ISUW 2024 marks 10-year milestone with global participation

Over 2000 delegates from 25+ countries explore the latest innovations and collaborations in smart utilities.

The 10th edition of ISGF’s flagship annual event, India Smart Utility Week (ISUW) 2024, an International Conference and Exhibition on Smart Energy and Smart Mobility, took place from 12th to 16th March 2024 in New Delhi. ISUW 2024 witnessed the participation of visionary leaders, utility CEOs, regulators, policymakers, and subject matter experts from over 25 countries. Based on the overwhelming feedback received, ISUW 2024 was a resounding success, with over 2000 delegates in attendance, including 200 utility officials from 32 utilities from India and overseas. Furthermore, 241 eminent speakers shared their knowledge and ideas during the event.

ISUW 2024 served as a significant platform for interactions across various sessions covering diverse themes. These themes included the Digitalisation of Utilities, Digitalisation Roadmaps, and Digital Twins. Additionally, sessions delved into Emerging Technologies for Utilities in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology, Global Lessons on Smart Metering with the participation of REC, IntelliSmart, PFC, and USAID/SAREP, and Energy Positive Smart Buildings and Campuses in collaboration with USAID/SAREP. Other topics explored included Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and Power System Flexibility, The Cooling Challenge addressing Cooling as a Service through District Cooling Systems (DCS) in collaboration with BEE and GIZ, Germany, and Climate Resilience of Future Grids in collaboration with the Coalition for Disaster Resistant Infrastructure. The event also covered discussions on Nuclear Renaissance and the Role of SMR in Net Zero Power Systems, Super Grids for Energy Transition and Energy Security, Long Duration Energy Storage Systems (LDES), Policy and Regulatory Support for Fast Tracking the Transition to Net Zero Power Systems, Evolving Trends in Electric Mobility, Digital Tools for DER Management, Smart Utilities Integration covering Electricity, City Gas, and Water, and Power Markets and Carbon Markets in Collaboration with CERC, BEE, and IEX. Lastly, sessions explored Evolving Trends in Utility Automation in Collaboration with C-DAC.

Special workshops on emerging innovative technologies were also held as part of ISUW 2024 such as: Workshop on Immersive Technologies – Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, Assisted Reality, Metaverse etc; OCPP Technical Workshop and Training; 8th IEC – IEEE Smart Energy Standardisation Coordination Workshop were part of ISUW 2024. Master Class on Energy Transition Strategies and Pathways to Net Zero Power Systems was conducted with experts from USA and Canada.

Bilateral Workshops at ISUW 2024 included: 13th EU – India Smart Energy Workshop (in Collaboration with European Union); 10th US – India Smart Energy Workshop on with the themes of Resource Adequacy Planning for Net Zero Power Systems and Energy Storage Systems (in collaboration with US Dept of Commerce,  USAID and CSIS); 1st India – Brazil Smart Energy Workshop (in collaboration with LATAM Smart Grid Forum and India-Brazil Chamber of Commerce) on the themes of  T&D Loss Reduction and Biofuels; 3rd India – Germany Smart Energy Workshop (in collaboration with GIZ) on the theme of Demand Response; Workshop on Innovative Technologies for Energy Transition (in collaboration with the UK Government). 

The event also witnessed a special plenary session on “The Short List of Climate Actions that will Work” delivered by Michael Barnard, Founder of “The Future is Electric”. 

25 Technical Papers were presented at ISUW 2024 which were selected through Call for Technical Papers. Two Technical Tours were part of ISUW 2024 – Tour-1 covered National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC), Renewable Energy Management Centre (REMC) and Tata Power’s Smart Grid Lab and 10 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS); and Tour 2 covered the 800 kV HVDC terminal station in Agra. 

During this year’s 8th ISGF Innovation Awards, 41 outstanding innovations and individuals were honored across 11 categories, chosen from a pool of 260 nominations. These awards aim to recognise and promote exceptional innovations by utilities, technology providers, startups, and visionary leaders.

The ISUW 2024 Conference and Exhibition commenced on 13th March 2024. The inaugural ceremony featured special addresses from notable figures including Luciano Martini, Chair of the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN); Richard Schomberg, IEC Ambassador on Smart Energy; N Venu, Managing Director and CEO of the India and South Asia Region at Hitachi Energy; Deepak Garg, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Smart Energy Water; Sandeep Zanzaria, MD and CEO of GE T&D India Ltd; Siva Gunda, Commissioner and Vice Chair of the California Energy Commission; H.E. Philipp Ackermann, Ambassador of Germany to India; H.E. Jan Thesleff, Ambassador of Sweden to India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, and Maldives; H.E. Hervé Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India; and Sudeep Jain, Additional Secretary of MNRE. Ghanshyam Prasad, Chairman of the Central Electricity Authority, delivered the inaugural address, while the welcome address was given by Reji Kumar Pillai, President of ISGF and Chairman of the Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF). The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Reena Suri, Executive Director of ISGF.

ISUW 2024 conference provided ample opportunities for delegates to engage in intellectually stimulating interactions with other speakers and attendees. ISUW 2024 offered an excellent platform for utility and government officials, regulators, and experts from technology companies and academia for networking and experience sharing with their peers from around the globe. Most Indian utilities, regulatory commissions and government departments participated in the discussions on the latest developments, trends and technologies. The event was supported by Ministries of Power; New and Renewable Energy, NITI Aayog; Jal Shakti; Electronics and IT; Heavy Industries and Central Electricity Authority. Renowned Institutions supporting the event were Global Smart Energy Federation(GSEF), India CGD Forum; Central Board Of Irrigation And Power (CBIP), Bus Operators Confederation of India (BOCI); Indo-German Energy Forum; VJTI, Association of Power Utilities of Africa (APUA), Natural Gas Society, PHD Chamber of Commerce, ETSI, International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN), The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC), Asia Pacific Urban Energy Association (APUEA) and CIGRE India. 18 reputed Media Houses joined ISUW 2024 as Supporting Media Partners.

At the Exhibition of ISUW, Ministry of Electronics and IT; Tata Power, Smart Energy Water; GE Vernova; L&T PTD Digital Energy Solutions; G3 Alliance; Wi-SUN Alliance; Yitran; Oracle; European Union; CDAC; Cuculus India; TekUncorked; Trillectric, Tauras; Phoenix Contact and Plutoman showcased their latest products and technologies.

ISUW 2024 was joined by Host Utilities The Tata Power Company Limited; Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited; BSES Rajdhani Power Limited; BSES Yamuna Power Limited; and Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited. Smart Energy Water and GE Vernova were Platinum Partners. L&T PTD Digital Energy Solutions joined as Gold Partner. Hitachi Energy joined as a Welcome Reception Partner. Trilliant was a Lanyard Partner. ISGF Innovation Awards Partner was NEDO, Japan and its knowledge partner was FCDO, UK Government. Silver Partners were Wi-SUN Alliance, G3 Alliance; Yitran; Oracle Energy and Water. Country Partners were GIZ, Germany, European Union; FCDO, UK Government; USAID, USA; India Brazil Chamber of Commerce and LATAM Smart Grid Forum, Brazil. Bronze Partners were AutoGrid, part of Uplight; Itron; TekUncorked; Wirepas; Cuculus India; Kimbal Technologies; and Trillectric. UL Standards and Engagement joined as the Knowledge Partner. Overall, ISUW 2024 was an enriching experience for all stakeholders.