Honeywell and Tata Power – Delhi Distribution announced that they have successfully implemented the first ever automated demand response (ADR) project for commercial and industrial facilities in India, reported CNN Money.
ADR gives the grid operator a new, domestic resource to help reduce stress on transmission and distribution lines, and improve supply efficiency by managing the power during peak consumption hours, and at other grid emergency times. Temporary reductions in energy use are effected when demand threatens to outpace supply and this prevents brownouts and blackouts.
With nearly 50 percent of the country’s peak load tied to commercial and industrial sites, the ability to adjust related energy use is critical. Grid operators like Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd. can use ADR to help reduce peak load in a facility 15 percent on average, creating a “virtual power plant” that generates “negawatts” or reduced demand.
“This is a significant initiative — one that supports our mission to build a resource-efficient, environmentally friendly electrical grid,” said Praveer Sinha, CEO of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd. “We are committed to making this deployment a success, and finding new opportunities to extend ADR to other customers, thus playing a role in helping to meet Delhi’s energy needs. We believe our steps in this direction will also encourage other Indian utilities to adopt smart grid technology for efficient operations.”