Smart solutions for resilient grids

As the energy landscape evolves, Lucy Electric pioneers reliability through advanced smart solutions and sustainable practices, says Ajith Kumar Kesavan, Business Development Director, Asia-Renewables, Lucy Electric Pvt. Ltd.

How is Lucy Electric’s secondary switchgear redefining energy efficiency and reliability?

Lucy Electric is known for its expertise in electrical distribution solutions, including secondary switchgear and SCADA solutions. We provide advanced products that enhance energy efficiency and reliability in power distribution networks.

We focus on improving energy efficiency and reliability through smart technology integration, energy management, robust design and materials, and incorporating safety measures.

Advanced secondary switchgear incorporates smart technology features such as remote monitoring, diagnostics, and control. This enables real-time data analysis, predictive maintenance, and a quicker response to any potential issues, ultimately enhancing the reliability of the distribution network.

Energy efficiency is achieved by optimising power usage and distribution. Advanced switchgear systems can help manage loads effectively, balance power distribution, and minimise losses, thus improving overall energy efficiency.

This further requires high-quality materials suited to extreme climatic conditions and robust engineering in secondary switchgear to ensure longer lifespans and reduced chances of failure. This contributes to higher reliability and lower maintenance requirements.

Safety is yet another critical aspect. Enhanced safety features such as arc flash detection and mitigation and mandatory interlocks help prevent accidents and ensure the uninterrupted operation of the distribution network. This leads to increased reliability and reduced downtime.

Above all, secondary switchgear can help achieve grid stability. Secondary switchgear features like fault detection and isolation can help prevent cascading failures and grid instability. This contributes to a more reliable power supply. Our SCADA system identifies system imbalances and the level of losses in the network, which enables us to increase the efficiency and reliability of the network through improved decisions.

How is your organisation evolving and innovating for next-generation distribution products and solutions?

The distribution network is becoming more complex by adding local solar power plants and EV charging stations to the grid. Lucy Electric reflects the same through innovative, adaptable, and single-point solutions. We approach evolving and innovating for next-generation products and solutions.

Digital Transformation: Our FRTU and SCADA solutions innovations enable data analytics and real-time data to optimise performance, predict maintenance needs, and enhance overall functionality.

Customer-Centric Design: Next-gen secondary distribution products and solutions often result from a deep understanding of customer needs. As an organisation, we involve customers early in the design process and iterate based on feedback.

Sustainability: Lucy Electric aims to develop sustainable products, including using eco-friendly materials, minimising waste, and considering the product’s entire lifecycle impact.

How does the range of 12-36 kV distribution solutions contribute to sustainability and achieving its net-zero carbon goals?

Moving towards sustainability through the reduction of carbon content is a key endeavour. The government of India has taken on the challenge of moving towards net zero carbon content by 2070. This emphasises expanding power-generating facilities through renewable resources like solar and wind energy.

Our smallest footprint distribution solutions from 12-36 kV help substantially save costs and space. Our built-in FRTU solutions utilise real-time data and predictive analytics to optimise the distribution of renewable energy, balance loads, and maintain stability.

How does your commitment to innovation and sustainability translate into enhanced grid resilience and stability?

Lucy Electric is constantly innovating its products and incorporating features in its products and solutions to enhance grid resilience and sustainability.

Our FRTU and SACDA solutions incorporate real-time monitoring and diagnostic capabilities to help identify issues early, allowing for proactive maintenance and reducing the risk of unexpected failures. Furthermore, the units have robust cybersecurity features to protect against cyber threats that could compromise grid stability and resilience.

The products have the capability for rapid fault detection and self-healing systems that can quickly detect faults and automatically reconfigure themselves to isolate affected areas, prevent cascading failures, and improve grid resilience.

Lucy Electric is also continuously looking into sustainability-focused designs, such as using eco-friendly materials and optimising energy efficiency, to contribute to long-term grid viability.

How do arc-proof switchgear and FRTUs with self-healing capabilities contribute to addressing the complex challenges modern power distribution networks face?

Modern power distribution networks face many challenges, viz., integration of renewable energy, ageing infrastructure, grid resilience, increased demand, environmental concerns, and the complexity of managing and optimising energy flow.

Lucy Electric understands these challenges and constantly innovates to address these concerns well. Lucy Electric ensures that products are built to ensure safe and reliable operation. We ensure to build a safe culture across the value chain. Our arc-proof switchgear is tested at full short-circuit current level with a 1-second AFLR design, ensuring operator safety and increasing reliability.

Our FRTUs and SCADA systems ensure rapid fault detection and self-healing, allowing automatic reconfiguration to isolate affected areas, prevent cascading failures, and improve grid efficiency and reliability.

Kindly shed some light on your latest and upcoming products and solutions.

As a part of Lucy Group, we follow our “People, Plant, Progress” vision. Our latest product features reflect our vision and innovations therein.

Our products are designed for quick and easy installation in your network with a minimum footprint, thereby providing considerable savings in costs and space. Our products and solutions often result from a deep understanding of customer needs and practical issues. These collaborative efforts help us build optimum solutions for various requirements.

Lucy Electric is also innovating to develop sustainable products, including using eco-friendly materials, including non-SF6 gas, minimising waste, and considering the product’s entire lifecycle impact.