TVK govt ropes in experts from IIT-Madras, mulls AI-driven grid to address power cut issues

CHENNAI: Finding itself at the receiving end of relentless criticisms from the public and political rivals over repeated power cuts during peak summer, the State government is exploring various measures to address the issue, including roping in experts from IIT-Madras, to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s power infrastructure. A key focus of the special team is to improve the integration of renewable energy to the grid, but without affecting grid stability.

Tamil is one of the leading states in India when it comes to renewable energy generation, particularly wind energy. However, the aged infrastructure is hampering the seamless integration of this electricity into the grid.

CM Vijay chairs meeting

Facing public anger over outages, including instances where the people hit the street in anger, the government had said that though Tamil Nadu does not face any electricity shortage, intermittent outages continue to be reported in parts of Chennai and other urban areas due to ageing electrical equipment, underground cable faults, rising power consumption, maintenance works, and accidental damage to power cables during road excavation by various service agencies.

On June 16, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay chaired a review meeting to understand and address the issues concerning the energy sector, during which it was decided that the government would invest Rs 2,275 crore to upgrade power infrastructure

IIT-Madras experts roped in to find solution

A day later, Energy Minister R Nirmalkumar held a high-level meeting with experts from IIT-Madras and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board's research and development wing to explore various options. Sources said the focus of the meeting was on managing the growing share of wind and solar power generation without affecting grid stability.

IIT-Madras experts, senior officials, and members of the board's R&D team discussed measures to ensure grid stability during periods of high renewable energy generation, maintain balance between electricity demand and supply, improve forecasting accuracy, and enable flexible operation of thermal power stations.

Can AI, ML help deal with the crisis?

The deliberations also explored the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced data analytics, battery energy storage systems, and modern grid management technologies to enhance the contribution of renewable energy in the State's power mix.

Officials said the recommendations emerging from the meeting would play an important role in future grid planning and green energy integration initiatives as the State seeks to modernise its electricity network and support higher levels of renewable energy generation.

The minister stressed the need for a climate-resilient power infrastructure and directed officials to work towards ensuring uninterrupted and reliable power supply across the State.

Panel formed to study latest tech

The meeting also discussed the introduction of new and reliable technologies for the development of the power sector. An integrated committee comprising experts from IIT-Madras and the electricity board's R&D wing will be formed to take forward the discussions. Joint Managing Director (Finance) IS Mercy Ramya will serve as the coordinator of the committee.

Among those present were Additional Chief Secretary and Tamil Nadu Electricity Board chairman J Radhakrishnan, Energy Department Principal Secretary Anil Meshram, Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation Managing Director M Govind Rao, Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Managing Director PN Sridhar, professors from IIT-Madras and senior officials of the energy sector.