Innovative Strategies for Tackling Power Problems

Many developing countries have been unable to provide their industries with the basic input of reliable electric power. Industrial users in these countries suffer from shortfalls in both the quantity and quality of power. The problem of inadequate supply arises, in part, from the inability of governments to invest at a rate that keeps pace with growing demand. In a country such as India, the quantity shortage or demand-supply gap means it is usually hard to get electric connections from public utilities. When firms do get connections, the “sanctioned load” is often lower than their demand, and they face frequent, scheduled and unscheduled, power cuts. The problem of poor power quality, or significant fluctuations in voltage and frequency, has an adverse effect on manufacturing processes and efficiency. Quality problems arise from both the poor condition of the physical infrastructure, especially the transmission and distribution lines, and the demand–supply gap (e.g., at peak demand the grid is overloaded and voltage in the entire system tends to drop).