The 10th edition of ISGF’s flagship annual event, the India Smart Utility Week (ISUW) 2024, an International Conference and Exhibition on Smart Energy and Smart Mobility was held from 12 – 16 March 2024 in New Delhi, India. ISUW 2024 has witnessed participation of visionary leaders, utility CEOs, regulators, policy makers and subject matter experts from 25+ countries. From the overwhelming feedbacks we received, ISUW 2024 was an astounding success attended by 2000+ Delegates including 200+ utility officials from 32 Utilities from India and overseas and 241 eminent speakers shared their knowledge and ideas.
ISUW 2024 provided an effective platform for interactions during sessions on varied themes such as Digitalization of Utilities, Digitalization Roadmaps, Digital Twins; Emerging Technologies for Utilities (in collaboration with Department of Science and Technology); Global Lessons on Smart Metering (in collaboration with REC, IntelliSmart, PFC and USAID/SAREP); Energy Positive Smart Buildings and Campuses (in collaboration with USAID/SAREP); Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and Power System Flexibility; The Cooling Challenge – Cooling as a Service against Monthly Fee through District Cooling Systems (DCS) (in collaboration with BEE and GIZ, Germany); Climate Resilience of Future Grids (in collaboration with Coalition for Disaster Resistant Infrastructure); Nuclear Renaissance and the Role of SMR in Net Zero Power Systems; Super Grids for Energy Transition and Energy Security: Cross Border Electricity Trade in South Asia and Interconnection of Regional Grids in Asia (in collaboration with GO15, USAID and Hitachi Energy); Long Duration Energy Storage Systems (LDES); Policy and Regulatory Support for Fast Tracking the Transition to Net Zero Power Systems; Evolving Trends in Electric Mobility; Digital Tools for DER Management; Smart Utilities Integration – Electricity + City Gas + Water; Power Markets and Carbon Markets (In Collaboration with CERC, BEE and IEX); Evolving Trends in Utility Automation (In Collaboration with C-DAC)
Special workshops on emerging innovative technologies were also held as part of ISUW 2024 such as: Workshop on Immersive Technologies – Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, Assisted Reality, Metaverse etc; OCPP Technical Workshop and Training; 8th IEC – IEEE Smart Energy Standardization Coordination Workshop were part of ISUW 2024. Master Class on Energy Transition Strategies and Pathways to Net Zero Power Systems was conducted with experts with USA and Canada.
Bilateral Workshops at ISUW 2024 included: 13th EU – India Smart Energy Workshop (in Collaboration with European Union); 10th US – India Smart Energy Workshop on with the themes of Resource Adequacy Planning for Net Zero Power Systems and Energy Storage Systems (in collaboration with US Dept of Commerce, USAID and CSIS); 1st India – Brazil Smart Energy Workshop (in collaboration with LATAM Smart Grid Forum and India-Brazil Chamber of Commerce) on the themes of T&D Loss Reduction and Biofuels; 3rd India – Germany Smart Energy Workshop (in collaboration with GIZ) on the theme of Demand Response; Workshop on Innovative Technologies for Energy Transition (in collaboration with the UK Government).
The event also witnessed a special plenary session on “The Short List of Climate Actions that will Work” delivered by Michael Barnard, Founder of “The Future is Electric”.
25 Technical Papers were presented at ISUW 2024 which were selected through Call for Technical Papers. Two Technical Tours were part of ISUW 2024 – Tour-1 covered National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC), Renewable Energy Management Centre (REMC) and Tata Power’s Smart Grid Lab and 10 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS); and Tour 2 covered the 800 kV HVDC terminal station in Agra.
This year 8th ISGF Innovation Awards were conferred on 41 outstanding innovations and individuals under 11 categories out of 260 nominations received. These awards are given to recognize and promote some of the outstanding innovations by utilities, technology providers start-ups and visionary leaders.
ISUW 2024 Conference and Exhibition was inaugurated on 13 March 2024.
Inaugural ceremony witnessed special addresses by Luciano Martini, Chair, International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN); Richard Schomberg, IEC Ambassador on Smart Energy; N Venu, Managing Director and CEO, India and South Asia Region, Hitachi Energy; Deepak Garg, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Smart Energy Water; Sandeep Zanzaria, MD and CEO, GE T&D India Ltd; Siva Gunda, Commissioner and Vice Chair, California Energy Commission; H.E.Philipp Ackermann, Ambassador of Germany to India; H.E.Jan Thesleff, Ambassador of Sweden to India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives; H.E.Hervé Delphin, Ambassador of European Union to India; and Sudeep Jain, Additional Secretary, MNRE. The inaugural address was delivered by Ghanshyam Prasad, Chairman, Central Electricity Authority. Welcome Address was delivered by Reji Kumar Pillai, President, ISGF and Chairman, Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF) and Vote of Thanks was delivered by Reena Suri, Executive Director, ISGF.
ISUW 2024 conference provided ample opportunities for delegates to engage in intellectually stimulating interactions with other speakers and attendees. ISUW 2024 offered an excellent platform for utility and government officials, regulators, and experts from technology companies and academia for networking and experience sharing with their peers from around the globe. Most Indian utilities, regulatory commissions and government departments participated in the discussions on the latest developments, trends and technologies. The event was supported by Ministries of Power; New and Renewable Energy, NITI Aayog; Jal Shakti; Electronics and IT; Heavy Industries and Central Electricity Authority. Renowned Institutions supporting the event were Global Smart Energy Federation(GSEF), India CGD Forum; Central Board Of Irrigation And Power (CBIP), Bus Operators Confederation of India (BOCI); Indo-German Energy Forum; VJTI, Association of Power Utilities of Africa (APUA), Natural Gas Society, PHD Chamber of Commerce, ETSI, International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN), The European Committee for Standardization (CEN), The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), Asia Pacific Urban Energy Association (APUEA) and CIGRE India. 18 reputed Media Houses joined ISUW 2024 as Supporting Media Partners.
At the Exhibition of ISUW, Ministry of Electronics and IT; Tata Power, Smart Energy Water; GE Vernova; L&T PTD Digital Energy Solutions; G3 Alliance; Wi-SUN Alliance; Yitran; Oracle; European Union; CDAC; Cuculus India; TekUncorked; Trillectric, Tauras; Phoenix Contact and Plutoman showcased their latest products and technologies.
ISUW 2024 was joined by Host Utilities The Tata Power Company Limited; Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited; BSES Rajdhani Power Limited; BSES Yamuna Power Limited; and Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited. Smart Energy Water and GE Vernova were Platinum Partners. L&T PTD Digital Energy Solutions joined as Gold Partner. Hitachi Energy joined as Welcome Reception Partner. Trilliant was Lanyard Partner. ISGF Innovation Awards Partner was NEDO, Japan and its knowledge partner was FCDO, UK Government. Silver Partners were Wi-SUN Alliance, G3 Alliance; Yitran; Oracle Energy and Water. Country Partners were GIZ, Germany, European Union; FCDO, UK Government; USAID, USA; India Brazil Chamber of Commerce and LATAM Smart Grid Forum, Brazil. Bronze Partners were AutoGrid, part of Uplight; Itron; TekUncorked; Wirepas; Cuculus India; Kimbal Technologies; and Trillectric. UL Standards and Engagement joined as the Knowledge Partner. Overall, ISUW 2024 was an enriching experience for all stakeholders.
