08.10.22 Daily [Andhra Pradesh] APPSC Current Affairs

The power utilities ofAndhra Pradeshare gearing up to roll out a smart electricity meter project. The Union Government has decided to replace around 25 crore conventional meters with smart meters across the country under theSmart Meter National Programme(SMNP).

proposals for smart metering and loss reduction works in all the five circles of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (EPDCL) have been recently submitted to the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission for approval. While the smart metering may cost about 950 crore in the EPDCL limits, the distribution loss reduction works were estimated at 2,578 crore.

The smart meters will help address several issues of the consumers ranging from wrong billing and reconnections to online monitoring of meter reading. It also helps power utilities in reducing aggregate, technical and commercial (ATC) losses, power theft, and distribution losses. Smart meters are also used for recording the consumption of electricity and measuring voltage levels. While traditional meters measure the power consumption of a Home or business, smart meters live up to their name, and transmit the same information in every 15 minutes or hourly to utility providers.

A smart meter can help in improving the Average revenue from meters alongside a host of other advantages like better demand side management, better demand forecasting, and value-added Services like analytics and easier implementation of time-of-day tariffs.