Former Joint Managing Director,
Reforms in power sector and Government of India Policy of power for all has resulted into exponential growth of Distribution Network. Unfortunately, the wired technology has not undergone much technological advancement to meet the challenge of 24x7 power. One of the major challenges, is attending the sustained-faults on LT & HT lines. Power supply goes off for hours for all consumers of the feeder even though the fault may be in a small section of LT / HT lines. Identification & isolation of faulty section at present is-carried out manually and no automation in this regard is so far deployed. The LT network is totally unprotected throughout India. In the name of protection of Transformers and LT lines, Horn Gape fuses, Kit-kat fuses or at some places MCCBs are provided. There is no protection available for Earth Leakage currents at the Distribution Transformer level causing many fatal accidents to human and animals. Immediate isolation of the faulty sections by a fault sensing MV switches at different sections of line, coupled with smart MCCB on Distribution Transformers which may trip on over load, over voltage, under voltage, earth leakage and short circuit faults, will ensure power reliability and quality. This paper presents the technological advancement required for Smart Distribution Automation System on HT lines and Smart MCCBs at the Distribution Transformers if deployed, will result into improvement of power quality, safety, and protection of LT / HT network. The Smart technology with the help of IT / IoT solutions and software will be able to deliver the results expected by power sector reforms.
