As India accelerates its journey towards a digitally empowered, sustainable vitality future, Superior Metering Infrastructure (AMI) has emerged as a linchpin for modernizing the nation’s energy grid. With rising vitality calls for, increasing renewable integration, and daring coverage initiatives just like the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), the function of sensible metering has by no means been extra essential.
On this unique interview with ELE Occasions, Ashish Sahay, Nation Supervisor and Gross sales Director at Wirepas, shares insights into the transformative function of AMI and RF mesh expertise in India’s sensible grid evolution. With Wirepas main the cost in next-gen, infrastructure-free connectivity, Sahay outlines how the corporate is enabling scalable, cost-effective options tailor-made to India’s distinctive energy distribution panorama.
Excerpt:
ELE Occasions: India is present process a large transformation in its energy sector. How do you see Superior Metering Infrastructure (AMI) enjoying a essential function on this journey towards a wiser, extra resilient grid?
India’s vitality panorama is evolving quickly, and Superior Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is rising as a foundational pillar in constructing a wiser, extra resilient energy grid. With rising vitality demand and a rising share of renewables, utilities want real-time visibility and management to make sure grid stability. Good meters present precisely that – enabling correct consumption information, decreasing non-commercial losses, and serving to utilities develop into financially viable. The loss-making governmental electrical energy distribution corporations, which have already got carried out sensible meters, have develop into worthwhile. This, in flip, permits them to reinvest in modernizing the grid. For shoppers, AMI brings transparency, correct billing, and higher management over vitality utilization. It’s a essential enabler in India’s journey towards sustainable and equitable vitality entry.
ELE Occasions: Wirepas has launched a singular 5G RF Mesh expertise to the Indian market. Are you able to clarify how this resolution differs from conventional communication networks and the way it improves scalability, cost-efficiency, and efficiency for sensible metering?
Ashish Sahay: Wirepas’ RF mesh expertise is basically totally different from conventional communication networks utilized in sensible metering. As an alternative of counting on pricey and complicated infrastructure like mobile base stations, Wirepas turns every sensible meter into a part of a decentralized, self-healing mesh community. This implies meters join straight with their neighbors, forming a resilient and scalable system with no single level of failure.
The actual game-changer is price and scalability. Now we have eliminated the necessity for community infrastructure. RF Mesh requires some extent gathering information to be despatched to the cloud. Wirepas has enabled in-meter gateway the place, one sensible meter having a mobile connection can help as much as 300 Wirepas RF mesh meters, dramatically decreasing communication prices. With built-in wi-fi modules working Wirepas software program, utilities can deploy at scale with out compromising on efficiency – attaining confirmed 99.9% reliability even in difficult environments. It’s a versatile, high-performance resolution designed from the bottom as much as meet the distinctive calls for of India’s sensible metering rollout.
Present regulatory setup in India, has not but tailored to the European harmonized commonplace for 5G mesh. India has 1880-1900 MHz spectrum accessible, however not but allotted for NR+ 5G commonplace, like in Europe. For that reason Wirepas has tailored 5G expertise for use on 865-868 MHz spectrum with much less efficiency. Going additional, the Indian authorities ought to allow NR+ 5G expertise for use on the 1880-1900 MHz band which is presently allotted to legacy DECT gadgets.
ELE Occasions: Regardless of authorities mandates, large-scale sensible grid adoption nonetheless faces hurdles. Out of your expertise, what are the important thing challenges utilities face when implementing AMI options, and the way can they be addressed?
Ashish Sahay: Regardless of robust authorities help, large-scale sensible grid adoption in India nonetheless faces a number of key hurdles. One main problem is the business’s restricted expertise with sensible metering – particularly early on, when the native ecosystem was nonetheless growing beneath the Make in India initiative. Many utilities and contractors are nonetheless climbing the educational curve, which has led to delays and uneven rollouts.
Dependable communication is one other essential situation. AMI is dependent upon constant, high-quality connectivity, but mobile protection in India could be patchy – particularly in rural or densely built-up areas. In some circumstances, solely 70% of mobile sensible meters preserve a connection, and even when protection exists, the standard could fall wanting AMI service necessities. Workarounds like BLE-based smartphone reconnections usually are not scalable options. Whereas decrease price RF Mesh can ship higher protection and SLA. Usually every sensible meter utilizing Wirepas Mesh communication expertise is ready to talk through 50 or extra meters, offering seamless community protection and robust community sign.
Moreover, utilities should navigate the huge scale of deployment and the hidden prices tied to mobile applied sciences, corresponding to SEP (Normal Important Patent) charges and long-term subscription prices, which may considerably impression margins.
To beat these challenges, options like Wirepas Mesh supply a compelling different. By turning every sensible meter right into a node in a self-healing, decentralized mesh community, Wirepas eliminates dependency on mobile protection. It additionally reduces price and threat by avoiding SEP-related liabilities. This strategy not solely ensures dependable connectivity throughout city and rural environments but in addition helps quick, large-scale rollouts, making it a powerful match for India’s formidable AMI targets.
ELE Occasions: India’s energy sector is guided by formidable digitalization targets beneath initiatives like RDSS. How aligned is Wirepas with these nationwide packages, and what function does coverage play in accelerating sensible metering deployment?
Ashish Sahay: Wirepas is absolutely aligned with India’s digitalization targets beneath initiatives just like the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). These policy-driven packages have been instrumental in accelerating sensible metering adoption by offering clear targets, monetary help, and standardized necessities that create a stage enjoying discipline for all stakeholders. With out such initiatives, large-scale rollouts can be fragmented and much slower. For Wirepas, this coverage alignment means we are able to supply scalable, infrastructure-free connectivity that meets nationwide requirements, serving to utilities deploy sooner, extra effectively, and at decrease price. Coverage has really been the catalyst turning sensible metering from a tech improve right into a nationwide crucial.
India authorities RDSS is turning into a worldwide function mannequin of nicely executed nationwide sensible metering packages. Defining the usual on the proper stage allows the free competitors and helps utilities to succeed in their roll-out targets in time.
ELE Occasions: You’ve labored throughout world markets—what classes from worldwide sensible grid rollouts are notably related to India’s distinctive energy distribution panorama
Ashish Sahay: The lifetime of AMI techniques is more and more reaching 15 years or extra. This locations vital calls for on the chosen applied sciences to make sure they don’t develop into out of date throughout their operational lifespan.
India tends to give attention to short-term targets, such because the upfront price of {hardware}, whereas in actuality, upkeep prices (OPEX) play a significant function within the general enterprise case. For example, elements of Southern Europe extensively adopted PLC expertise, which, regardless of the low price of sensible meters, led to excessive system upkeep prices.
In Europe, in-meter RF mesh gateways have confirmed to be by far probably the most economical resolution for deploying RF connectivity, successfully masking each rural and densely populated city areas. India has the chance to copy this success.
ELE Occasions: With speedy innovation in IoT and connectivity, the place do you see the way forward for related utilities heading in India over the subsequent 5 years—and the way is Wirepas positioning itself to steer that future?
Ashish Sahay: Over the subsequent 5 years, India’s related utilities will evolve into extremely data-driven, responsive techniques, powered by real-time insights and seamless IoT connectivity. At Wirepas, we see this transformation as an enormous alternative, and we’re positioning ourselves to steer it. At present, our RF mesh expertise is already utilized in round 25% of latest sensible meter deployments in India, and we’re dedicated to increasing that footprint by partnering with native gamers and licensing our expertise to Indian producers.
Our resolution is constructed for scale, efficiency, and future calls for, supporting granular information assortment intervals and ultra-resilient communication, all with the bottom whole price of possession. We’re not simply protecting tempo with innovation; we’re setting the usual for what AMI connectivity ought to appear like in India’s subsequent section of digital utility transformation.
Wirepas primarily based techniques allow utilities to additionally profit from load balancing use circumstances to make the most of the identical RF communication with the electrical energy masses related to the grid.
