Smart Grid is the new buzz word for the utility Industry. Smart Grid has become an important component for improving energy efficiency and reducing global warming. Boulder, Colorado is the first U.S and probably world city to embrace Smart Grid comprehensively. Xcel Energy, the utility company at Boulder,Colorado, has started the pilot SmartGridCity project and is planning to roll out Smart Grid across the city by 2011. Taking cue from this efforts, the Indian City,Bangalore (Known as Bengaluru) is focusing its efforts on modernizing the utility grid. Recently at the workshop, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company MD, Tushar Girinath confirmed that the company will develop a road map for transforming the city's utility network into Smart Grid.
The Detail project report (DPR) will be submitted to ministry of energy as input for developing smart grid across the country. The project requirements budget is scaled upto 100 Crore ( 1 Billion Rs) and will be carried out with private and public partnership. The workshop was attended by IBM, TATA, C-STEP,(Center of Study of Science,Technology, and Policy) CPRI (Central Power Research Institute and PAC. According to Girinath, the Smart Grid efforts have complete backing of Union Government and Ministry of Power. It is right step towards greener tomorrow
