables sector does not have to battle risks associated with fuel sourcing, the current reliance on imported solar panels and balance of system products exposes the RE sector to balance of payment implications, as in the case of coal imports. This makes it imperative for India to rapidly ramp up ||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 65

I

ndustry Feature: Thermal Power

domestic renewables manufacturing capacity. Thermal power plants are increasingly facing lower capacity utilization. More than 1/3rd of India’s total thermal power capacity is currently stranded and the rest is running at 55% utilization. This spells trouble for the lenders to these thermal projects, mainly state-owned banks, since lower capacity utilization translates to falling recoveries. In recent times, RE capacity is also increasingly seeing curtailment despite being granted a must-run status. In renewables, curtailment risk arises due to unavailability of transmission infrastructure, grid congestion, and grid instability. However, utilities are attempting to address this risk by introducing minimum offtake guarantees and deemed generation clauses in the RE PPAs. Longer construction periods for thermal plants (3-4 years), compared to renewable sources of power (12-14 months), is another imp. aspect for risk evaluation. Delays in obtaining environmental clearances, affecting 89% of the projects, according to a recent CAG report, could additionally prolong the construction of thermal plants. RE projects, in most cases are exempt from environmental clearances, and significant advances have been made in recent years in streamlining the procurement of other clearances for RE projects. Longer commissioning cycles, combined with higher likelihood of delays, makes investment in thermal power sig. riskier than that in renewables.

66 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

The MoEF 2015 notification mandating stricter emission & water usage standards to minimize environmental impacts of running thermal power plants has also been troubling the sector. Leaving aside the zero comparison on emissions, a coal-based thermal power plant takes around 3.8 cubic metre/MW of water as compared to 0.1 cubic metre/MW for solar, and almost nil for wind. Going forward, water usage could lead to conflict between thermal power producers and local communities, especially in water-scarce regions of the country. Thermal power producers have been cantankerous about upgrading tech to meet these stds due to high costs and complicated procedures.

Stricter standards are also likely to increase the cost of power for ordinary consumers. Hence, the govt may not come down hard on defaulters who fail to take adequate measures to curb particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by the Dec’17 deadline. Thermal power producers should, however, be prepared for stricter enforcement of emission stds in the near future.

The growing risk profile for thermal power plants is likely to result in increasing cost of capital for thermal projects. At the same time, with the tariffs for both wind and solar power dropping to unprecedented levels, power sector investors may shift focus to renewables. In the same breath, it is important to note that the RE sector is also plagued by several

risks, such as delays in executing offtake agreements, delays in payments from the utilities, curtailment, etc.

However, as the cost of renewable electricity declines, the financial burden posed by it on the utilities also declines, causing the most dominant risks in the sector to shrink. Redirection of investments to renewables & allied sectors such as energy storage, energy analytics services, etc., could drive the price of electricity from RE sources down further, improving their technical grid integration feasibility and shrinking associated risks for investors. Making strategic policy & financing decisions has become imperative in the new world of growing competitiveness of RE. Traditional electricity utility models are being upended and it will augur well for financiers and policymakers to heed the risks that have unfolded in the thermal sector. If the govt continues to actively revamp and reimagine India’s power sector, along with making simultaneous efforts to ensure a quick expansion in transmission infrastructure and a pickup in demand, India could find a sweet spot for itself in the new low-carbon world.

Toxic sulphur dioxide norms

Nearly 90% of the country’s coal-fired power generation capacity is in violation of emission norms notified 2 years ago that will kick in Dec this year.

In June this year, the Union Power Ministry informed ||www.electricalmirror.net||

the Union Environment Ministry, via a letter, that 165.9 GW out of the total of 187.1 GW or 89% of the country’s existing coal-based power capacity is not in compliance with the Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) emission limits that were notified in 2015. However, it has said that existing plants of 146 GW, along with under construction plants of 67 GW, are ready to install SO2 emission curbing systems, but that will take an investment of more than Rs 1 lakh Cr. This will result in consumers paying an additional Rs 23,660 Cr annually through a tariff hike of 32 paise/unit.

Even though the 2015 norms stated that all existing coal-based plants need to follow emission limits by Dec 7 this year, the Power Ministry stated that it will take 7 years to retro-fit Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) systems which remove SO2 from exhaust flue gases in the existing capacity. It also said that the remaining 19.9 GW of the aforementioned 165.9 GW capacity either does not have space or is not interested in installing FGD systems. And that a plan regarding installation of FGD systems in the plants under construction is yet to be decided.

The 2015 norms specified emission limits for Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX). However, for coal-based units installed before Dec’03, the Power Ministry has asked the Environment Ministry to defer implementing these NOX emission limits by three years. For units installed after Dec’03, it has requested that it be allowed to operate them at higher NOX emission limit of 600 mg/Nm3 for 3 years because the state-run NTPC Ltd is currently conducting a pilot study to test if NOX control technology will work for Indian coal that has high ash content. Experts say that short-term exposures to SO2 can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult. Children, the elderly, and those who suffer from asthma are particularly sensitive to effects of SO2. NOX, too, can trigger serious respiratory problems. Moreover, both SO2 and NOX can be easily oxidized within airborne water droplets to form acid precipitation or ‘acid rain’. There were no SO2 and NOX emission norms in India before 7 Dec’15.

On 30 Jun’17, the then power secretary P K Pujari sent Environment Secretary A N Jha a letter along with a report “outlining the plan of action for implementation of the new norms”. Pujari, asking for an extension of deadline, stated in his report: “Generation from coal based thermal power plants during 2016-17 was 910 BUs, out of total generation of 1242 BU (73%). 65% of country’s total generation was from capacity which is non-compliant to new emission norms in terms of SO2 emission. These capacities would be off the grid in case of non-compliant capacities are not permitted to operate resulting in acute power supply deficit.

Hence, there would be req. of extension of timelines.”

Under this plan, 10 units of 4880 MW capacity would install FGD during 2019; 41 units of 21980 MW capacity would install FGD during 2020; and so on. ||www.electricalmirror.net||

This power ministry’s plan is similar to the roadmap released by the CEA on May 25 this year. In his report, Pujari also said that the CERC may allow a hike in consumer tariff in order to compensate power companies for their expenditure on FGD installation.

Coal to remain mainstay power generation fuel until 2040

Coal will remain the mainstay fuel for power generation in India in the next 2 decades despite stiff competition from rapid capacity additions of RE. Thermal coal, which accounts for about 55% of India's electricity generation, will still account for 48%-54% going up to 2040, even as the country embarks on an ambitious plan to add huge RE capacity.

CIL was on track to achieve its production target of 1 BT by 2019, Higher domestic output has saw imports of seaborne cargoes fall 19% year on year in its India's 2016-2017 fiscal year. Renewables will definitely pose competition to thermal coal beyond 2020," he said. Domestic thermal coal supply also faced challenges such as coal quality improvements and improved logistics. The govt has been expediting construction of 3 railway lines in the eastern states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha to improve coal transport between mine mouths and power plants.

The opening up of the railway lines will unlock at least 170 MT of coal stocks. In the next 2-3 years, several coal washeries will be set up to improve the quality of at least 75 MT of thermal coal and 48 MT of coking coal.

CIL is also looking to diversify from the coal business to other segments like fertilizers and solar power generation. India has set itself a target of adding 175 GW of RE by 2020, of which solar was expected to account for 100 GW, he said, adding Coal India will be a part of the consortium planning to install about 20 GW of solar power in the next 3-4 years.

The company, which supplies about 80% of India's coal requirements, was proposing to diversify into iron ore or bauxite mining in coming years, with plans to mine copper overseas as well. There are no concrete proposals yet, he said. With its own mining efforts, the country can easily save $4 billion per year in import costs.

Rise in Power Tariffs

While the recent spike in spot power rates to Rs 9 a unit could be short lived, the underlying trend is encouraging. Even if the average spot power tariff stays around Rs 3-3.5 a unit, it will still be 75% higher than the average levels of Rs 2.19 per unit seen in August last year. What is important is, at Rs 3-3.5 per unit, many power companies would be able to reduce their losses and could see significant spurt in earnings. It is often seen that short-term merchant tariff or spot power prices spike on the exchanges due to a sudden spurt in demand. Recently, when spot electricity prices hit a high of Rs 9 per unit,

all fingers were pointing to lower supply because of reduction in generation, particularly wind and hydropower. That apart, the demand has been high, mainly in central India and north because of warm weather conditions.

In August, all India power demand grew at 6% including the states like Rajasthan that reported 37% year-on-year growth in peak demand. Nevertheless, the sudden spike in demand will cool down and supply from thermal sector will improve. For instance, in August, thermal power generation grew at 15% on a year-on-year basis and is expected to remain buoyant with large capacity being underutilized and issues of fuel like coal supply being sorted out. During Aug’17, India's thermal power recorded a PLF of 58% as against 54.38% in Jul’17 and 51.6% last year.

Effectively, the peak spot prices will ease, but they are expected to remain firm at a per unit rate of Rs 3-3.5 on an average basis. Interestingly, barring the short-term reasons like imbalance in demand-supply, the underlying real demand is improving, which is far more important. To put it in perspective, power demand has grown consistently from a growth of 2.7% in June to 5.3% in July and 6% in August.

Power demand is improving post the initial impact of demonetization on the industrial sectors.

Cost of electricity

The cost of electricity can be divided into plant-level costs, grid-level costs, and other costs. Plant-level costs consist of capital, operation and maintenance, and fueling cost. Capital cost is reflected in the cost of generation by way of interest on debt and return on equity. For nuclear power plants, capital cost is high, but fueling cost is low. For coal-fired power plants, capital cost is low, but fueling cost is high.

The capital cost of solar and wind is continuously decreasing; fueling cost is nil. Electricity reaches a consumer through the grid. Laying a grid needs significant investment. A distributor buys electricity from a generator, adds transmission and distribution charges, a charge to recover technical losses, operating expenses, and his profit to determine the tariff to be charged from a consumer. Since several generators are connected to the grid, interaction with the grid and grid-management policies influence the working of a generator. At present, electricity markets do not assign any price to system effects, that is, to the complex interactions among various generators connected to the grid. In recent years, a large capacity based on variable RE (VRE) sources has been connected to the grid. These sources are intermittent, but get priority feed-in due to nil fueling cost. A grid manager must ensure that enough dispatchable generation capacity is connected to the grid to meet the peak load in the evening when solar power is not available.

Dispatchable generation is provided by baseload technologies like coal and nuclear, and by large

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 67

I

ndustry Feature: Thermal Power hydropower.

Grid-level costs have several components: grid connection, grid extension and reinforcement, short-term balancing costs, and long-term costs for maintaining adequate back-up supply. VRE sources demand much higher back-up, grid connection and reinforcement costs. This aspect needs attention during policy formulation. In Dec’16, the CEA issued a draft national electricity plan (DNEP), which refers to system effect and resulting system cost at several places. The emphasis on VRE sources without any investment in energy storage has converted daily load profile for dispatchable generating stations into a “duck curve”, that is, with a reduced electricity load during the day when solar is available and a rapid ramp up in the evening. This lowers the capacity factor of dispatchable generators. The DNEP acknowledges technological and operational challenges posed by the integration of VRE into the grid. It highlights the loss of generation efficiency, high maintenance cost, and higher emissions of combined cycle plants due to cycling and ramping. It details grid integration cost of VRE in qualitative terms.

A recent report by the Department of Energy, U.S., highlights another element that is smoothening of transients in the grid by the inertia of the rotating mass present in thermal power plants, while solar plants have no such feature. System costs have been quantified by the Nuclear Energy Agency of the OECD and differ across countries depending on the extent of presence of sources like natural gas. According to this quantification, system cost of VRE sources is much higher than nuclear and coal. True parity of VRE sources will be achieved only when the sum of generation cost and system cost matches with that from dispatchable sources.

Other costs include those arising from the influence of electricity generation on health, influence on existing generation capacity due to adding new capacity, cost of accidents, security of supplies and net energy gain for society. In the Economic Survey 2016-17 (Volume 2), an attempt has been made to estimate grid-level costs and some other costs. The survey uses the term ‘social cost of carbon’ to represent economic cost of greenhouse gas emissions. It also adds health costs, costs of intermittency, opportunity cost of land, cost of govt incentives and cost arising from stranded assets. It, thus, includes not only system cost, but a significant part of other costs as well. It estimates that the total social cost of renewables was ₹11/kWh, around three times that of coal. Conventional metrics like levelized cost of electricity generation cannot be relied on to compare intermittent and dispatchable electric supply options. India’s electricity requirements

68 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

are enormous. It doesn’t need a ‘technology versus technology’ debate, but a policy framework that integrates all low-carbon energy technologies with coal in a manner that ensures reliability and security of electric supply along with affordability and climateresilient development.

Water Scarcity

As India continues to rely on conventional sources of energy, with thermal power contributing a major proportion of all the electricity produced in the country, acute shortage of water around power plants appears to be having an impact on the power output with India losing about 5,870 MUs of generation due to the non-availability of water till Feb in this financial year. Power minister Piyush Goyal told the Lok Sabha how the loss of generation has actually significantly increased over the past 3 years from 1,258 MUs in 2014-15 to 4,989 MUs in 2015-16 and to 5,870 MUs in the first 10 months of the current fiscal. In order to reduce the need for water in the thermal power plants, over the last 7 years, closed cycle systems were being installed in the new thermal power plants instead of the once-through cooling systems. Besides, other measures for conservation of water have also been initiated and these include the installation of ash water recirculation system, stoppage of discharge from ash pond effluent, adoption of high (65% solids)/medium concentration (38% solids) ash slurry disposal system, maintaining of high cycle of concentration in cooling towers and use of cooling tower blow down for disposal of bottom ash. Together, these measures have been helping bring down the total consumptive water requirement in a closed cycle system for a thermal power plant from 7 metre cube/ MWh to about 3 metre cube/MWh. According to MoP, to tide over their water shortage, some plants like the Pragati Power of IPGCL, Delhi and Rattan India Power Ltd, Nashik and Koradi TPS (3×660 MW) of MAHAGENCO have been using treated sewage water, and as per the new tariff policy of Jan’16, he said the cost incurred on using treated sewage water would be allowed as a pass through in the tariff. To bridge the gap between demand & supply of water in thermal power plants, the power minister said it has been also mandated that the plants located within 50 km radius of sewage treatment plant of municipalities, local bodies or other organizations would also mandatorily use treated sewage water produced by these bodies.

Demand to almost double in next decade

As per the 19th EPS report released by the CEA, the projected electrical energy requirement and peak electricity demand on all-India basis in the year 2026-27 was expected to be 20,47,434 MUs and 2,98,774 MW respectively. Likewise, the energy requirement was expected to be 15,66,023 MUs and 2,25,751 MW in 2021-22. The minister told the house

that as against a total installed capacity of 2,64,624 MW, up to Feb’17, the actual generation in the year 2016-17 was 10,57,745.51 MUs. Thus, the demand for power is all set to surge by nearly 100% by 2026-27. In order to meet this quantum-jump in demand for electricity, the minister said the generation capacity addition has been planned. “The National Electricity Plan, 2012, has projected a generation capacity addition requirement of 86,400 MW from conventional sources during the period 2017-22 to meet the projected demand of electricity for the year 2021-22.” He further added that “thrust is being given to electricity generation from RE sources. Govt has set a target of 175,000 MW of RE by the year 2022.” Apart from this, the Ministry said renovation, modernization and life extension of old, inefficient generating units is being carried out to improve efficiency and better availability of generating units.

As of now, works on augmenting the thermal power generation by 51,218.59 MW, hydro generation by 12,217.5 MW and nuclear generation by 7,700 MW were at various stages of construction. In addition, 44,100 MW additional nuclear capacity has also been identified, for which “in principle” approval has been accorded by the Centre.

Surplus power major problem

Discoms owned by state govts in India are paying for surplus power that they do not use. This has a significant impact on their finances. Surplus power could arise due to a fall in demand, or increase in power supply. Insights from various states show that the burgeoning surplus is more due to the increase in power generation capacity. The existence of a sustained and significant surplus in many states has been, at times, attributed to the increasing migration of industrial consumers away from discoms to gencos.

Since 2003, it is possible for large consumers to buy power directly from power generating CoS through short-term sales, referred to as open access, as well as from captive power plants linked to an industrial unit. However, most states can attribute only 10-20% of backing down (when surplus power cannot be sold, it is backed down, which means power generators lie idle at that time, incurring fixed costs, but generating no electricity) to short-term sales. Additionally, captive power consumption in some surplus states has reduced in the past 5 years. Another reason often cited is sluggish demand due to a slowdown in industrial growth. However, in the past five years, demand growth has fallen only marginally by 0.9% as compared to previous 5 years. The major reason for the sustained surplus power is quite simply the massive capacity addition in the past decade, justified on the basis on high anticipated demand growth.

In the past decade, India has seen a sig. addition of thermal power capacity of about 132 GWs. This is 1.64 times the installed capacity in 2007. Much of ||www.electricalmirror.net||

the capacity addition in the past decade was justified on the basis of high projected demand growth. Most SERC’s have regulations to ensure procurement is based on realistic demand forecasting by discoms.

However, discoms rely on medium & long term demand estimates of the CEA, published as part of the Electric Power Survey every 5 years. The chart below chart shows demand projections from the 13th Electric Power Survey to the most recent 18th Electric Power Survey, published in 2011, spanning the period between 1989-2022. This is compared with the actual demand from 1989-2016, and estimates for 2017.

Over the decades, CEA projections have continually over-estimated demand by 30-40% for long-term projections. Due to revisions every 5 years, the demand projections are regularly tempered, but future demand is still based on unrealistically high growth rates. If distribution companies deviated from Central Electricity Authority projections, it has been to project demand at an even higher rate. Such rates were justified on the basis of economic growth, increased industrial demand due to infrastructure projects, impact of campaigns like ‘Make in India’, and the need for power to ensure uninterrupted supply. Despite the justification, it is curious to note that the contribution of such capacity addition to improving supply quality is still not being assessed.

||www.electricalmirror.net||

Notwithstanding the estimates of future demand, issues with planning power procurement also contributed to surplus power. In many cases, discoms contracted long-term round-the-clock power when there was a need for seasonal and peak power. This is due to the lack of interest among generators to cater to such req’s. Discoms & SERC’s acknowledged the likelihood of contracting surplus power while adding capacity, but relied on the possibility of sale of the surplus capacity to manage this. This strategy, as the first part of this series explained, has not been successful. Discoms also contracted additional capacity to address shortages arising from delays in construction of power plants.

By nature, such shortages are transient, but to meet the need, long- and medium-term contracts were still signed. By the time the delayed and new capacity came online, or was made available, the demandsupply circumstances had changed and the capacity addition contributed to surplus power. Today, most surplus states still expect substantial capacity to be added by the year 2022 as shown in the table below.

In states with significant surplus, the thermal, hydro and nuclear capacity expected by 2022 is about 20% to 30% of the current contracted capacity. In states such as Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the expected capacity is 50-120% of the current contracted capacity. In the same period, states are also committed to adding massive RE capacity. Even if 40% to 60% of the renewable capacity target is met, it will have a substantial impact on backing down. The capacity addition combined with a fall in demand due to rising sales migration will result in more and more surplus power, which will be difficult to manage. To avoid future surplus, distribution companies must conduct robust planning exercises that include separate medium- and long-term forecasts that take into account sales migration, the impact of energy efficiency efforts, tariff elasticity of demand and grid integration of RE. Discoms should also take stock of the status of upcoming capacity as well as existing contracts. Power procurement accounts for 75% of all costs of distribution companies, and has an impact on consumers. Therefore, such an exercise should be conducted every alternate year through a process akin to the tariff determination process. Thus, capacity addition plans of distribution companies should be made publicly available, and should be subject to regulatory and public scrutiny through public hearings. Any new power purchase agreements should be signed by distribution companies and approved by SERCs only after such an extensive review is conducted.

Additionally, such a process should form the basis for firm and timely exit for delayed projects, if needed. The problem of surplus power will be difficult to address in the years to come on account of resource lock-ins, legal hurdles and huge investments. Therefore, it is imperative that surplus is not managed but avoided.

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 69

G

uest Article

Get Control Through Touch and Fuel Optimisation As a global supplier of green, safe and reliable energy control solutions, DEIF takes responsibility for design, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance, offering end-to-end solutions, energy management and customer’s comfort throughout the life-cycle of the project. DEIF solutions are designed for facilities to function smoothly and efficiently.

Our revolutionary products and applications are the result of many years of research, development and craving for betterment.

In today’s demanding and fast changing world, the only thing that is constant is the need to identify new means to improve operational proficiencies, especially when dealing with electrical power. DEIF offers innovative solution that gives Power in Control at the touch of a screen.

Combining the intelligent and fuel optimised power management system with interactive & elegant human machine interface, DEIF’s solution can let the power plant operators monitor and control power plants with large number of generators from one location.

The strong communication capabilities let the data flow to the HMI and also get seamlessly integrated with the Building Management System or Plant SCADA to give a comprehensive overview.

For smaller installations, it is possible to even integrate third party equipment in to the DEIF network to display relevant information.

Interactive & Elegant HMI Solution

We have a comprehensive HMI solution, DEIF’s Advanced Graphical Interface - AGI 400 series, that allows the user to view the entire system on a single screen thus facilitating convenient and effective monitoring and control of all systems such as fire alarm & extinguishing systems, heating, ventilation & air-conditioning systems, access control, CCTV monitoring, evacuation or any other third party systems and critical parameters simultaneously; from a remote location at the touch of the graphical user interface.

Benefits of AGI 400 • State-of-the-art HMI for central or remote control and monitoring of mission critical facilities such as Hospitals, Data Centres etc., by integrating with Building Management System • Power management systems – control and supervision: one point management, control and supervision of multiple gensets and bus tie breakers.

• Possibility of individual system control • Graphical interface – mechanical and electrical systems: system overviews for mechanical and electrical equipment. Trend measured values to monitor operation performance or when carrying out fault-finding procedures.

• Effective monitoring of power generation and consumption • Improved plant reliability and life • Alarm – handling and monitoring: view historical alarm data and accept active alarms.

• User friendly interfaces increase personnel productivity • Effective reduction of downtime risk • Eliminates the need for other instruments, saving space and wiring • Connects to all DEIF controllers and non-DEIF controllers via TCP/ IP/Modbus communication protocols enabling it’s use as a small SCADA system • Available in 7", 10", 15" and 21" sizes • Advanced programming tool, DEIF Screen Designer software that allows you to simulate and customise your project on your PC in design phase • Multiple levels of user authorization and password protection to safeguard your application and project files

AGC 200 – Fuel Optimised Power Management Solution

Fuel costs are on the rampant rise day by day, which means your genset operating costs will keep on increasing dramatically, thus effectively sustaining loss of net profits.

Introduction of DEIF’s Advanced Genset Controller, AGC 200 into your system helps you to save fuel costs through fuel optimisation technology.

In fuel optimisation mode, unequally rated genset in a system will start and stop in the best possible combination for a given load, based on their actual nominal power generating capacity.

The advanced genset controller series integrates all necessary functions for superior genset protection, monitoring & control and stands out for its reliability & operator-friendliness.

70 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

||www.electricalmirror.net||

• Priority selection (fuel optimisation, relative running hours, absolute running hours, manual) • User-programmable logic (M-Logic) • Configurable inputs/outputs • Engine, generator and load protection • J1939 engine communication, supporting 11 different engine brands with the ability to easily handle other engine brands • Remote control via high speed TCP/IP , RS485 Modbus or GSM modem • Multi-language interface • 40°C operation temperature • IP 66 protection • Lifetime logging stored on SD cardw

Other features of AGC 200 • • • • •

Contact us For further information or any other questions you may have, don’t hesitate to contact us on (+91) 22 4245 2000 or please feel free to write us at india@deif.com.

We look forward to working with you.

Multiple operating modes in one software Synchronisation of up to 56 breakers in one plant Multi-master power management Load-dependent start and stop Load management

MECO MULTIFUNCTION POWER & ENERGY MONITOR - MODEL “MFM-96S” “MECO” Multifunction Power & Energy Monitor, Model : “MFM-96S” Microcontroller based with MODBUS RTU Protocol is indigenously designed, tooled and manufactured by the R & D Department of MECO and Competitively Priced.

“MFM-96S” eliminate using conventional panel with 10 different meters. It save more then 50% of the cost in panel, as it reduce size of panel, with One MFM-96S having 10 parameters and very little wiring.

“MFM-96S” is built with 4 rows, Super Bright Red LED Displays with 4 Digits Resolution and 8 Digit Resolution (Energy Import-Export - 4 Quadrant operations). It has Inbuilt Memory to store CTR, PTR, Inst. Address, Password & Energy Reset facility.

“MFM-96S” has Simultaneous Display of 10 Parameters, 48 Values on 16

||www.electricalmirror.net||

Pages for Voltage, Current, Active Power, Reactive Power, Apparent Power, Frequency, Power Factor, Active Energy, Reactive Energy & Apparent Energy (Import / Export - 4 Quadrant operations).

TRMS Measurement, 3Phase 3Wire / 3Phase 4 Wire (User Selectable) CTR, PTR, Instruments address, Password Protected, Energy Reset & Auto / Manual Scroll Display (Programmable) are key features of “MFM-96S”.

“MFM-96S” is Ideal to monitor & acquire Power Data from Generator, Remote Monitoring, Building Management System, PLC’s / SCADA application, Energy Audit, QC Testing, Power Management, etc.

RS485 Port with MODBUS Protocol & Power Master Software to store parameters on the PC is optional.

Product Name

MECO MULTIFUNCTION POWER & ENERGY MONITOR

Words

306 For Details Please Visit : Website : www.mecoinst.com

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 71

P

roduct Info

The FLIR DM166 is the most affordable multimeter with built-in thermal imaging – a must-have tool for commercial electricians, automation, electronics, and HVAC technicians. Featuring Infrared Guided Measurement (IGM™) powered by an 80 x 60 FLIR thermal imager, the DM166 visually guides you to the precise location of temperature anomalies and potential problems faster, more safely, and efficiently. The feature-packed multimeter is an ideal tool for troubleshooting and diagnosing

FLIR DM166 IMAGING TRMS MULTIMETER complex issues in both high-voltage and low-voltage applications.It includes the essential measurement features you demand from a multimeter including True RMS AC/DC voltage and current, non-contact voltage detection, VFD mode, and more. Thermal imaging – IR Resolution 60 x 80 pixels with temperature range of -10 to 150 deg C and fixed focus. The DM166 is the most affordable multimeter with built-in thermal imaging to date.

For more information, please contact us at: FLIR Systems India Pvt. Ltd. 1111, D Mall, Netaji Subhash Place, Pitampura New Delhi - 110034 Tel: +91-11-45603555 Fax: +91-11-47212006 E mail : flirindia@flir.com.hk Website : www.flir.in

THE SLIM SERIES FOR A WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATIONS The 3100 series sets new standards for signal conditioning with 6 mm devices Adding value to factory and Process Automation.

High reliability at low prices

Our innovative microprocessor technology (Patent Pending #PA 2010 00359) ensures high accuracy, short response time, low temperature coefficient and good linearity - at an incredibly competitive price!

The world’s lowest noise emission

Our spread spectrum technology (Patent Pending #PA 2010 00360) ensures that the noise emission of the devices is uniquely

low - and thus far below the limits of the EMC directive.

Applications

• Packaging • Material handling • Printing and paper industry • Automotive industry • Robotics • Building automation and HVAC • Industrial cleaning • Shipbuilding • Test panels • Wood industry • Power production • Process automation • DCS manufacturing and PLC integration It is the result of our long experience with high-quality signal conditioning - and that expertise gives you.

5337D- 2-WIRE TRANSMITTER WITH HART® PROTOCOL PR offers a wide range of analogue and digital signal conditioning devices for industrial automation. The product range includes Isolators, Displays, Ex Interfaces, Temperature Transmitters, and Universal Devices. You can trust our products in the most extreme environments with electrical noise, vibrations and temperature fluctuations, and all products comply with the most exacting international standards. »Signals the Best « is the epitome of our philosophy – and your guarantee for quality.

• Rtd, Tc, Ohm, And Bipolar Mv Input • 2 Analogue Inputs And 5 Device Variables With Status Available • Art® Protocol Revision Selectable From Hart® 5 Or Hart® 7 72 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

• Hardware Assessed For Use In Sil Applications • Mounting In Hazardous Gas And Dust Area For Further Details Contact :

Toshniwal Hyvac Pvt Ltd 267,Kilpauk Garden Road Chennai - 600010 Contact: +91 44 26445626 /8983 Email :sales@toshniwal.net Web: www.toshniwal.net

||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 73

Tenders Ref. Number :

26386649

Ref. Number :

26458572

Ref. Number :

25300405

Requirement :

Upgradation of power infrastructure of Chingus Shrines in district on turnkey basis

Requirement :

Temporary Electricity arrangement on Shri Shri 1008 Baba Mathardev Mela ground.

Requirement :

EPC Package for Solar PV Power Project (7 MWp).

Closing Date :

15/12/2017

Document Fees :

INR 1,000

Document Fees :

INR 2,000

Location :

Chhattisgarh - India

EMD :

INR 7,000

Tender Estimated Cost :

INR 350,000 Ref. Number :

25664472

Closing Date :

14/12/2017

Requirement :

Location :

Madhya Pradesh - India

Set up 2 x 800 MW capacity thermal power project.

Document Fees :

INR 100,000

Closing Date :

2/01/2018

Location :

Jharkhand - India

Ref. Number :

25865285

Requirement :

Main Plant Turnkey Package for Extension Unit No. 5 (1 x 660 MW, Super Critical) of Sagardighi Thermal Power Project.

Closing Date :

30/01/2018

Location :

West Bengal - India

Ref. Number :

24256986

Requirement :

Request For Proposal-Rfp- For Biogas Based Power Generation Projects.

Closing Date :

30/11/2017

Location :

Haryana - India

Ref. Number :

25705875

Requirement :

Request For Proposal For Engineering, Procurement And Construction Package (epc) For Mawar I (2 X 2.25mw) Small Hydro Electric Project .

Closing Date :

30/11/2017

Location :

Jammu-kashmir - India

EMD :

INR 130,000

Tender Estimated Cost :

INR 6,500,000

Closing Date :

19/12/2017

Document Sale To :

19/12/2017

Location :

Jammu-kashmir - India

Ref. Number :

26421871

Requirement :

Pre contract engineering service for 16 MW co generation power project.

Pre contract engineering services for 22 MW co generation power project.

Tender Estimated Cost :

INR 6,500,000

Closing Date :

22/12/2017

Location :

Jammu-kashmir - India

Ref. Number :

26194518

Requirement :

Annual Repair Contract of Power Plants in GM MS OM

Document Fees :

INR 590

EMD :

INR 48,000

Tender Estimated Cost :

INR 2,400,000

Closing Date :

23/12/2017

Location :

Uttar Pradesh - India

Ref. Number :

26182408

Requirement :

Annual Maintenance Contract of Power Plant in SSA

Document Fees :

INR 590

EMD :

INR 21,500

Tender Estimated Cost :

INR 860,000

Closing Date :

18/12/2017

Document Sale To :

18/12/2017

Location :

Uttar Pradesh - India

74 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

Ref. Number :

24106340

Requirement :

Leasing Out The Existing 10mw Bio-Mass Plant At Jalkheri On Renovate, Operate & Transfer (rot) Basis

Document Fees :

INR 100,000

EMD :

INR 5,000,000

Closing Date :

3/01/2018

Location :

Punjab - India

Ref. Number :

26131391

Requirement :

Routine mtc. of micro hydel channel & Power House at GGSSTP.

Document Fees :

INR 1,000

Closing Date :

21/12/2017

Location :

Punjab - India

Ref. Number :

26413830

Requirement :

Site, Inspection, Verification, Erection, Testing, Commissioning And Handing Over Of 400kv Pothead Yard Of Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project (4x180mw), Trongsa, Bhutan.

EMD :

INR 192,060

Closing Date :

20/12/2017

Document Sale To :

20/12/2017

Ref. Number :

25787199

Location :

Delhi - India

Requirement :

Development of Waste to Energy (WtE) Processing Facilities on PPP basis for ULB

Ref. Number :

25664472

Document Fees :

INR 23,600

Requirement :

Set up 2 x 800 MW capacity thermal power project.

EMD :

INR 5,000,000

INR 100,000

Tender Estimated Cost :

INR 870,000,000

Document Fees : Closing Date :

2/01/2018

Closing Date :

30/11/2017

Location :

Jharkhand - India

Document Sale To :

30/11/2017

Location :

Uttar Pradesh - India

||www.electricalmirror.net||

Projects | Private Sector | Jammu-kashmir - India | PID: 170627 | IMP Powers Ltd has successfully commissioned & inaugurated Small Hydro Power Project at Bairas, Drass, Kargil on 20th November 2017 | Updated on: 24 - Nov - 2017 |

Earlier this year, GE had said it would modernise NTPC’s three 200-MW Ansaldo steam turbines with Advanced Steam Path (ASP) technology at the Ramagundam station. The upgrades will increase turbine output and improve efficiency and flexibility | Updated on: 22 - Nov - 2017 |

| Central Government/Public Sector | Uttar Pradesh - India | PID: 170641 | Power Grid Corporation is set to sign the joint venture (JV) agreement with the Uttar Pradesh government to strengthen the intra-state transmission network The network will help meet power demands from the agriculture and residential segments, as they are expected to see high growth over the next five years Once the JV is signed in December 2017, projects worth Rs 4,000 crore will be handed out. The projects will include 12-15 transmission elements such as 765 kV, 40 kV, 220 kV and 132 kV lines and substations Some of the expected projects that will be awarded include Sangli, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Ballia, Jaunpur and Varanasi. The project funding will be done on a 50:50 basis

by Power Grid and the state government. The JV will have a debt equity ratio of 70:30 The UP Electricity board has given its approval and Power Grid plans to raise funds for the project in January 2018 The strengthening of the transmission network in UP will take anywhere between 24 to 36 months, depending on their awards The company has also received a repeat order of Rs 2,000 crore after a successful JV with Bihar Grid Transmission Company Some other states that are likely to move early on strengthening the power network include Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand with potential transmission projects worth Rs 1,50,000 crore | Updated on: 24 - Nov - 2017 | State Government | Gujarat - India | PID: 170611 | NTPC Limited, GE and Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited have said that the steam turbine modernisation project has improved efficiency at the Ukai power station A company statement said that after the plant modernisation project, the plant efficiency has increased by 5.5 per cent The retrofit will extend the unit’s life by 25 years, and it restored its output back to its original capacity of 200 MW. Final tests at Ukai’s plant displayed more efficient operations that will help the plant reduce its coal consumption by more than 140,000 tons per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 180,000 tons per year Reducing coal consumption will result in approximately $7 million savings for the utility every year, the statement added. The project was completed on May this year

Private Sector | Gujarat - India | PID: 170502 | Tata Power Renewable Energy (TPREL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian energy giant Tata Power, has commissioned a 25MW solar PV plant in Charanka, at the Gujarat Solar Park The project was won via a competitive auction in November 2016 under India’s National Solar Mission with viability gap funding (VGF) The project is spread over 46 hectares and it has a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) at a tariff of INR4.43/kWh (US$0.068) TPREL's total installed operating capacity now stands at 1,484 MW Rahul Shah, chief executive of TPREL, said: "As always, we will continue to look for opportunities to acquire operating wind and solar plants, apart from our own organic growth pipeline, to grow our generation portfolio Last week, Tata also announced that it had commissioned a 30 MW solar project in Palaswade in the state of Maharashtra | Updated on: 18 - Nov - 2017 | Central Government/Public Sector | Jharkhand - India | PID:| 170432 Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, a subsidiary of NTPC, have signed a loan agreement for Patratu Super Thermal Power project The loan agreement has been signed to establish the 3x800 MW Patratu Super Thermal Power project Phase-I in Jharkhand The project worth Rs 18,668 crore is funded in debt:equity ratio of 75:25 and Rs 14,000 crore. REC, being the sole lender of the project, will sanction the entire debt component of the plant | Updated on: 16 - Nov - 2017 | State Government | Uttar Pradesh - India | PID: 170411 | Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today inspected a thermal power plant in Sonbhadra district, saying the review was carried out to prevent a repeat of an accident like that in NTPCs Unchahar plant Earlier this month, a massive explosion in a boiler at the plant of the state-run power giant killed 26 people and left several injured The chief minister took stock of the workings of the A, B and D units of the Anpara Thermal Power Project, which are owned by the UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, and also of the C unit, which is owned by a

private company, an official release said here The inspection programme was chalked out to see the style of working and to know the problems, so that incident like one in Unchahar does not occur here," he said The state government wants to make electricity available to citizens at cheaper rates. Hence, all the production units must remain functional to their full capacities," the chief minister said after the seventh unit of the D unit tripped repeatedly during the inspection This indicated laxity and the chief minister directed senior officials to maintain vigil, the release said To make UP a prosperous state and make employment available to youngsters as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making electricity available 24 hours is necessary.The state government is making efforts to generate adequate electricity in the state, and provide electricity to industries, farmers and citizens at cheaper rates along with better electricity supply," he said The chief minister said, "Contribution of Anpara Thermal Power Project is the highest in power production in the state. This project is also successful in generating the cheapest power in the state | Updated on: 14 - Nov - 2017 | Central Government/Public Sector | Mizoram - India | PID: 170807 |State-owned engineering firm Bhel said that it has commissioned the second unit of the Tuirial Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Mizoram The unit has been commissioned

by Bhel in less than a 100 days of the commissioning of the first one, Bhel said Located in Kolasib district of Mizoram, the greenfield project of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO) has been set up on the river Tuirial Power generation from Tuirial HEP will contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and contribute towards achieving a low carbon development path for the nation, Bhel said The order for Electrical & Mechanical (E&M) works for two units of 30 MW each was placed on Bhel by NEEPCO for their design, manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning Other hydro projects of NEEPCO, commissioned

by Bhel, include the 3x135 MW Ranganadi HEP in Arunachal Pradesh and the 4x50 MW Kopili HEP in Assam In the North Eastern states, the Bhel has installed over 3,200 MW of power generating capacity, accounting for more than 75 per cent of the total installed capacity in the region Bhel is executing HEPs of around 3,100 MW in the country, in addition to 2,940 hydro projects in Bhutan. More than 500 hydro electric power generation sets with a cumulative capacity of more than 29,000 MW of various ratings have been contracted on Bhel, including 5,700 MW for overseas projects | Updated on: 29 - Nov - 2017 |

Get access to 70 Lakh+ New Government & Private Tenders Annualy only on www.TenderTiger.com ProcureTiger helps buyers in automating his purchase & sales using tools like eRFQ, eTendering, Reverse Auction, Forward Auction, eAuction, Indent Management, Contract Management etc.

Looking for Tenders Services?

For more details please contact to +91-9825079334 or mail us on sales@TenderTiger.com OR register at www.TenderTiger.com

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 75

2nd Solar Today Expo ................................................................................ 65

Meco Meters Pvt. Ltd. ................................................................................ 15

ABB India Ltd. ........................................................................................... BC

Mersen India Pvt. Ltd. .............................................................................

17

Automation Expo 2018 .............................................................................. 31

Next Gen Equipments Pvt. Ltd. ...............................................................

77

DEIF India Pvt. Ltd. ................................................................................... 07

Middle East Electricity .............................................................................

73

Elecrama 2018 ........................................................................................... 80

Omicron Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd. ........................................................

43

FLIR Systems India Pvt. Ltd ..................................................................... FC

Power Finance Corporation Ltd..................................................................

01

Green-Watt Techno Solutions Pvt. Ltd. ..................................................... FG

Quippo Energy Ltd. ..................................................................................

05

HPL Electric & Power Ltd. ......................................................................... IFC

Scope T & M Pvt. Ltd. ............................................................................

03

Heatflex Cables Pvt. Ltd ............................................................................ IBC

Toshniwal Hyvac Pvt. Ltd. .......................................................................

25

Indian Oil ................................................................................................... 09

Vishay Components India Pvt. Ltd. .........................................................

63

Indian Transformers & Electricals .............................................................. 21

The Motwane MFG. Co. Pvt. Ltd. ............................................................

79

KLJ Polymers & Chemical India ................................................................ 23

Trinity Touch Pvt. Ltd. .............................................................................

41

Mahindra Powerol ...................................................................................... 49

76 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 77

EVENT DIARY March 05–09 2018 New Delhi, India

www.isgw.in

ISGF is a public private partnership initiative of Govt. of India with the mandate of accelerating smart grid deployments across the country.

With 180+ members comprising of ministries, utilities, technology providers, academia and research, ISGF has evolved as a Think-Tank of global repute on Smart Energy and Smart Cities.

February 20–21 2018 SOUTH AFRICA

www.africaenergyindaba.com The Africa Energy Indaba Exhibition is highly relevant to companies actively involved in all areas relating to showcasing solutions for the benefit of Africa. This extends to services for major energy projects on the continent, rural energy solutions, urbanization and energy needs and the renewable & sustainable energy industry and the management thereof.

December 3-5 2017

Cairo International Convention Centre, Egypt

www.solartecegypt.com

Solar-Tec, co-located with Electricx, is North Africa’s leading solar energy exhibition. The event attracts a large

December 5–7, 2017

Bombay Exhibition Centre, Hall 1, Mumbai www.intersolar.in

Intersolar India is the country’s largest exhibition and conference for the solar industry. It takes place annually at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) in Mumbai.

May 03-05 2018

January 19-21 2018

www.solartech-exhibition.net

Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai www.ii.co.in

SOUTH AFRICA

An annual gathering and market place for international manufacturers & suppliers to showcase their latest product equipment, tools and technology in solar power and PV technology to the professional audiences maintenance professional audiences form across Asia and other countries.

Jan 05-07 2018

Akota Stadium, Vadodara

www.electromationindia.com We are dynamic group of people and we are best in creative, innovative and unique approach. We believe in creating WIN-WIN Situation with clients, suppliers and service providers.

78 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

The Indian Society of Lighting Engineers has great pleasure in presenting the LIGHT INDIA INTERNATIONAL 2018, at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India during 19-21 January 2018.

March 06-08 2018

MARCH 10-14 2018

India Expo Mart Greater Noida www. elecrama.com

The biggest showcase of the world of electricity, ELECRAMA brings together the complete spectrum of solutions that powers the planet. Featuring not just equipment & technology, but peerless thought leadership platforms for everything electric – from technical conferences to industry summits.

April 10-12 2018

Bangalore International Exhibition Center, Bengalura-India www.solartodayexpo.com

All the shows will host leading players in solar energy sector, LED & Battery Industry that will include manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, Distributors, R & D, Technologies, consultants from India and Overseas.

May 23-25 2018

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India www.solarindiaexpo.com

Over 300 million people still have no access to electricity, which is why solar power is being seen as a viable, long-term source of clean energy.

June 14-16 2018

Dubai World Trade Centre, Uae www.middleeastelectricity.com

Chennai Trade Center, Chennai www.elecxpo.in

MEE is the region’s leading international trade event for the power industry, with dedicated product sectors for power generation, transmission & distribution, lighting, solar and brand new in 2018 - Energy Storage & Management Solutions.

The Indian Society of Lighting Engineers has great pleasure in presenting the LIGHT INDIA INTERNATIONAL 2018, at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India during 19-21 January 2018.

||www.electricalmirror.net||

||www.electricalmirror.net||

ELECTRICAL MIR ROR || DECEMBER 2017 79

80 DECEMBER 2017 || ELECTRICAL MIR R OR

||www.electricalmirror.net||

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; PQCR family for enhanced power quality.

PQCR family comprises of stepless reactive power and harmonics compensators that enhance the power quality and energy efficiency in low voltage electrical network. They work on Voltage Source Converters (VSC) technology, using high power IGBTs and low loss capacitors. The PQCR family can provide solutions suitable for dynamic and highly fluctuating loads in large industries like automotive, steel, pulp and paper, as well as for renewables. At low voltage level, PQCR family consists of PQCR, which is the base product and PQCR+ with additional harmonics mitigation feature.

Power quality is key to improving network availability and reliability. As a world leader in power and automation technologies, ABB offers a wide range of products, systems and services that improve power quality across the power value chain in low, medium and high-voltage applications, helping shape a stronger, smarter and greener grid. www.abb.com