Infrastructure Convergence: Tapping Smart Grids for Renewing Growth in the Indian Telecoms Sector

Abstract

The smart grid systems that utilize the telecoms network infrastructure, to facilitate electricity distribution more efficiently, represent win-win prospects for the power and telecoms sectors as well as the planet earth. A modern digital (smart) energy grid could trim India’s transmission and distribution (T&D) losses by 30%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 MtCO2e, and result in energy savings of $10.5 billion by 2020 and carbon costs of 1.9 billion ($2.9 billion). For the telecom operators, smart meters, a sub set of smart grids, alone present a revenue opportunity of Rs87 billion per annum. A full-scale smart grid deployment should result in further better opportunities for the operators.