REJI KUMAR PILLAI

Prepared the Smart Grid Vision and Roadmap for India that was issued by Ministry of Power (MOP) in Aug 2013 which is the guiding policy document for electric grid modernization in India

For a decade, ISGF has collaborated with various stakeholders around the world to develop knowledge sharing platforms and capacity building for utilities, regulators, policymakers, industry, and academia. The primary goal of ISGF initiatives is to develop a skilled workforce in the power sector to support the energy transition. Over 35,000 professionals have participated in ISGF’s training programs, workshops, and conferences. In recognition of ISGF’s leadership role, International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) has awarded the ISGAN AWARD OF EXECELLENCE (first prize) in 2022 for building inclusive workforce for energy transition

Work closely with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and international standardization organizations such as IEC, IEEE, Wi-SUN, CEN/CENELEC, ETSI etc. Driven the formulation of smart meter standards (IS:16444 and IS:15959); Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Standards (IS:17017 series); Low Volt Direct Current (LVDC) grid standards; Energy Storage System (ESS) Standards (IS 17092 : 2019) etc; driven the adoption of IEC standards for User Interface with Grid (IEC:62746-10-1), IEEE Standards for Smart Inverters (IEEE 1547-2018); and ISO-15118 etc as Indian Standards. As a recognition of the leadership role being played by ISGF globally, ISGF President was unanimously elected as Chairman of Global Smart Energy Federation in 2016 which is a first for India to chair a global technology forum

Worked with MoP, CERC and Forum of Regulators (FOR) for formulation and approval of Model Smart Grid Regulations in 2015 which is a very important policy document that several other countries are looking to emulate

Worked with NCIIPC and VJTI for development of Comprehensive Framework for Assessment of Cyber Security Readiness of Indian Power Utilities; assessed 7 utilities and submitted the assessment report to respective utilities. Also prepared a Top-10 findings which was submitted to MOP and sent to all utilities in the country for compliance

Prepared the Indian Manual on Cyber Security for Power Systems in collaboration with NCIIPC and VJTI; and submitted to MOP in 2016 which contributed to the development of Cyber Security Guidelines issued by CEA in 2021. Also, worked with NCIIPC for setting up a Security Operations Centre (SOC) for power sector

ISGF White Paper in 2014 and the Study Report in 2017 advocated for clearly visible (Green) Number Plates for Electric Vehicles which Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) approved in 2019

ISGF Study Report in 2017 proposed sale of Electric 2-Wheelers and 3-Wheelers without batteries and treat batteries like fuel which can be rented from battery leasing agencies. In July 2021, this was approved by MoRTH and BIS has circulated a draft standard for battery swapping. The cost of electric 3-Wheelers and 2-Wheelers have come down by over 50% without batteries and hence entry cost to e-Mobility has been drastically reduced (85% of automobiles in India are 2-Wheelers)

Smart Metering as a Service against a monthly fee per meter for ten years was proposed by ISGF in a 2017 White Paper which is now adopted by Ministry of Power and the Utilities under the RDSS program for rollout of 250 million smart meters in India

ISGF Study Report of 2017 on Electrification of Public Transportation in Kolkata argued for right sizing the batteries in electric buses according to the daily running kilometres of the buses in each city; and assisted West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) to procure buses with 120kWh and 180kWh batteries that brought down the electric bus price to Rs 8.8 million (way below the Rs 25-30 million for the initial models introduced in the country with battery sizes >300 kWh)

In 2016, ISGF presented to the Forum of Regulators (FOR) the need for creation of separate Electricity Tariff for Electric Vehicle Charging which was accepted readily and today about 23 state electricity regulatory commissions have issued tariff orders with concessional tariffs for EV charging

ISGF prepared the Energy Storage System Roadmap for India in 2019 which estimated the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) requirement in excess of 2400 GWh by 2032. This report kick-started the initiatives by Government of India, Regulators, Utilities and other stakeholders in both setting-up BESS for grid support and manufacture of lithium-ion batteries in India

Worked with NEDO, Japan for the grant of INR 143 crore for the Smart Grid Pilot Project in Panipat

Worked with Department of Telecommunications (DOT)and prepared the machine-to-machine (M2M) Communications Roadmap and assisted the Rollout of IPv6 for Power Sector

ISGF worked with DOT and Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) for allotment of 10MHz of licence-free spectrum for M2M communications. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has approved 7MHz in 2018; and Wireless Planning Committee (WPC) has released 1 MHz in 2021. DOT has promised to release remaining 6 MHz

ISGF argued for approval for Private Captive Networks under 5G Rollout; and Government approved the same under 5G rollout policy

Since inception, ISGF has introduced several new technologies and solutions in the Indian power sector. Undertaken successful pilot projects of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Trading of Solar Energy on Blockchain Platform – in Lucknow, Delhi and Kolkata. Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has issued regulations for P2P Trading of Solar Energy on Blockchain Platform, a first of its kind regulations globally.

Developed and launched India Smart Grid Knowledge Portal (www.indiasmartgrid.org) in January 2013; and is being updated on a daily basis. It is one of the most popular smart grid portals in the world

ISGF publishes a monthly Smart Grid Bulletin since January 2014 that captures the key developments on policies, technologies, projects related to various domains such as renewable energy, smart grids, electric mobility, cyber security etc from India and around the world. Today our Smart Grid Bulletin has circulation of over 75000 digitally amongst key influencers and decision makers in over 100 countries

ISGF Report in 2019 argued that all large new buildings to be built with EV Charging Points in 20% of the parking spaces which was approved by Town and Country Planning Organization (TCPO) under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in 2019

Conducting India Smart Utility Week (ISUW) (previously known as India Smart Grid Week), ISGF’s flagship annual event since 2015 and it is considered as one of the top five international events on Smart Grids, Electric Mobility and Smart Cities. All the editions of ISUW were huge success that attracted the attention and participation of the whose-who amongst top-notch thinkers and utility leaders from around the globe. Technology Companies, Regulators, Policy Makers, Government Officials and Senior Officials from Electric, Water and Gas Utilities from 61 countries participated in the 9 editions of ISUW that witnessed over 20,000 participants

Conducting series of Bilateral Smart Grid Workshops with following countries and European Commission:

1. 9 editions of annual Workshops with USA
2. 11 editions of Workshops with European Commission
3. 5 editions of Workshops with Sweden
4. 2 editions of Workshops with Canada
5. 3 editions of Workshop with France
6. 1 edition of Workshop with Switzerland
7. 2 editions of Workshops with Germany
   The above workshops have led to grants for demonstration projects in India from European Commission, USAID, USTDA etc; and the energy cooperation programs with these countries

ISGF supported the implementation of Smart Grid Pilot projects allotted by MOP to different utilities in 2013; and also assisted formulation of policies, regulations and implementation of projects under programs such as IPDS, DDUGVY, SAUBHAGYA etc which has enhanced the access to electricity for nearly 100% of the Indian households in the past ten years – till 2010 India had the largest mass of over 400 million people without access to electricity that has been reduced to almost nil!

ISGF has taken several delegations from India to international events in USA (DistribuTECH), Europe (CIGRE, CIRED and ENLIT EUROPE), Japan (ICEF), South Korea (KSGW), Singapore (SIEW) etc which contributed richly to enhance the exposure and awareness of utility leaders, regulators, and policy makers in India

Conducting IEC-IEEE World Smart Energy Coordination Workshop series was initiated by ISGF and 6 editions have been held till 2023

Published several Research Reports, White Papers, Manuals, Compendiums etc on diverse topics related to Smart Grids and Smart Cities that are globally acclaimed. The Smart Grid Handbook for Regulators and Policymakers has contributed immensely to build awareness amongst regulators on conducive policies for energy transition and grid modernization

Worked with NITI Aayog for development and launch of India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 (IESS 2047) Versions 1 and 2. India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) was the knowledge partner for following areas: 1. T&D Losses& Smart Grids 2. Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) 3. Electrical Energy Storage (EES) for base load