Established in 1948, Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers' Association (IEEMA) represents manufacturers of electrical, electronics and allied equipment required for the power sector. About 95 per cent of the electrical & electronics (E&E) products required by Indian power sector are produced by IEEMA members. In this conversation with Rakesh Rao, Jitendra Kumar Agarwal, Chairman, ELECRAMA 2023, and Jt MD, Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd, elaborates on new opportunities for companies in the energy sector and how the event will be a right platform to explore growth.

How has been the performance of the Indian E&E sector?
Post Covid, E&E sector has bounced back strongly and Indian economy is shaping up well. With the government initiatives to revamp power sector yielding good results, the future looks bright of the industry.

As per IEEMA’s survey, $2 trillion investment is expected to come in the next two decades in all the key segments of the energy sector - like generation, transmission and distribution (T&D) - with consumption growing manifold. In the US, 13,500 units of energy are used by one person (PPP) and in countries like Germany, UK, etc it is about 7000 units. In India, with a population 1.41 billion people, per capita energy consumption stands at 900 units. In the next decade, we expect a drastic push towards electric energy away from oil & gas.

Growing middle class and urbanisation is resulting in big changes in the energy consumption patterns. According to our study, if the AC makers achieve 50 per cent of their targeted sales in the next five years, India will require addition 6000 MW of energy. At present, India's energy generation capacity is about 400,000 MW. Similarly, if 25 per cent of vehicles in Mumbai become electric, then 33 per cent extra energy will be required by Mumbai city.

Looking at the explosion of energy usage in the form of electricity, huge amount of investment will be required to augment the power sector in the country. Investment will be required in conventional as well as renewable resources. Steps have already been taken in this direction and there will be a humungous opportunity in the generation, and T&D segments of the power sector.

How will the rising renewable energy sector translate into new business opportunities for E&E industry?
With decarbonisation (lowering carbon foot print) in mind, the Government of India has been encouraging transition to clean energy through its various initiatives for renewables. Solar has been witnessing big investments and the trend is expected to continue. The government also aims to make the country a production hub for green hydrogen (which is produced using an electrolyser that is powered by renewable energy) to meet renewable energy demands.

Renewables (especially the solar) will not be available 24/7, hence India will need a mix of conventional as well as renewable energy. This will also necessitate the need of smart grid, which will present big manufacturing opportunity for the India E&E industry.

The government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), aimed at reducing the AT& C losses at the pan-India level, encourages smart metering, which is one of the most important steps towards smart grid. Government is targeting to have smart meter installed for every consumer in the next 3-5 years. Government of India and state utilities are taking a lot of bold steps for 100 per cent smart meter installation to make smart grid a reality in the near future. At present, about 6 million consumers have smart meters, while tenders for 20 million smart meters have been already allotted to companies.

What would be the key takeaways for participants of ELECRAMA 2023?
ELECRAMA, a biennial event, is taking place after a gap of 3 years (due to Covid pandemic). Every company is looking forward to showcase latest technologies to the whole world through this exhibition. With the theme of “Reimagine energy: For sustainable future”, the expo will be showcasing innovation and future technologies in many areas including storage, green hydrogen, fuel cells, IoT, etc.

We also intend to make ELECRAMA a carbon neutral exhibition. To reduce carbon footprint, we will be using electricity from renewable sources, biodegradable lanyards, water kiosk with biodegradable glasses, etc.

Over 1200 companies will be exhibiting their products and solutions, out of which about 400-500 will be SMEs. We are expecting about 3.5 lakh visitors for the event.

One the eve of the event, would you like to give a message to the industry?
Power sector (globally and locally) will offer huge opportunity and ELECRAMA provides a right platform to all participants to explore, experience, enrich and grow.