Remote Metering and Issue of DLMS Adoption

Considering the difficulties faced by the utilities to have successful remote metering deployments, and the heavy loss of more than 30% of AT&C (Aggregate technical and commercial) losses in Indian Power Distribution Sector and the non-viability of additional government subsidies to make these utilities viable, the Central government has been forced to think broadly for a solution for standardization of protocol for remote metering. The CEA, the Central Electricity Authority, started a process of consultation and arrive at a consensus to implement a standard protocol in India. The CEA started the process in February 2008 to discuss this issue. There were different view point's raised, for and against DLMS/COSEM and MIOS.

The Indian Government announced the APDRP-II, the accelerated power development and reform program that intends to fund Indian Distribution Sector with upwards of 10 Billion dollar's for Distribution Modernisation in the next 5 years and the key objective is to reduce aggreage AT&C losses to 15% from above 30% currently. The central government felt that without the remote metering protocol issue was sorted and settled it was not possible to make this program successful. Hence the Government once again instructed the CEA and an empowered committee to make recommendation to the Government on adoption of an open and standard protocol within a fixed time frame. This committee in it's final report last month has recommended DLMS/COSEM as the protocol to be followed for all new metering in India under the APDRP-II program, and essentially all other programs.


I hope this will pave the way for a better regime of successful AMR / AMI deployments in India.

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We hope to bring out relevant India centric issues related to AMR, AMI and Demand Response in this blog.

Sincerely,
Prasanth