Metering and Reactive Compensation Unit (MRCU) for Improved Energy Efficiency and Management - Supply of Electricity to Agricultural Consumers

Abstract

In order to meet the growing demands of electricity, it is imperative to increase the efficiency of distribution system and reduce all wastage of energy. In this paper, the data from the distribution companies and regulatory bodies are analysed to identify the inefficiencies existing in the electricity distribution to the agriculture consumers of the state of Gujarat in India. The primary causes for the inefficiencies in the system are absence of effective monitoring and correct and reliable data on the usage of electricity by agricultural consumers, and the technical loses of electricity on account of low Power Factor and poor voltage regulation. The paper proposes a comprehensive solution to address the identified problems by way of installing a Metering Reactive Compensation Unit (MRCU) independent of consumers’ energy meters. MRCU will contain capacitors for reactive compensation, relay and switching unit, metering unit for current, voltage, Kilowatt, KVARH and KWH, and LORA based communication module for 24x7 data capture. The data captured at the cloud level will be analysed by a head end software system for real time reports and corrective actions. The estimated monetary benefits from installing MRCUs for entire Gujarat’s agricultural consumers is estimated to be Rs 1500 Crore in a year, apart from an estimated energy saving of close to 2000 MUs per year.