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TECHNOLOGY

Anendtopowercuts

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ResearchersatIITMadrascomeupwithaninnovativesolutiontolinkdecentralisedsolarbasedDC
powertogridbasedACpowerwhichhasthepotentialtoprovide247accesstoelectricityinhomesand
putananendtopowercuts.ByR.RAMACHANDRAN
IFyouhappentovisittheElectricalEngineeringDepartmentattheIndianInstituteofTechnologyMadrasyouwillbesurprisedto
findthattheelectricalappliancesintheroomsofthedepartmentoperateondirectcurrent(DC),andnotalternatingcurrent(AC),
whichisthestandardtheworldoverforpowertransmissionandusage,bothindustrialanddomestic.Itisaninnovationusingsolar
power,whichhasbeenconceptualisedandexecutedbytwoprofessorsfromthedepartment,AshokJhunjhunwalaandBhaskar
Ramamurthi,whoisalsotheDirectorofIITM.Thishasbeendoneinafewotherdepartmentsandinsomeofthehostelsofthe
instituteaswell.
BylinkingtheconceptofdecentralisedsolarbasedDCpowertothegridbasedACpower,ateamofinstituteresearchersfromIITM,
ledbyJhunjhunwalaandRamamurthi,hascomeupwithaninnovativesolutionthathasthepotentialtoprovide247accessto
electricitytoallhomes.Thiscouldbeagamechangerinacountrywhereabout6070millionhomesstilldonothaveaccessto
electricityatallandlargepartsoftherestsufferdailypowercutsrangingfromafewhoursto1012hours.Thosewhoarefamiliarwith
theworkoftheduooverthepastdecadeandahalfknowthattheyarebasicallyexpertsincommunicationengineering,andnotin
powerengineeringatall,andwouldseemtobesomewhatunlikelypeopletocomeupwithsucharevolutionarysolution.
And247accesswouldseemlikeanunbelievabledream.Duringthelate1990s,thetwodevelopedtheWirelessinLocalLoop(WLL)
technologyforwidertelecomaccessindevelopingcountriesthroughtheircorDECTsolution,whichisnowwidelydeployedinIndia
and15othercountries.Infact,attheIITM,JhunjhunwalaheadstheTelematicsandComputerNetworkGroup(TeNet),whichhas
nothingtodowithsolarpowerorotherpowerengineeringsolutions.
Sohowdidtheygetintothis?Abouttwoyearsback,Jhunjhunwalasaidinhisaddressattherecentlyheldannualmeetingofthe
IndianAcademyofSciencesinChennai,whentherewereseriouspowercutsinChennai,lastinganywherefromtwohoursto1214
hours,wewereallgettingfedup.BhaskarandIfeltthatsomethingmustbedoneaboutit.Sowestartedworkingonit.Acolleague
saidsolarpowerwasthesolution.Westartedlookingatsolarpowertoseewhatcouldbedone.Solarpowerprojectsarebeing
implementedinStateafterStatewithallkindsofsubsidies.Butwewereamazedandaghastathowpoorandinefficientthewhole
thingwas.Hownobodyhadappliedanythought.Everythingcomesfromoutsidethecountryjustplugitinwithoutevenapplying
yourmindtoit.Sometimestheyworkandsometimestheydont.
Energyefficiency
TheIITMtechnologysprungfromtherealisationthatACsupplyforbasicdomesticandcommercialpowerneeds,ratherthanDC,isa
highlyinefficientwayofusingenergyinthepresenttimes.Historically,AChascometobetheworldwidechoiceforusingelectricity
becauseitallowsforanincreaseordecreaseofvoltageusingtransformers,andthismakesitpossibletohaullargeamountsofpower
overlongdistanceswithcheapinfrastructureandwithminimumenergylossowingtothermalheating.Accordingly,mostofthe
industrialanddomesticelectricappliances,suchasfans,lightsandwaterpumps,runonAC.
But,withtheadventofpowerelectronics,thisbasicdisadvantageofDCnolongerexists.Moreimportantly,allelectronicdevicesthat
oneusestoday,suchasLED/LCD(lightemittingdiode/liquidcrystaldisplay)TV,laptops,LEDlampsandmobilephones/chargers,
allrunonlowvoltageDC.ButhomesandofficesarestillpoweredbyAC.Sotousethem,theACsupplyisconvertedtoDCusing
converters,adaptersorchargers,whichareoftenbuiltintoappliances.Buttheefficiencyofconversionoftheseinterfacesispoor,
ranginganywherefrom25to50percent,saysJhunjhunwala.
Solarpower,particularlywhatisgeneratedthroughphotovoltaics(PV),producesDCpowerandthebatteriesusedtostoresolarpower
alsodeliveronlyDC.WiththeincreasingmovetowardsdecentralisedsolarpowerusingrooftopPVpanels,DCbasedappliances,such
asrefrigerators,airconditioners,washingmachinesandfans,usingbrushlessDC(BLDC)motorshavebeguntoappearinthemarket.
However,thebasicelectricsupplygridinfrastructurecontinuestobeACbased.Therefore,theuseofDCbasedappliancesingrid
connectedhomes,eveniftheyareaugmentedwithrooftopsolarpower,becomesdifficultbecausetheloadisACbased.DCpower
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fromsolarpanelshastobeconvertedtoACandsynchronisedwiththegridandbereconvertedtoDCtoruntheconnectedload.So
DC/ACandAC/DCconversionbecomesnecessaryatdifferentstagesevenwhenweusesolarDCpower.Ifweaddabattery,whichis
usuallythecaseassolarpowerfluctuatesgreatly,thisconversionisonceagainrequiredforcharginganddischargingthebattery
becausethebatterystoresanddeliversonlyDC.
Eachconversion,accordingtoJhunjhunwala,causesalossof1015percentofpower.Sowhensolarpowerwithbatteryisused,there
isalossofabout3045percent.Figure1,forexample,illustrateshow,inatypicalsituationwithsolarpowerutilisation,ACDC
conversioninefficienciesadduptoresultinahugenetlossofenergy.Eveninoffgridhomes(OGH)withrooftopsolarpower,the
problemremainsthesamebecauseelectronicdevicessuchasLEDlamps,laptopsandmobilechargersalthoughtheyrunonDCare
designedtobepluggedintoACsocketsandothergridsupplyinterfaces.So,attheelectronicdeviceend,thereisafurtherlossbecause
thisAC/DCconversionisonceagainrequired.
ThismustchangeandhomeloadmustmovetowardsDCifenergyconsumptionhastobebroughtdown,pointsoutJhunjhunwala.
Forexample,whilea72wattACfanatthelowestspeedwillconsumeabout60Wofpower,anequivalent30WBLDCfanconsumes
only9W.Similarly,LEDlampsaretwiceasefficientasCFLsforagivenlightoutput.Whileastandard1.2mCFLconsumesabout36
W,anequivalentLEDlampconsumesonlyabout15W.LEDlampscanbedimmedasperrequirement,whichfurtherreducespower
consumption.Accordingtohim,thecostoftheappliancesthemselveswillnotdiffertoomuchifDCbecomesthenormandthe
appliancesareproducedinlargevolumes.UseofDCpoweredenergyefficientdeviceswillbringdowntheconsumptionby50per
cent,headds.SolarpowercanbeuseddirectlytodrivetheDCloadortochargethebatterywhoseDCpowercanthendrivetheload.
TheIITMexperience
AndthisiswhathasbasicallybeendonewithintheIITMcampusinordertodemonstratetheuseofsolarDCelectricitydirectlyto
powerlights,fansandotherelectronicdevices.ThesolarpoweredDCelectricitysupplysystem(Figure2)developedbyIITMhasa
rooftopPVpanel,supplementedbyabattery,whichisdesignedtohave48V+/3VoutputthatfeedsalocalDCgridoperatingatthat
voltage.A48Vlineinsidethehouse/buildingpowerstheDCdevicesandappliances.AllACDCconversionsarethuseliminatedin
thissystem.Obviously,thiscanbereplicatedinastraightforwardmannerinOGHswithdecentralisedrooftopsolarpower.
TwoKolkatabasedscientists,ParthasarathiMajumdaroftheRamakrishnaMissionVivekanandaUniversityandSekharBanerjee,an
independentresearcher,havealsobeenworkingalongsimilarlinestousesolarpowertodrivehomeappliancesanddevicesatlow
voltageDC.Theirparticularinnovationisinreplacingthebatterywithasolarchargedsupercapacitor,alsoknownasElectrochemical
orElectricDoubleLayerCapacitors(EDLC),whicharemoreefficientandcangothroughafargreaternumberofchargedischarge
cyclesthanconventionalbatteries.Usingabankofsuchcapacitors,theyhaveevendesignedandbuiltmodelsofsupercapacitordriven
railcar,cyclerickshawandferry.However,theduoisseriouslyconstrainedbylackofresourcestoconductlargescaletrialsorwiden
thescopeoftheirdevelopment.Onourpart,nothavingaccesstowellequippedresearchlaboratoriesconfinesustomakinglowend
prototypemodels,theywroteinarecentpaperdescribingtheirwork.
TheIITMtechnologydemonstratoractuallygoesastepfurther.Insituationswheregridsupplyisavailable,thesystemcan
supplementthegridbyprovidingbackupDCelectricityfromthesolarpoweredbattery.ThegridsupplyACpowerisconvertedtoDC
at48volts(usinganAC/DCconverter)tomatchthesolarDCandintegratedwiththegrid.AsubsystemcalledOGHcontroller,anIIT
patenteddevice,integratesthe48VDCpowerfromthePVpanel,thebatteryandthegrid(whereavailable)insuchawaythat
dependenceonthebatteryisminimised.Thetechnology,therefore,canbeusedbothforOGHsituationsandfornearOGH(limited
accesswithextendedpowercutsof1214hoursaday)situations.TheOGHcontrolleralsoenablesmeteringoftheDCpower
consumption.
Thesystem(Figure2)hastwooutputlines:amain48Vlineandanemergencyoutputline.Whenthegridhaslongblackoutsand
thereisnosignificantsolaroutputaswellbecauseofcloudyorrainyconditions,themainlineiscutoffbelowacertainlevelofdepth
ofdischarge(DOD)ofthebattery.Theemergencyline,whichcanpoweracoupleofdevices,sayalightandafan,canbeusedforlong
hoursevenwhenthebatteryislow.TheOGHdeployment,saywitha125Wsolarpanelanda200500watthours(Wh)battery,in
eachhousewillincludeanLEDtubelight,anLEDbulb,oneBLDCfan,oneremotetooperatethefanandthetubelight,onesocketand
onemobilecharger.Thesolution(with100Wh)isdesignedtooperateaBLDCfanatfullspeed,thetubelightandthebulbforabout
10hrsonanormaldayandusinguponly50percentofthebatterypower(50percentDOD).Atreducedspeedandreduced
brightnessofthelamps,thepowercanlastlonger.Oncethebatteryislow,theemergencylinetakesover,whichcanlastforabout24
hours.
TheIITMhas,inassociationwithacoupleofmanufacturers,developedtheDClights,fans,remotes,chargers,socketsandsolar
panelsrequiredfortheOGHsolution.AccordingtoJhunjhunwala,specificationsforthese,includingtheoperatingstandardsforthese
48VDCappliances(whicharebeingevolved),willbemadepublicandanymanufacturerwillbeeligible,inatender,tosupplythese
products.
BesidestheIITMcampus,thistechnologyhasbeenimplementedonapilotbasisinGudalurintheNilgiris(20houses),and
installationsareongoinginIrakumislandinNellore,AndhraPradesh,DampadainOdisha,HanskaliinWestBengalandapolice
stationandanayurvedahospitalinChennai.Actually,theOGHinstallationinGudalurisbasedonaclusterhomesmodel.Inthis,one
OGHsystemisdeployedinaclusteroftwotofourhomesandthemaincomponents,whichdrivethecluster,aredeployedinoneof
thehouses.Thebiggestchallengeinthisdeploymentwasinstallingthesysteminthekucchatribalhomes.Theotherchallengewas
teachingthetribalpeopletousearemotetooperatetheLEDtubelight.
Powerforall
Thereareabout250millionhousesinIndia.Ifyouinstalla500W(0.5kW)solarpanel(measuringabout5m)ineveryhome,with
insolation(exposuretosunsrays)ofabout1,500hoursayear,thetotalpowergeneratedwillbeabout190(250millionx0.5kWx
1,500)GWayear,whichisroughlytheannualdomesticpowerconsumption.Decentralisedsolar[withDCdrivenappliancesand
devices]canthusmakeahugedifference.Ithasthepotentialtofreethegridfromalldomesticdemand,saysJhunjhunwala.Ifthe
aboveDCpowersystemisimplementedwidely,itwillhelpbringdowntheoverallenergyconsumptioninthecountrygreatly.
TheIITMgrouphopestoextendittocoverasmanyas100,000offgrid/nearoffgridhomesindifferentpartsofthecountry.Tobe
abletoachievethistarget,governmentsupportisnecessaryandtheinstitutehasofferedthisinnovativesolutiontotheMinistryof
Power,theMinistryofNewandRenewableEnergy(MNRE)andtheRuralElectrificationCorporation(REC).
Ofcourse,thereisacostinvolvedtoimplement,runandmaintaintheseDCsystems.AccordingtoroughestimatesbyIITM,atthe
pilotstage(100,000homes)ofimplementation,costperhomeisaboutRs.20,00030,000(includingfiveyearmaintenance)
dependingontheterrain,kindofhousesanddensity.For100,000homes,thetotalcostworksouttoaboutRs.300crore.This,they
hope,willbemetthroughamixofgovernment(MNRE)subsidiesroutedthroughtheinstitute,fundingfromStategovernmentsand
othergovernmentbodies,privatedonorsandcorporatesocialresponsibility(CSR)schemes.
Nomoreblackouts
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AlthoughIITMsOGH/nearOGHsystemdoesprovideuninterruptedDC(UDC)powerbyprovidingalowlevelbatterybackupin
situationswheregridconnectivityexists,itdoesnotreallysolvethebasicproblemthatthetwoprofessorssetouttotackle,namely
gettingridofblackouts.Thisalsodoesnotcreateapullfactorforsolarpower,Jhunjhunwalaadds.Accordingtohim,itwasaformer
SecretaryofPowerwhopointedoutthatwhattheyhaddonewentonlyhalfway.Weneededsomethingmoreinnovativetoaddress
theblackoutissueandatthesametimeprovidethenecessarytechnologypushfordecentralisedsolarpowerandenergyefficientDC
appliances.
ThequestionthattheIITMteamaskedwas,insteadofamerebackupofasolarpowerbatteryattheconsumerend,whichatbestcan
lightuponebulborafan,canonedosomethingatthegridsupplyorsubstationend?TheideathattheIITMgroupsubsequently
cameupwith,ifimplementedonalargescale,cangetridofblackoutsandhasthepotentialtobeagamechangerinthepower
scenariointhecountry.Ofcourse,besidestechnologypush,apolicypushisalsorequiredtoachievethecherishedgoal.Hopefully,
appropriatepolicysupportwillalsobeforthcomingtoenableimplementationoftheideaonacountrywidescale.
Sowhatisthisbreakthroughidea?Thegridsupplyasitistodayfunctionsinaneither/ormode:thegridisdesignedtocarryeitherfull
power(normal,100percent)orzeropower(loadshedding/blackout,0percent).TheIITMtechnologyinvolvestheintroductionofa
newlowlevelACpowerline(sayat10percent)andsupplyaminimumamountofDCpowerat48Vtoallhomes247ontheexisting
grid.Sometweakingatthesubstationwillobviouslybeneeded,which,accordingtoJhunjhunwala,willinvolveminimalchangesin
thegridatnogreatcost.Thisiscalledthebrownoutmode.
Atthesubstation,therewillbetwolinesemergingfromthedistributiontransformer,theusual230Vlineanda90Vline.Duringthe
brownout,onlythelatterwouldremainopen.Attheconsumerend,the90Vsupplylineisconvertedtoa48VDClinebyanAC/DC
converter,whichwouldthenbesimilartotheearlierOGHsituation.Whilethemain230VAClineiscutoffduringthismode,thelow
power48VDClineremainsONallthetime(Figure3).Havingtwogridsupplylinesisnotunfamiliarasmosthomeshaveseparate
linesfor5ampand15A.Thiswouldbesimilar.Thislowlevellimitedpower,accordingtotheteam,issmallenoughtobemade
availableatalltimes,evenintheworstpowercrisissituation.
Whatifconsumersdrawarbitraryamountsofpowerfromthislineresultinginagridcollapse?Themainlineshouldcutoff
automaticallyandinstantaneouslywithinamillisecondleavingtheotherlineopen,pointsoutJhunjhunwala.Thisissueofhowto
engineerthisinstantaneouscutoffbotheredbothJhunjhunwalaandRamamurthiforafewmonthsbeforetheycameupwithan
innovativesolution.
Innovativesolution
Whenablackouthappens,thereisarapiddropinthevoltageatthesubstationend.Sowhenthevoltagedropsfrom230Vbyafactor
2.5(90V),thesystemshouldsignalabrownoutandcutoffthemainline.ThroughaGPRS(GeneralPacketRadioService)mobile
networksystem,thesubstationinstantlysignalstothehomeclustertheoccurrenceofthebrownout.Themainlineiscutoffandonly
the10percentcapacitylinefeedingDCpowerremains,fromwhichthepoweryoucandrawislimitedbydesign.Theideaofdropin
voltagetodothenormaltobrownoutsignallingwastheEurekamomentforus,Jhunjhunwalasaid.Onemayalsoaskwhether10
percentpowerissufficientforahouseholdtofunction.Actually,abrownoutsituationisquiteliketheOGHcase,onlythattheDC
supplyiscomingfromthegriditselfinsteadofasolarpanelorastoragebattery.SinceoneisusinghighlyenergyefficientDCdevices,
asintheOGHcase,agoodnumberofhouseholdappliancescanbeoperated.
AccordingtoJhunjhunwala,the48UDCline,providing100Wpowerperhome,cansupportthreelights,twofans(oronefanandone
LEDTV)andonemobilecharger.Andincasesomeonewantsmore,solarPV,withabatterysupportifneeded,canbeadded.A500W
solarPVcansupportfivefans,threelights,twoTVs,multiplemobilechargersandalaptopcharger.FormeteringtheDC
consumption,anUninterruptedDCPowerModule(UDPM),whichformspartoftheinstallation,isused.Itisdonethroughawireless
systembasedonBluetoothtechnology.Consumptiondataaretransferredtoanandroidmobilephoneconnectedtothemeterboxvia
Bluetooth.
ThisbrownouttechnologyhasundergoneextensivetestingandtrialsatIITMandhasalsobeensuccessfullyvalidatedat
MadhuranthakamnearChennaiduringDecember2014.Asmanyas281homeswerecovered,andthisclusterintheneighbourhood
remainslitevenwhentherestoftheareahasextendedpowercuts.AccordingtoJhunjhunwala,theneighbouringareas,too,have
takenaninterestandwouldlikethemodelreplicatedthere.BrownouttechnologyinstallationsarealsoongoinginTelangana
(Moinabad)Kerala(Thiruvanathapuram)andOdisha.
Whilelargescaledeploymentofthebrownouttechnologymaynottakeoffimmediatelyasitinvolvesgovernmentinvestmentand
perhapssomepolicyandregulatoryissues,uninterruptedDCsupplythroughtheOGH/nearOGHtechnology,whichdoeshavea
potentialtobringdowntheelectricitysupplydemandgapsignificantly,cantakeoffifthereisrequisitesupportfromgovernment
agencies,includingstandardisingofDCappliancesandtheirefficiencyratingbytheBureauofEnergyEfficiency(BEE)andevengrant
offiscalincentivestoenablemanufacturerstogetintoDCapplianceproductiononalargescale.

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