Development of Smart Grid Technology in India: An Overview

India is lagging behind in meeting the electricity needs of a rapidly growing economy. Power system engineers face more challenges now than ever as a result of the restructuring of the energy industry. The proposed vision is to adopt advanced automation mechanisms to implement a functional Smart Grid (SG) at various levels in the Indian power system. Smart grids are introduced to improve grid operations. Smart grid operations when properly implemented have the potential to create new avenues and opportunities with major economic implications. This article discusses several smart grid initiatives and their implications in the context of India’s evolving electricity market. Some existing Indian automation frameworks are used as examples to support some of the ideas of this study. Furthermore, it examines the development and study of smart grid technology since its inception. The development of smart grid technology for future needs from an Indian perspective is being done with an effort to highlight current and future challenges.