Efficient power infrastructure can optimise load management in transmission lines

Impending growth in power generation and the push for integrating renewable energy generation for efficient power distribution further call for adding efficiencies and capacities of transmission lines to obtain maximum power distribution and minimum power losses. 

India intends to add 27,000 Ckm of interstate power transmission network by 2024. 6,500 Ckm have already been laid out. This expansion strategy will help India meet its ambitious goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity.

India’s sufficient transmission capacity has been planned to evacuate power from generating stations to load centres, including strengthening the existing transmission system. Compared to the target of 19255 Ckm and 81545 MVA for 2021-22, 12719 Ckm of transmission lines and 69592 MVA of transformation capacity have been installed (up to 28.02.22). In India, approximately 17,500 km of transmission lines and 80,000 MVA of transformation capacity are expected to be added annually over the next three years.

Impacts of urbanisation and modernisation on transmission lines

The Power Ministry’s plans to augment the transmission line and substation infrastructure to strengthen the National Grid is a step in the right direction. KEC has a diverse presence across India and works closely with PGCIL, various state electricity boards and private players in the power infrastructure space. With the central government continuing to award a significant chunk of new projects through the TBCB route, we are witnessing increased participation from private players. Several states are also adopting this route for their upcoming projects to upgrade and augment intra-state transmission networks. 

On this note, according to Neeraj Nanda, President – South Asia (T&D, Solar & Smart Infra), KEC International, “Setting up ultramega solar power parks and solar & wind energy zones in renewable energy-rich states will stimulate demand for transmission and distribution networks. Moreover, we also see significant opportunities in laying underground power cables, instead of overhead transmission lines, to improve the reliability of power supplies. Implementation of the projects above places high importance to ahead of time delivery, quality, cost and safety parameters. 

According to Uday R. Sampat, Vice-President, Marketing & Sales, Distribution Solutions, ABB India, “The Indian government is pursuing several reforms and variable generation such as solar and wind to meet demand.” This was followed by the introduction of green electricity, which allowed renewable energy to be traded at a premium for buyers seeking to fulfil their renewable purchase obligations (RPOs).

Measures to ensure optimum performance in transmission lines

Transmission lines have evolved significantly over the past few years to cater to the everincreasing power requirements. Focus on increasing the efficiency of the conductor, a vital component of a transmission line, has always been a priority. Newer conductors with suitable metallurgical properties – High Conductivity / High-Capacity Conductors, High-Temperature Conductors and High-Temperature Low Sag Conductors (HTLS) have evolved over the period and improved the efficiency of the transmission lines manifold. Improvement in insulators and other accessories to account for the increased pollution levels / extreme climatic conditions is another area where significant development has happened and has improved the performance of Transmission lines. 

“First and foremost, increasing capacity within existing transmission lines improves system efficiency and reliability,” says Dhavaleshwar Puvvati, Product Manager (Product Engineering), Fluentgrid Ltd. Traditional carrying capacity is adjusted to seasonally fluctuating values based on an estimate of environmental and operational loading conditions. Because these conditions only last a short time, this technique will frequently under or over-load existing transmission systems.

Burdens faced by urban utilities 

Most metropolitan utilities, to start, owe other state agencies hundreds to thousands of crores for the electricity used. Another critical question is if there are adequate import capabilities at the transmission level and sub-transmission/primary distribution links to deliver imported power. Explaining this aspect further, Dhavaleshwar says, “Although the efficiency of metering to the collection is relatively good in urban areas, the costs associated with building up the subsurface distribution network and operating and maintenance costs are on the higher side. As evidenced by more frequent power outages, unannounced outages, trouble connecting, and a delay in response in some areas of the same utility, electrical network health, pilferage, and revenue realisation issues further burden utilities and drive them to use different methods of service delivery across the zones.” 

Technology advancements for enhanced efficiency in transmission lines

 Technological advancement in tower design and the use of advanced materials has reduced the total steel requirement, which in turn helped reduce the overall carbon footprint of transmission lines, explains Neeraj. Further, the use of Narrow Base technology for reducing the footprint of transmission corridors and the addition of multiple circuits in the same transmission network has enhanced efficiency and minimised right of way (RoW) challenges – thus significantly reducing the major contributor to delays in transmission line projects. He further emphasised that using technology like LiDAR for surveying and a Cloud-based solution for mapping the geographical contours helps attain a high level of line-route optimisation of transmission line projects and radically improves productivity compared to conventional methods. On the construction front, adopting technologies like Drone, Prefab foundations and Modularisation, which are prevalent in other sectors, is necessary for faster execution. 

Dhavaleshwar here gives a brief walk-through about ABB’s digital services. ABB offers multiple digital solutions and upgrades to the power generation companies to upgrade the plant’s electrical infrastructure, making it safer, energy-efficient, and reliable, like centralised protection solutions, Arc Sensor solutions, load-shedding solutions, and fast bus transfer solutions. 

The advent of new and advanced technologies is significantly enabling the development of the power sector. Considering this fact, Neeraj expects significant growth in deploying technologically advanced Gas Insulated Substations (GIS) and Hybrid substations. Advanced technologies such as HVDC and HVDC Lite are being deployed for bulk power transmission from remote locations and developing High-Capacity Power Transmission Corridors. 

In transmission, an exciting concept of wireless transmission is gaining traction. With its apparent merits, especially in high power flow use cases, the idea has inherent challenges for which further technological evolvement is required. As with many other industries, we are also witnessing significant improvements due to implementing Internet of Things (IoT) driven initiatives, which enable solutions to be deployed, used and monitored remotely with the help of cutting-edge sensors and cloud computing.

Setting up ultra-mega solar parks and solar & wind energy zones will increase the demand for T&D networks.
Neeraj Nanda,President – South Asia (T&D, Solar & Smart Infra), KEC International

ABB’s digital solutions and upgrades to power generation companies to upgrade the plant’s electrical infrastructure.
Uday R. Sampat, Vice-President, Marketing & Sales, Distribution Solutions, ABB India

Increasing capacity within existing transmission lines enhances system efficiency and reliability.
Dhavaleshwar Puvvati, Product Manager (Product Engineering), Fluentgrid Ltd.