Shift to sustainability boosts T&M instruments demand

Advanced T&M tools are essential for integrating renewables into the grid and developing smart grids.

India’s power sector shift towards sustainability has impacted the demand for test and measurement (T&M) instruments. Imteyaz Siddiqui analyses the T&M industry with EPR Magazine. 

Shift towards sustainability

The shift towards sustainability in India’s power sector significantly boosts demand for T&M instruments. This surge is driven by the rise in renewable energy projects requiring instruments for design, installation, and maintenance. Advanced T&M tools are essential for integrating renewables into the grid and developing smart grids. The demand for energy efficiency audits and compliance has increased due to changing environmental regulations. Additionally, the energy sector’s growth has increased the need for T&M instruments in innovation, research and development. The unique challenges of RE, like its intermittent nature, further escalate the demand for specialised T&M equipment.

Smart grid reliability

T&M instruments enhance smart grid reliability by facilitating continuous monitoring and diagnostics. This helps detect early faults and maintain power quality, especially with intermittent RE sources. This enables predictive maintenance of the smart grid, allowing for proactive repairs and reducing downtime. These instruments also assist in optimising energy efficiency by identifying and correcting energy losses. The use of the instruments ensures compliance with safety and environmental standards. T&M tools are essential for integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) like solar and wind power, ensuring smooth operation without grid disruptions. The tools support advanced data analysis for informed decision-making and are crucial in securing smart grids against cyber threats. This ultimately leads to maintaining the integrity and reliability of power distribution.

Effectiveness of energy storage solutions

Facing the challenge of renewable energy intermittency T&M instruments becomes important as it escalates energy storage solutions. The instruments ensure battery optimisation by testing capacity and lifecycle, aiding system integration with the grid and compatibility with renewable sources. Continuous performance monitoring and predictive maintenance help prevent failures. The tools are crucial for safety and compliance testing, ensuring adherence to standards. The instruments play a key role in stabilising the grid against renewable fluctuations and conduct load testing to assess performance under varying demands. Additionally, it manages the thermal performance of storage systems, which is critical for maintaining efficiency and battery health.

Public-private collaborations

Public-private collaborations accelerate innovation and R&D, leading to advanced, efficient instruments. These partnerships facilitate the standardisation and regulation compliance necessary for global market interoperability, expanding the market reach. Collaborations between the government and private sector create ecosystems fostering targeted solutions for the energy sector. It also accelerates the deployment of emerging technologies, such as 5G and IoT, and enables shared financial and resource investment. These collaborations improve educational and training programmes, equipping professionals with cutting-edge T&M skills and knowledge.

Power distribution system

As the energy sector becomes increasingly innovative with digitisation, T&M instruments are necessary for optimising and monitoring power distribution systems. It enables real-time monitoring of key parameters like voltage and current, which are crucial for immediately detecting system inefficiencies. Power quality analysis identifies issues like voltage fluctuations and harmonics. T&M tools assist in load management, preventing system overloads, facilitating predictive maintenance that avert potential failures. Energy auditing identifies areas for efficiency improvements, which is pivotal in integrating RE and ensuring grid stability. Advanced instruments analyse data for informed decision-making and aid in cybersecurity, safeguarding the network in a digitalised environment and thereby ensuring efficient and reliable power distribution.

Spokesperson: Imteyaz Siddiqui, Managing Director (India)/ Regional Sales Director (GCC) Doble Engineering Pvt Ltd