ABB India eyes to tap solar industry with remote monitoring technology

With prospects of solar industry looking bright as the government aims to give a boost to renewable energy resources, ABB Ltd, the provider of power and automation technologies, is reportedly working on technology for remote monitoring of solar power plants in order to optimise output of electricity. The company is learnt to be in talks with various players in the solar power sector, especially in Gujarat (one of the leading states using solar energy to power growth), and trying to understand their requirements. ABB’s solar division makes inverters, switch gears and provides operation and maintenance solutions for solar power units.
 
The engineering major also wants to cash in on its recently launched solar pump drives which have been re-engineered for India to meet requirements of uninterrupted and reliable power supply for the rural market and agricultural sector. With the union government allocating Rs 400 crore for such solar pumps in the budget, the company sees a scope of 25 per cent rise in sales in 2014-15. With over 300 sunny days a year, the solar pump drives could help farmers maximise the benefits of solar power, while reducing dependency on the conventional grid power.
 
“We are a company with a long term perspective in renewable energy sector especially solar and wind power. We want to grow in this sector by building on our key competencies power and automation technologies,” said A H Kawdikar, Vice President, Country Head (Solar).
 
“In solar sector, we have taken number of initiatives one of them is how to make the inverter more grid interactive. The other one is how to remotely monitor the solar power plants. As these plants are remotely located, an expert cannot remain present at the site everyday. So we are talking to existing solar power plant operators in Gujarat and having discussion on their requirements for remote monitoring of the plant,” Kawdikar said. This, he said, was to optimise the output of power from the unit.
 
The company’s solar division is also planning to focus on emerging roof-top solar power generation market as it sees big potential in it in the coming years. After the success of the project in Gandhinagarw, many states are encouraging such initiatives, Kawdikar said.
 
“We have supplied solar inverters to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and also Delhi for generation of roof-top solar power. The reasons for the good response is the policy support by the centre as well as the state. Also, with people seeing opportunity to cut down on their grip power usage the roof-top solar power generation is a good option,” he added.
 
FOR COMPLETE REPORT READ: ABB India working on remote monitoring of solar power plants