Going green with efficient and sustainable switchgears

Experts from the electrical industry elaborates on how digitalisation, innovation and sustainable technologies are enabling switchgears go green.

Supported by the government’s vision and the positive intent of the industry players to reap maximum benefits of the digital wave, India is ready to take giant leaps in the power sector. Switchgears play a critical part in the power transmission and distribution network of the country by monitoring, regulating, protecting and isolating electrical equipment throughout the grid.

Present market trends in switchgears 

The Indian switchgear market is slated to grow at a CAGR of 6.7 percent by 2026 as per a report by 6Wresearch. As India gears up to ride the digital technology-led revolution powered by schemes like smart cities, UDAY, Power for All, electrification of rural areas, and the government’s thrust on electric vehicles, smart grid technology would prove to be the backbone of the power supply value chain.

According to Latish Babu, Director, Power & Grid Segment, Schneider Electric India, “To fully channelise the advantages of smart-grid capabilities, we need digitally intelligent, smart switchgears that are compact, flexible, reliable, easy to install and able to endure harsh environments. Therefore, increased emphasis on smart grids would lead to an exponential growth of the Indian switchgear market.” Growing commercial sector and large scale government investments in power utility projects would lead to the demand for medium and high voltage switchgear. 

According to Gautam Seth, Joint Managing Director, HPL Electrical & Power Ltd., “The ongoing covid-19 pandemic has impacted the switchgear market globally. If we talk about domestic LV switchgear market, 60 percent of switchgear revenue and business comes from projects in the industrial sector. Whereas, the MV switchgear business is project based and due to COVID-19, many industrial, residential and commercial projects are progressing at a slow pace which has affected the MV Switchgear market. 

Making smart and efficient switchgear with Digitisation 

We are rapidly pivoting towards Industry 4.0 with smarter and intelligent solutions to achieve maximum efficiency through digitalisation. The role of smart switchgears in smooth and efficient power transmission and distribution is invaluable. The ability to remotely monitor the smart switchgears increase safety and productivity. The enhanced connectivity and communication capability of these switchgears make it easier to monitor the flow of current, power consumption and quality in real-time.

“Smart switchgears have made it possible to harness the value of data in power supply. Through advanced data processing, they can prepare for any unforeseen irregularities and predict any shortcomings in the system. Supported by IoT, smart switchgears also play the role of a technological vigilante by spotting errors and malfunctions beforehand, thereby preventing system failure and minimising energy losses and cost,” says Babu. Further, smart and intelligent switchgears free the customer of hassles around maintenance. With information just a click away, customers can plan their maintenance schedule well in advance. 

Switchgears and control market is evolving digitally nowa-days. As switchgear need digital intelligence so utilities can view and measure what is going on with the network more frequently. This enables a greater degree of control. Digital intelligence is the major part that can help in remote controlling. The customers can track their usage pattern; start generating data analytics on it. This will improve efficiency for the users in the area of industry, infrastructure or buildings. 

Whereas, Seth explains that the digitalisation of electrical distribution is ordained to improve operations and increased flexibility throughout the power value chain. Digital switchgear contributes momentously to increase operational efficiency by optimising switchgear footprint in substation room and by using the energy efficiently for switch gear.” For example, in medium-voltage switchgear at 11 kV consisting of 30 panels, the width can be reduced by around 7 percent and switchgear energy consumption can be reduced by approximately 300MWh during its lifetime. 

Key challenges in the switchgears market 

The lifespan of switchgear exceeds more than 25 years thereby increasing challenges around its maintenance, safety, productivity, and efficiency. Here, Babu tells us that ageing switchgear not only hampers the performance of the system but also impacts the financial viability of a facility. Outdated equipment negatively impacts the environment and that is a risk we cannot afford anymore. Further, the stringency of not upgrading the existing switchgear is a major challenge thwarting the growth of the energy industry.

Today, it is more important than ever to introduce sustainable practices in every sphere of our lifestyle. Industries are no exception either. “With advancements in technology, it has become easier to upgrade and retrofit existing electrical systems. Contrary to popular belief, the cost of upgrading to modern technology is quite feasible”, adds Babu. 

Seth, on the other hand underlines, the switchgear market dependence is primarily on the projects globally implemented and procured by the government agencies majorly followed by private sector. “The slow or non-allocation of funds impact the most. COVID-19 has undoubtedly impeded the growth market had in previous years. The increase in raw material cost has added another hurdle in progress along with fuel price increase affecting transportation,” Seth adds.

Emerging opportunities for advanced switchgears 

The dependence on SF6, a greenhouse gas for the production of switchgears poses a great threat to our environment. It possesses an atmospheric life span of 3,200 years and a global warming potential stronger than CO2 by 23,500 times. The latest UN report has sounded alarm bells for urgent action on climate change mitigation. 

Adding focus to Schneider’s products to this segment, Babu says, “In a bid to strengthen mankind’s efforts in saving the planet, Schneider Electric has launched its range of SF6-free, SM AirSeTTM switchgear. This range presents a leap forward moment for sustainability and includes modular air-insulated switchgear to deliver enhanced efficiency and safety.” We believe that the SF6 free switchgears would catalyse the process of decarbonisation and help us to collectively meet our climate goals. 

The right technology can smoothen the transition of the switchgear market towards sustainability with ease. Still, today we can find many systems around the world that are built using SF6 insulated switchgears. On average, typical switchgear contains 1 kg of SF6 inside it. Therefore, it is essential to safely dispose of the SF6 switchgears, without releasing the gas into the atmosphere as its toxic byproducts adversely impact human health. 

Schneider Electric provides bold but scientific solutions to support the journey of its partners towards sustainability. Further emphasising on Schneider’s offerings, Babu says “We offer safe removal and disposal of SF6 with proper certifications. Marking a shift from ‘rip and replace’ attitude, we provide retrofit solutions by upgrading the existing system with green-compliant components. Installing green premium products that embrace the values of circular economy, ensures that we move beyond the ‘take, make and dispose’ industrial model. This is Schneider Electric’s three-pronged sustainability approach to paint the switchgear market green. 

Noting the opportunities and challenges Seth explain us “Today the sector is leaning towards digitisation and smart technology. Smart switchgears offer advanced protection and high-end energy monitoring systems that can communicate with a local PC as well as Web-based Network to monitor energy consumption status.” These energy management solutions are available with smart controllers having high-end features that are required for Intelligent Power distribution and energy management for Smart City. 

Switchgear market is adopting IoT technologies in its upcoming products segments to cater to the evolving needs. Technologies such as IoT, Big data, cloud-based data management are playing a huge part in development of futuristic infrastructure that include the latest products in switchgear and control technology segment. “The industry is also seeing the emergence of new business models such as pay as you save (PAYS). The switchgear is turning intrinsically intelligent, allowing foreboding maintenance,” comments Seth. 

There will also be concurrence of switchgear devices, integrating intelligence and increased safety features. The devices will be merged into each other. This would result in the reduction in footprint of the switchboard resulting in space saving and energy saving.

Growth drivers for switchgears in the electrical and energy sector 

Globally, India has the fifth largest installed capacity of renewable energy and this is only going to grow further. This will translate into the increased deployment of smart switchgear as the availability of real-time data would be critical. A report from Research and Markets predicts that the Indian switchgear industry is poised to reach $3.7 billion by 2022. 

“The confluence of ‘industry and information’, along with heightened impetus on energy management for creating a sustainable future is rapidly transforming the electrical industry. Smart switchgear is a total game changer as it can understand the intricacies of the electrical system thereby improving its efficiency and safety. The role of smart switchgears would take precedence with the growing integration of renewable energy into the grid”, notes Babu. 

Further, the digitisation of the power supply chain offers countless benefits to the consumer. Smart switchgears increase the safety of the electrical system and significantly lower the power bills. They are easy to install and maintain. Switchgear modernisation translates to 30 percent in cost savings. Such incentives are bound to encourage the industry players to switch to smart switchgears and embrace the digital wave. 

The way forward 

The growing energy demands due to rapid urbanisation, infrastructure development, industrialisation, rural electrification are propelling the demand for switchgears. Specifically programmes like Power for All, Make in India, the integrated Power Development Scheme and the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana are expected to increase the demand of power transmission and distribution (T&D) network equipments in the coming years, this will boost growth opportunities for switchgear manufacturers. 

Increasing awareness about the benefits of switchgears would fuel its growth in the domestic segment. People are becoming more conscious about their safety. The ability of switchgears to avoid fire accidents and protect human life gives them an edge over conventional fuses. In India, the domestic segment is going to drive the demand for LV switchgears in years to come.