CHENNAI: Ahead of the next wind season beginning in May 2027, Tamil Nadu’s power utility is looking to step up real-time monitoring of wind and solar power generation by transmitting generation data to the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) every seven seconds.
While officials said this will enable better grid management, wind and solar power generators express concerns over the existing infrastructure’s capacity to adapt to the proposed system and insist that the power utility conduct a trial run as it had originally announced.
An EB official told TNIE that real-time generation data from wind and solar plants would be collected through the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (Scada) system and be shared with the SLDC. The requirement comes under the purview of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Grid Code, 2026, which mandates renewable energy generators to establish real-time connectivity with the SLDC.
“Amid the rising demand for electricity in the state, this is the right time to introduce real-time data collection. At present, generation data is collected once every 15 days or per month through automated meter reading (AMR).
Under the proposed system, data will be collected every seven seconds, enabling better grid management and integration of renewable energy. It will also help the utility manage peak-hour demand more efficiently and avoid costly power purchases,” the official added.
Accordingly, the utility had informed wind power producers that the real-time data (RTD)-sharing works should be completed before April 30, 2027 —ahead of the next wind season—while solar power generators have been asked to complete the works by December this year, the official said.
In June, the government said generators that failed to establish Scada-based real-time data connectivity within the prescribed period would initially have 10% of their generation excluded from energy accounting and deviation settlement. If the non-compliance continued for 30 days, their entire generation would be excluded from the settlement process, with further action to follow if they remained non-compliant after 45 days.
The Renewable Energy Producers Association, however, in a meeting with the authorities concerned a few days ago raised concerns over RTD sharing and the power utility going back on its promise—made earlier this year—of conducting a trial run ahead of the system’s implementation.
A representative of a wind energy generator said the industry had concerns over the proposed implementation.
“TN has nearly 9,000 wind power plants with a combined capacity of around 12,000 MW. The utility had earlier informed us that a trial run of the RTD collection system would be conducted involving around 1,000 wind energy generators.
Based on the advantages and difficulties identified during the trial, the system was to be implemented further,” the source said. “But now, the utility has said that it will not provide the time earlier promised. We do not know how RTD collection will be implemented without adequate infrastructure,” the representative added.
EB officials declined comment when TNIE enquired the reason for going back against the decision to conduct a trial run.