The 13th edition of ELECRAMA – the biggest showcase of the world of electricity organised by Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida from March 10 to 14. The five-day ELECRAMA 2018 recorded more than 2,98,000 footfalls from more than 120 countries. Over 1,200 exhibitors showcased their products and services at the biggest showcase of electrical and electronics manufacturers.
While inaugurating ELECRAMA 2018, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said the government should support manufacturers of electrical and electronics equipment and protect the industry from cheap imports. At the same time, industry leaders must embrace digital technologies and come up with futurist solutions to meet India’s growing need for sustainable power.
“With path-breaking economic reforms and annual GDP growth rate of about 7.2 per cent, India is poised to become the third largest economy worldwide in the next 15 years. The electrical, industrial electronics and allied equipment industry must invest in research and development of storage systems so that electricity can reach all households,” he said.
The Vice President said the government plans to put six to seven million vehicles on Indian roads by 2020 to reduce carbon emissions. He also called for innovative solutions to harness solar power for environment protection and sustainable development.
Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu also called for adopting new technologies to improve energy efficiencies. “The Indian electrical and electronics industry has the skills and capacity to even explore global markets.” He said ELECRAMA 2018 is a global event showcasing integrated solutions to complex energy problems. “Apart from being a premier showcase of product and technology, it is also a leading business networking, knowledge and thought leadership platform for the industry,” he added.
IEEMA President Shreegopal Kabra said the association has a membership of more than 800 with a combined turnover of over 42 billion dollars. He said the electrical equipment industry hopes to export goods worth 35 billion dollars by 2022, up from six billion dollars at present.
Organisers said business queries or more than 1 billion USD were estimated at the event “We had a lot of visitors from 120-plus countries who experienced transformational developments taking place in India and globally,” said ELECRAMA Chairman Vijay Karia.
“The country has recorded rapid economic growth in recent years and is fast transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables sources to generate electricity. It is heartening to note that ELECRAMA 2018 emerged as a platform for knowledge-sharing with a strong focus on electric vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT), storage solutions and renewable energy.”
Karia said the industry is aligned with government initiatives like Make in India and Power to All 24 x 7 by 2022. Manufacturers are looking forward to a favourable policy environment to capitalise on new opportunities being created by artificial intelligence, machine learning, block chain and a combination of innovation in manufacturing of electrical gadgets, equipment, machineries and energy efficiency programmes.
In addition, market forces such as customers turning producers, rise of renewable sources of energy and industry convergence are pushing utilities to think out-of-the-box, experts said at the 2nd edition of three-day World Utility Summit 2018 held concurrently with ELECRAMA – the world’s largest confluence of everything electric.
eTechNxt as a concept is introduced for the first time at ELECRAMA. The purpose of eTechNxt is to showcase new technologies which are going to impact the electricity and power sector in a big way. These technologies are already brewing up and going to be the next big thing.
There are four major tracks at eTechNxt: digital delivery of power, industrial internet of things (IoT), energy storage and electric vehicles. Various stakeholders have demonstrated what they have in these areas, and engage with users and influencers to explore the demand and what are those demand drivers.
Apart from that, there are various start-ups showcasing some of these upcoming technologies. There is an experience zone where technologies were displayed through virtual reality so that they can be touched and felt through various new experiential tools.
Over 300 delegates were present at the inaugural session presided over by Arvind Singh, Principal Secretary (Energy) at the Maharashtra Government. Also present at the summit were Shreegopal Kabra, President of Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA); Vijay Karia, Chairman of ELECRAMA 2018; Vikram Gandotra, Convenor of World Utility Summit 2018; Saifur Rahman, President of US-based IEEE Power and Energy Society; Jasper Wieck, Head of the Department for Economic and Global Affairs at German Embassy in New Delhi; and R Nagaraja, Chair of World Utility Summit 2018.
With energy transfer and consumption increasingly being done through electricity, unprecedented changes are underway in its generation, transmission, distribution and consumption due to new trends of 3Ds: decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitalisation.
Thus, the current role of utilities needs to evolve to be future-ready. Technology which is on display at ELECRAMA provides new tools which help utilities to embrace the change with proper implementation, said the experts. A sound and fair regulatory framework can encourage utilities to invest for change while protecting the interests of end consumers.
The conventional definition of utility will alter due to convergence of various factors. Future utilities will embrace Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, artificial intelligence and plethora of new technologies like block chain to deliver energy are on display at eTechNxt at ELECRAMA. These developments will bring the much-needed transparency in the system, resulting in better consumer experience and lowering costs.
Jye Ying Lu, Director of Malaysia-based Powerpoint Electrical, said, “This has been my second visit to ELECRAMA. It is very well organised and everything is inter-linked. We have had good opportunity to meet Indian manufacturers. The Indian industry has matured and improved a lot over the past 10 years. The products are well received in Malaysian and other markets as well.”
Ornousa Sok Pona, Director at Thailand’s government-owned Provincial Electricity Authority, said, “In terms knowledge-sharing, ELECRAMA is of immense value. We hope to explore new products available in Indian markets.”
