India’s first fully fledged multi-source microgr id was inaugurated in early November 2015 by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy, at a ceremony hosted by ABB Group CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer and ABB India Managing Director Bazmi Husain.

The multi-source microgrid supplies power to ABB’s leading global customer fair, Automation and Power World (APW), which took place in New Delhi from November 4-6, 2015. Powered by solar and wind it can generate up to 125 kilovolt ampere (kVA) – enough clean energy for around 4,000 rural households. It avoids production of more than 1,300 kilograms of CO2 emissions during the three-day APW event. The microgrid is equipped with a state-of-the-art battery bank for power storage and balancing, and can function independently or as a supplement to the main grid.

A new report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, commissioned by ABB, says microgrids can make an important contribution to the overall electricity infrastructure and minimizes the risk of outages. The report stresses that India could develop domestic capabilities in the microgrids sector, allowing it to expand its presence in high-tech manufacturing and address consumer demand. In India, nearly a quarter of the population lacks access to electricity.

“Using microgrid technology, India can not only light up its remote villages, in line with the government’s power for all program, but also decentralise generation and optimise power usage in remote industrial installations or urban complexes,” said ABB Group CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “ABB has executed more than 30 microgrid projects across the globe and is well placed to partner with the government in this area.”

APW is returning to India after four years with an exhibition of technologies focused on the future of power and automation. It presents smart solutions for sustainable growth, showcasing the drivers of the next level of development in India across utilities, industries, and transport and infrastructure.

APW has a working exhibit of the world’s first truly collaborative industrial robot, YuMi, along with an innovative command and control centre for technologies utilising the Internet of Things, Services and People. The centre can remotely monitor the health and performance of equipment, robots and industrial plants across the world. Sustainable infrastructure and smart city offerings from intelligent buildings to metro transportation will also be showcased at APW.

“The exhibition brings together ABB technologies from around the world that can enhance productivity in Indian industry,” said ABB India Managing Director Bazmi Husain. “On average, Indian industries use 30 per cent more energy than global benchmarks to manufacture a production unit. Optimisation of energy use is imperative as India balances growth and the need to minimise environmental impact. The resulting energy savings and efficiency can be equivalent to setting up new capacity. Microgrid technology deployed for urban and power sensitive installations can aid reliable, optimal and clean power supply.”