Smart grids to keep an eye on power theft
At a time when power theft is a sore issue in Kerala, a group of students at FISAT have come up with a novel initiative. They have proposed to set up smart grids in every household which will help the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to keep a tab on the amount of power used by each household. Through these smart grid circuits (which will be connected to the power meter of the house), the Board will get a clear cut picture on how much power is used by a single family.
If they find out that unusual amount of power is being used by the family, they can easily make a call to the house and enquire on the issue.
“Currently, the KSEB does not have any proper mechanism to identify whether power theft is taking place and where it is taking place. These issues can be solved through these smart grids,” said Paulsin Polachan, one of the students along with Arun Jose and Anto Varghese of FISAT who came up with the concept.
The project model was exhibited during the KELCON exhibition at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium premises which concluded here on Sunday. The KSEB has asked the team to patent their innovation. Once patented, there are chances that the project will hit the market soon.
Another advantage of the project is that the it will help the KSEB do away with the system of manual power reading. Usually, contract staff are being employed for reading meters which is costing the KSEB huge sums of money.
Also, other innovations include using a fluid interphase where users’ thoughts can be easily translated into actions.
The project was initiated by Johny James and Dheeraj Prasanth. Also, two students Jayaram Pai and Jerry John Jacob gave an awareness on how much energy is being utilised during the use of internet browsers in a single hour. Vivek Kannissery, another student, introduced the concept of replacing computers every five years so as to save energy. Also, he advised the use of liquid coolants for computers which can bring down energy consumption.
Meanwhile, other innovations include secure tablet integration wherein the owner of the car can control every activity of the car and can make modifications to the specifications of the car using a tablet they invented. Also, in case the car is stolen, the owner can easily track down the location of the car.
“If the thief tries to cut down the GPS of the car, the car will automatically die down. This will ensure security,” said Kevin Vincent Christie. He and Ajay Paul have also been approached to patent their invention.