Omron unveils tamper detection solution to address power theft

April 13, 2016 5:39 pm

  Omron announced the launch of its Total Tamper Detection Solution to address the concerns of power theft in the electricity sector. Positioned as a revolutionary offering for smart energy management, the solution has been unveiled by the company at the India Smart Grid Week -2016.
The solution comprises of a technologically advanced security sensor, made by Omron, positioned in a smart meter. Conceptualised in association with the utility, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), the endeavour is visualised as a milestone in enabling the Smart Grid initiative of the Government of India and is also expected to play a key role in shaping the macro initiatives of national importance such as the need to channelize and curb the losses caused by power theft.
Transmission and distribution (T&D) losses remain one of the major concerns for the power sector in India. As per varied industry reports, the country ranks 5th in the world in terms of installed capacity, but still more than 300 million people do not have access to electricity. This unavailability and insufficiency of electricity has a strong linkage with the T&D losses which amount to around 40 per cent of the total production. The losses give rise to a vicious cycle – utilities running into losses leading to increased power tariff leading to more burden on the end user which ultimately results into more unscrupulous ways to tamper with the meters.
Explaining the role of Total Tamper Detection solution in managing power theft, Vinod Raphael, Country Business Head- Omron Electronic and Mechanical Components business division in India said, “Though it is difficult to reckon the proportion of power theft in the T&D losses, it is certainly one of the major concerns for the utilities. Omron’s security sensor for the smart meters is multi-functional, imparting a unique artificial intelligence to the meter by detecting all kinds of tampering”.