IIT Kanpur takes up power issues

The Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur) is grappling with problems thrown up by reforms in the power sector.

Some of these problems are the average quality of power supplied by the distribution companies, the impact of electronic items on technical losses, and the increasing "power surge" on the part of consumers. The problems have been referred to the IIT by the parties concerned.

The institute is working on products/equipment that will enable the consumers to measure the quality of power. They will then be able to pull up the companies.

Prem Kalra of the electrical engineering department told Business Standard it was important for the consumer to know about the quality of supply. The development of products enabling this is in progress. The electricity regulatory commission may raise such issues to build pressure on distributors, Kalra feels.

Another problem is measuring the excessive heat that gets generated in the system, increasing the level of technical losses. Distribution companies are keen that a solution to this be found.

The excessive heat gets generated due to the large use of electronic items, according to Kalra. It is these that have created an adverse impact on the power distribution systems.

A third problem is due to uncertainty in the supply of power and the failure in maintaining power cut schedules.

Defining "power surge", Kalra says if the consumer is uncertain of power supply, he will have a tendency to overuse it once supply gets restored.

The uncertainty factor leads to a massive consumption of electricity, leading to an overloading of the system and transformer breakdown, a phenomenon common in Kanpur.