Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), which supplies electricity to a populace of over 7 million in North Delhi, has entered into a strategic partnership with California-based AutoGrid for deploying artificial intelligence-based smart energy management system.

The firms have partnered up to undertake a joint project in the area of demand response (DR), distributed energy resource management (DERMS), electric vehicles (EVs), virtual power plants (VPPs), energy storage optimization, flexibility management, forecasting, and renewable integration. Both parties will strive to develop and deploy energy management technologies to optimize usage for the larger benefit of Tata Power-DDL customers.

Tata Power-DDL and AutoGrid are jointly launching a behavioural demand response program for company’s residential customers to reduce peak demand and network capital costs. This pilot project aims to empower customers, by helping them understand their consumption patterns and evaluate the effectiveness of demand response (DR) programs.

In the first phase, the program will be initiated for a period of 3 months, from 1st July to 30th September 2021 with 4,000 residential consumers with smart meter connections. Interested consumers would be informed a day in advance via email, SMS and calls. Based on the acceptance and success of the pilot, the program will also be extended in a phased manner to the following areas:

• Automated Demand Response leveraging Residential Air Conditioning Systems and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system at Commercial and Industrial sites
• Integration of Energy Storage, Solar PV, Electrical Vehicles and other DERs for grid balancing and stabilization
• Microgrids and Site Optimization for Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) applications
• Commercial &Industrial Site optimization for Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS)

Electricity consumption is set to grow dramatically in India, especially for cooling purposes, as the population of the country grows and more consumers deploy air conditioners and electric vehicles. Demand Response (DR) is an alternative by which utilities can reduce stress on the grid during peak periods while providing customers economic and environmental benefits. 

DR programs aim to reduce or shift energy consumption from peak hours of the day to leaner demand periods by offering incentives to the consumers for their cooperation. Participating customers can stay in control of their consumption, and voluntarily choose to turn down non-essential loads to reduce total load at peak times. In this way they will also be able to optimize their monthly electricity bills. 

To measure the acceptability of behavioural demand response programs and increase customer participation, the company will also provide incentives to customers based on the level of their participation in the pilot program. The results of the pilot will then be shared with the state regulator (DERC) to formulate appropriate incentives which can be applicable for all customers.

Commenting on the initiative, Ganesh Srinivasan, CEO, Tata Power-DDL said, “Behavioural Demand Response is regarded as an essential component as it helps build up the necessary flexibility on demand side to match the flexibility on supply side. Through this pilot program, we intend to give more control in the hands of the consumers. As a utility of the future, we at Tata Power-DDL are steering the distribution sector towards a smarter, low-carbon economy and enabling a more dynamic electrical grid where utilities and customers collaborate to efficiently use energy. This initiative will support our mission to build a resource-efficient, greener electrical grid through smart tech integration.”

“AutoGrid’ s AI-based energy management solutions provide the right platform to support Tata Power-DDL’s mission.We are thrilled to collaborate with Tata Power-DDL to bring pioneering solutions to their customer base by leveraging our best-in-class energy platform, said Mr. Amit Narayan, CEO, AutoGrid. “With this strategic partnership we aim to demonstrate the value of DR and DERs for the expansion of renewable energy in India and realization of a decarbonized society while meeting the ambitions of a fast growing economy”, he added.