Mumbai-based early-stage venture capital fund, Unicorn India Ventures (UIV) has announced its fourth investment from its Rs 4 billion Fund-II in the internet of things (IoT)-enabled smart grid automation start-up, Probus Smart Things.

Contributions from the power equipment industry is 8.1 per cent of the manufacturing sector in terms of value and 1.35 per cent of India's GDP, providing direct employment to 5 lakh people, indirect employment to 10 lakh people, and employment to over 50 lakh people across the entire value chain.

Naveen Sharma, Vice President, Strategic Planning & Sales, Exicom Power Solutions expects 2019 to be a breakthrough year for energy storage in India with demand largely driven by the telecom sector, grid applications, and electric vehicles.

The world's sixth largest economy needs to buck up on the implementation of smart grid solutions, if it wants to ensure quality, 24 x 7 power to service the aspirations of both an expanding population and industry.

India needs smart grid systems on account of the changes in the entire dynamics of the electric power system and the need to maintain its very complex and prodigious grid, says Reji Kumar Pillai, President, India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF).

The development of India's Smart Cities has to be people-centric if the programme has to succeed in the long-term, a cross section of experts opined. This will entail smarter use of available resources and technologies to improve both infrastructure and service delivery in areas proposed for such development.

ABB India has restored and modernised the critical 1,035 MW Sharavathi hydropower plant in Karnataka, which accounts for around 25 per cent of the state utility Karnataka Power Corporation’s power generation.

Despite several significant achievements like increased power generation, an integrated one nation one grid, introduction of Smart Grid, and diversification into renewable energy sources

The potential to adopt smart grid technologies and designs in India in a big way in view of the anticipated growth in power infrastructure within the country is huge.