An innovative smart grid solution developed by two UK-based companies will help provide cleaner, more reliable power to millions of people in the state of Tamil Nadu, Southern India.
Enzen and Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS), a clean energy tech company based in Glasgow, are collaborating on India’s first ever Active Network Management (ANM) project for Tamil Nadu electricity company TANTRANSCO.
The ANM system developed by SGS will maximise the potential of Tamil Nadu’s extensive wind and
solar energy resources. As on January 2020, the state had 14.2 GW of installed renewable energy
capacity (higher than that of nations such as Denmark and Sweden), which equates to 43% of the
total installed energy capacity of the state.
The ANM system will enable TANTRANSCO to perform active real-time, autonomous renewable
energy generation control ie. connecting and managing separate devices like solar panels and wind
turbines across the grid to ensure they’re being used efficiently and within operational limits.
This will stabilise the grid while minimising curtailment ie. when renewable energy is purposefully
reduced to ensure the grid remains balanced. The outcome will be a smarter electricity grid in Tamil
Nadu which delivers more reliable, efficient power to millions of people, reduces carbon emissions and
decreases TANTRANSCO’s operational expenditure, infrastructure costs and technical losses.
An example of how Enzen uses best-in-class international knowledge to meet specific customer needs
at a local level, the partnership combines SGS’s innovative ANM Starta and Element solutions with
Enzen’s previous on-the-ground experience of smart grids in India. The project will pave the way for
better management of renewable resources across the transmission network for all state and central
TRANSCOs in future.
Alan Gooding, Executive Director at SGS, says: “We are delighted to contribute to this ground-breaking development in India’s power grid. The prize of low-cost, quicker and more flexible renewable generation connections and operation will further advance India’s clean energy goals.
“Our ANM products are already proven in highly demanding applications in the UK and US, providing
a highly secure means of extending renewable hosting capacity and enhancing grid modernisation,
decarbonisation and flexibility. We look forward to playing our role in the energy transition in India with our valued partner Enzen and with forward-looking customers such as TANTRANSCO.”
Sanjay Neogi, Head of Enzen in the UK and Europe, comments: “We are extremely happy to be selected to implement this ANM solution, the first initiative of its kind in India. Enzen believes in leveraging best-in-class technology from across the globe to meet local needs, and that’s why we’ve
collaborating with Smarter Grid Solutions in this way.
“We are delivering an innovative solution that addresses the challenge of seamlessly integrating
renewable power to the electricity grid in Tamil Nadu. The pilot is an important step in maximising
renewable energy uptake by the grid, and realising the full benefit of renewable energy for electricity
companies, project developers and communities in the state.”
