PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
` 4 CRORE
Expenditure on installation of grid-scale,
battery-based energy storage system in
Rohini, New Delhi, by TPDDL
` 95 CRORE
Expenditure on Advance metering
infrastructure and installation of
smart meters in Radio Frequency
(Mesh) network, by TPDDL
INNOVATION COUNCIL
Formed in June 2018,
first-of-its-kind
NEW ADDITIONS
Solar Rooftop Services, Electric Vehicle
infrastructure, Home Automation and
Microgrids, SMART meters and battery
based energy storage.
ADDED EFFORTS
1. Collaborative efforts in TPDDL
2. Setting up the Central Control Room
for Renewable Assets (CCRA)
Strategic Objectives
Material Topics Addressed
Key Risks Considered
Stakeholder Recommendations Addressed
SDGs Focused
SBO 3
Scale-up Renewables, Distribution, Services and Energy Solutions businesses
SBO 5
Building a customer-centric organisation
SBO 6
Leverage digital technology to establish new business model and enhance existing business delivery
- Increase in renewables portfolio
- Customer relationship
- Carbon emission management
- Operational efficiency
- Innovation in process, service and solutions
- Renewables and thermal capacity utilisation
- Climate change and business continuity linked risks
- Prioritised focus on renewables
- Quality and reliability of power supply
- Storage and trading of renewable energy, microgrid operations, and electric vehicle charging
IMPACT ON OTHER CAPITALS
Our performance in Intellectual Capital has significant influence across all other capitals. This has further been elaborated in this chapter.
Natural Capital
Impact
- Home automation services to minimise electricity consumption
- Technological enhancement in business operations to enable waste and emission minimisation
- Replacing diesel generator with Multi- Fuel Biomass energy generator at Microgrid plant
Financial Capital
Impact
- Dedicated R&D expenditure towards innovative technologies that ensure cost efficiency and reduce financial loss
Social & Relationship Capital
Impact
- Smart energy meters for rural customers, special invertors etc.
- Partnership with various academic institutions and businesses to develop and evaluate new sustainable technologies
- Demand side management schemes and offers for end customers for savings in energy cost
- Development of small micro enterprises — cost effective energy through microgrids
- 1.95 lakh Smart meters installed by TPDDL
- Battery energy storage system
- Home automations, IoT based solutions leading to energy savings and reduction of bills
Human Capital
Impact
- Integration of technologies to digitally augment the efficiency of management systems and processes
Manufactured Capital
Impact
- Innovative technologies to enhance the operational efficiency of our infrastructure and assets
- EV charging, microgrids and solar rooftop infrastructure
Tata Power’s journey of Innovation
At Tata Power, we are guided by our four pillars of innovation. This enables us to develop projects around our core technological requirements and accordingly evolve a required timeframe. We follow a multi-step process for ideation, innovation and implementation.
Our approach to innovative transformation
Our innovation is not solely driven by the management, rather our employees form the foundation of our innovation culture. To build capability on innovation, the first innovation council was formed in June 2018. The members of this council were selected from the brightest of our employees, with a focus on diversity and inclusivity. The 40-member council was subdivided into six teams to push innovative ideas with a strong yet practical outlook towards implementation.
Our Innovation Councils
The councils have an established objective to meet challenges, improve performance and create an environment of innovation in the organisation. They also give the necessary impetus for follow-through of ideas, culminating in the implementation of shortlisted projects. We also build a baseline of ideas received through various competitions and forums such as Shikhar, ACE, Idea Crucible, Ideation Hackathon and Cleantech. This process involves evaluation and selection of shortlisted ideas for current business priorities. The final investment decisions are made based on Board approval.
Our Innovation Hub
In addition to our innovation councils, we have a single database for the Tata Ideas Platform that integrates the entire employee database for a seamless sign-in process. The introduction of the Innovation Hub provides a go-to site for innovation at Tata Power.
Tata Innovation Management System (IMS) provides a platform for posting and tracking ‘blue sky’ ideas and addressing business challenges. This includes Tata Innovista to recognise breakthrough and step-change innovations. Other features are blogs, conversations via @Yammer page, news and updates, repository of intellectual property documents, quick links to the ‘Innovation Council sub-site’ and ‘Tata IMS platform’, and a photo and video gallery.
The benefits of having an integrated employee base results into an augmented amount of ideas on these platforms, complemented with diversity and ‘out of the box’ thinking.
Our domains for core innovation
Our R&D expenditure is dedicated towards improving energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, distributed energy, transmission and distribution technologies, advanced generation technologies and innovative sustainability-related services. Investments towards smart grid technologies such as smart meters, sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) in transmission and distribution aim to make the network more intelligent and efficient.
1. Building on Renewable Energy Technologies
- Grid-injected solar plants, which include the largest utility owned 1MWp grid-connected rooftop solar plant commissioned in 2010. This received recognition as an innovative approach at Innovista
- Robots for high rise painting and tunnel inspection
- Solar PV panels have been provided to replace diesel generators for 25 telecom towers. Thin film technology is able to overcome shadow effect of nearby structures and can augment power to local grids
2. Distributed Energy
- Demand response Hot Spot and Energy transition with renewables-based tariff for open access consumers
- First SAP ISU implementation in Rajasthan
3. Transmission and distribution technologies
- For FY20, installation of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – 10 MWh system at Rohini Grid Station
- The system addresses:
- Peak Load Management
- Deviation Settlement Charges
- Congestion Management
- Asset Life Enhancement
- Investment Postponement
- Enhancing Solar Grid Capacity
- Support to Delhi Metro during exigencies
- Implementing multi-fuel power and heat generation systems for rural microgrid applications
4. Driving Energy Efficiency
- Demand Side Management Schemes and offers for end customers
- These initiatives include:
- AC replacement scheme
- Super-efficient BLDC fan
- LED lighting products
- Ground fault neutraliser system in FY20 to help with earth fault without the need of any outage enhancing reliability
- Community storage at DT level in FY20, a customised bus arrangement for battery storages to reduce asset stress during peak hours
5. Innovative sustainability related services
- Deployed Radio Frequency (RF) mesh canopy in areas of operation and introduced smart meters for customers
- Launched IoT-based Smart Consumer Substation, enabled by Tata Communications
- Utilisation of drones and Image Analytics for coal pile assessments, thermal imaging of PV farms and open switch yards
6. Technology absorption, adaptation and innovation
- Launch of web-based digital signage software, enabling selfhealing features and a robust client-computing solution.
- Comprehensive adaptation of responsive and intuitive User Interface (UI) in multiple home-grown applications such as Training-Information-System-Dashboard, My-Companion- Short Notes and GYAN SANGAM discussion forum.
- Implementation of E-Security technology to be integrated with drones piloted at Solar PV sites.
7. Knowledge Based Platforms
- Presence of group level knowledge-based platforms such as IdeaLogy, Tata Edge and Tata Innovista.
- Launched in-house portals for knowledge-based
platforms such as:
- SHINERGY (platform for registering of improvement projects)
- Gyan Sangam (repository for SEEKH sessions organised throughout organisation)
- IMS Process Approval and Document Availability
- IMS and 6S Audit System
- Business Excellence Maturity Index
8. Advanced generation and technologies
- Rural microgrids with two pilot projects in Tayabpur and Behlolpur villages of Vaishali District in Bihar to provide affordable power and electricity access in rural areas, funded by Tata Trusts and co-created by TPDDL with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 70 households in Tayabpur and 85 households in Behlolpur given electricity connection through prepaid meters, in different packages of 5/12/24 hours
Our collaborative projects in innovation and CCRA
The Central Control Room for Renewable Assets (CCRA) is currently deployed for 1.2 GW of renewable assets. The CCRA aims to augment upcoming and work-in-progress renewable assets. The monitoring and analysis of production level KPIs involve data acquisition, visualisation and a wide range of analytics. Supplementary to a data repository for renewables, the CCRA also helps improve operational efficiency and reduces downtime.
In order to cater to futuristic and emerging customer requirements, TPDDL has partnered with technology providers, research institutes and funding agencies to build a diverse knowledge base of new products, services and solutions. Collaborations have taken place under specified categories:
- Enhancing operational efficiency, especially at the low tension level
- Development of low-cost and scalable solutions for the power sector
- Employee development and engagement
- TPDDL branding
100+
Collaboration Partners
59
Industries
24
Institutions
16
Global Funding Agencies
150+
Employee Engagements
At TPDDL, we conduct pilots for establishing Proof of Concept (PoC) and validating the business case for all identified opportunities. The pilots that present a business case are routed through a regulatory approval process and scaled up after obtaining concurrence.
Our other Digital Initiatives are described in Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)
