OVERCOMING THE TRANSMISSION CHALLENGES WITH TECHNOLOGY
power sector |
Climate change is a clear and present danger that is dominating
global political and economic discourse. For the energy sector, this
conversation increasingly assumes significance with the conscious shift to
renewables. Also, energy
storage is poised to disrupt global consumption patterns. As a result,
variability is set to increase with the changing generation mix and
mainstreaming of distributed generation.
An
aspirational India has states contending with rapid and unplanned urban
evolution and burgeoning population leading to exponential demand for
power.Space comes at a premium due to limited availability of uninhabited land
and RoW issues. Setting up greenfield transmission infrastructure projects
isn’t always a viable option as it is capital intensive and usually takes much
longer to establish.
We are in
the midstof an unprecedented energy transition and technology will play an
increasingly pivotal role in leading this change.
At Sterlite
Power we pride ourselves in picking up the most complex energy delivery challenges
and resolving them through the prism of time, space and capital to create value
for Power Utilities with cutting-edge transmission technologies and innovative
bespoke solutions.
Rivers have been known to change course over several decades.
However, in the recent past we have witnessed this phenomenon occurring
frequently. Sometimes, due to the change in course of the river, theflood and
fury hits transmission lines leading to disruptions in power.
Sterlite
Power recently tackled a case with such unique challenges by implementing our
360° solutioning, innovation, project execution and design capabilities.
In this
project, a critical transmission line gotdisrupted due to the mighty Ganga
going into spate. Transmission towers were washed away, resulting in the
disruption of power to the Eastern and North Eastern Grid. Sterlite Power was
tasked with restoring this disrupted line. This was a complex task because the
change in the river’s course left two transmission towers stranded in the middle
of the river. Deep water and the marshy conditions made the transportation of
heavyequipment, cranes and other logistics to this place extremely
difficult.
Restoring the line as per the conventional
approach would have taken years and would have been capital and labour
intensive. While reconductoring this line was the best solution, there was no
conductor available in the market for this specific case; as the reconductoring
would happen over an active river and sag of most conductors wouldn’t get the flood
clearance level. To overcome this problem, we decided to manufacture a
conductor for this specific project which led to the innovation of ACCC Ganga,
Ultra Low Sag conductor. This was used to reconductor a single span - 1.1 km
400 kV line across two sides of the riverbank, without any support structure in
the river.This conductor also required us to design certain tools, as none were
available in the market. This new solution from power sector stable
will transform the way transmission lines are built across long span river
crossings and hilly terrain in the future.
Zero Shut Down reconductoring with technology
In dense
urban pockets across cities, space is a serious constraint in setting up new
transmission lines. Invariably the only viable option left with utilities is to
uprate/upgrade their existing transmission infrastructure to meet the growing
power demand. Added to that, a key aspect of development is the expectation of
reliable, quality and uninterrupted power. In cities like Bengaluru, where
urbanization and mushrooming of enterprise is on the rise, obtaining power
shutdowns for reconductoring is a challenge.In this context, Sterlite Power
heralded in ‘Zero Shut Down reconductoring’ for the first time in
India.Sterlite power reconductored a 66 KV transmission line connecting to
Bengaluru’s electronic city under live-line conditions. The existing line was
uprated to double its power transfer capacity.It was significant that this
reconductoring was undertaken in Zero shutdown conditions, as the transmission
line passes through an extremely congested residential and commercial areas.
This innovative solution can easily be scaled up for other cities faced with
similar challenges.
Robotics Process Automation for safety in OPGW stringing
The government
has been laying a lot of emphasis on the importance of safe and reliable
communication systems. CERC regulation on this subject has underscored the
importance of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) based Communication Systems to meet
Ministry of Power’s mandate of building reliable communication and data
acquisition systems for 132 kV and above substation.
Towards the
goal of contributing to building reliable and safe communications
infrastructure nationally, Sterlite Power with the help of robotics technology,
launched SkyrobTM – an innovation
to ensure 100% safety in the laying of live earth wires for OPGW stringing.
Conventional methodsare not only risky but also time consuming. SkyrobTMis a semi-autonomous robot developed to ensure safety of
‘high-risk’ operations involved in the installation, inspection and maintenance
of OPGW on high voltage transmission lines under energized conditions.Apart
from saving time and ensuring high-quality project delivery, it carries out
inspection of earthwire, monitors weather and has an emergency recovery
mechanism.Use of robotics in power
transmission will enable savings in operation and maintenance (O&M)
costs.
Aerial Technologies
Extensive
use of drones for the purpose of stringing conductors on transmission lines is
making reconductoring increasingly efficient and environmentally friendly.What
was earlier a 2-day job andrequireda gang of 18-20 workers can now bedone in a
matter of just 20 mins with just 2-3 people. This also leads to significant
cost savings for utilities. The use of drones across difficult and hilly
terrains ensures that the flora and fauna are unaffected by the work taking
place. Notably, Sterlite Power was the first to deploy drone stringing in
Kerala, where stringing was done acrossShoranur junction railway station - one
of the busiest railway stations without taking power shutdown, in live line
conditions. Aside from savings in time and cost with the use of this
technology, the most significant impact was that railways and commuters were
not inconvenienced.
Intelligent Grid Monitoring and Control
In a
dynamically evolving environment, grid, reliability and flexibility are
critical to ensure 24/7 quality and reliable power to all. Technologies like
Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) and Smart Valves will enable utilities to have real
time assessment and control of power flows. These smart technologies can play a
pivotal role in the integration of green
energy sources into the grid which is a national priority and will go a
long way in helping reduce carbon emissions.
Conclusion
In India
utilities are increasingly under pressure to meet growing demand for power as
the country is firmly poised on the development trajectory. In this context,
there is an urgent need for an increased understanding, awareness and
adoptionof latest technologies, that can be a key enabler while resolving
complex challenges in the transmission sector. In our experience, we have seen
that Utilities that embrace these technologies, reap the benefits. It is then
that they can truly deliver on the aspiration of providing sustainable,
reliable and quality 24/7 power for all.
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