This is the second of my 'Thoughts from Gridweek 2011' post series. Tomorrow, I'll have an interview with Anto Budiardjo.

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In India, smartgrid issues are secondary to grid issues- the country wants urgently to electrify, and is, on a grand scale. For Vimal Mahendru, the president of Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA), the drive to electrify India is central to its continued economic and social stability.

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Mahendru said “The government has recognized… not having access to electricity is depriving people of being a part of today’s emerging India. This, if the government does not rectify, is going to cause deep and severe social and civil issues.…The gap between the haves and have nots- who has electricity- has widened”

So, for India, it’s about meters at all, rather than caring if they are smart ones. However, India is also going to be installing millions and millions of meters in the coming decade. Why not make them smart?

The reason is cost. Indian electric loads are a fraction of their American counterparts’, so the ROI takes a lot longer. “Talking to some of the firms here, I heard that the cheapest smartmeter is $80 … if you can make a meter for $40 that has some basic features like security and is relatively smart- then you have a business case in India.”

Mahendru went on to explain that US firms are lagging in expanding to the Indian market. “My perception is that American companies are not as visible or present in India … the companies in India are multinationals, but headquarted in Europe. I’m not sure why it is; I believe there is a huge opportunity. The competition is coming in in a big way into India, and the US needs to get involved in the whole development process.”

I agree with him- the opportunity to electrify India, and leapfrog the dumb meter phase entirely- is tremendous. It’s tremendous financially for whichever firms’ meters end up there, but also tremendous for India: a nation whose growing populace is hungry for connectivity, and a nation that needs an electric grid to grow sustainably.

Why aren’t Indian markets aggressively pursued by American firms? I can’t think of any reasons. Historically, the US has been home to the some of electricity’s greatest innovators. Does the American drive to innovate end at its borders? If so, that’s a serious problem in a globalized world.

I’d love to hear your insights and ideas in the comments …

Photo by impactlab.net.