Energy is a crucial driver for development. The rising per capita consumption needs and rapid urbanisation have increased the overall demand for energy. Like all urban centres, Gurgaon’s demand for electricity has risen steeply. Electricity distribution in Gurgaon is done by state-owned utility Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitaran Nigam (DHBVN). Gurgaon is one of the 12 districts DHBVN supplies electricity to.
Being the millennial city and the financial capital of Haryana with residential and commercial consumers and low agricultural consumers, Gurgaon is an important district in DHBVN portfolio. Gurgaon consumes one-third of the total load of the DHVBN and contributes over 40 per cent to its revenues.
The total electricity demand of Gurgaon during peak time is around 1700 MW. The average tariff paid by residential consumers in Gurgaon is Rs 7.6 per unit The bill collection efficiency of Gurgaon stands at 100 per cent, which means consumers pay their bills without fail. Both the line losses and Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses of Gurgaon district have reduced and are under 10 per cent. The city’s demand is also met through diesel gensets that provide crucial power back-up during outages at additional costs.
A decade ago, outages and electricity cuts especially during summers were quite common in Gurgaon. Apart from inadequate supply, weak and ageing transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure comprising feeders, substations, distribution transformers and poles posed problems. However, over the years, initiatives such as network strengthening, replacement of old infrastructure, better technology including smart meters and IT interventions have helped improve customer interface and deliver improved performance.
A couple of years ago, DHBVNL completed the feeder bifurcation in New Gurgaon circle to improve power supply. (Gurgaon has over 900 feeders, of which over 400 are in New Gurugram). DHBVNL has also installed 100 km of new low tension cables and about 150 transformers with a capacity of 200 kVA each to reduce outages.
A “smart grid” project has been underway since 2016 under which 1,000 km of overhead Aerial Bundle (AB) cables is now being replaced by superior underground cables to reduce cable faults. Under the project, modern equipment such as SCADA enabling equipment is also being installed. Substations in Gurgaon have a ring system which means that there are multiple supply lines so that if one line fails, there is supply from another leading to greater reliability. Besides, “smart metering” is being actively taken up in the Gurgaon city.
Gurgaon uses DG sets to supply electricity during power cuts. There is around 2,000 MW capacity DG installed in the total Gurgaon circle. Almost 20 per cent of the total capacity installed is in the residential group housing sector whereas commercial & industrial comprises of 80% of the total DG capacity installed.
There is currently little focus on electricity conservation. The use of LEDs and smart lighting systems, maximizing use of sunlight during day time and investing in energy-efficient appliances and solar heating systems should be encouraged through awareness campaigns.
Solar
The attractive cost economics of solar power, government subsidies and increasing environment-consciousness amongst consumers are contributing to the solar transition. Given the fact that land is a premium in Gurgaon, solar rooftop has emerged as an attractive option for the city. Thus, rooftops of houses, malls, office buildings, industries and school and college campuses, hospitals and other institutions are all suitable for rooftop solar installations. Further, rooftop solar power is generated and consumed locally, without the need to transmit it over long distances, which reduces the transmission cost. There are various business models for rooftop solar. In the capex model, the power offtaker owns the solar project and the developer merely installs it for a fee. In the opex model, the developer owns and installs the system at the offtaker’s premises for a mutually agreed solar power procurement tariff.
The Ministry for Non Renewable Energy (MNRE) grants a subsidy for solar rooftops projects for individual homes and RWAs. Haryana Government’s policy also promotes solar including attractive net metering policies. Gurgaon has added about 90 MW of rooftop solar energy till 2020. Some of the RWAs that have adopted solar are Hewo Apartment-I, Sector 56, Gurgaon, Maple Heights, Devendra Vihar RWA, Wellington RWA, The Citizen, RWA, DLF Icon, Bestech Park View Residency and Vatika City. Gurgaon has apotential for adding nearly 600 MW of rooftop solar.
Residential, industrial and commercial consumers can kick-start their solar rooftop journey by filling an online application form on the DHBVNL website. For both subsidy and net metering (for solar projects), consumers can apply to DHBVNL.