Adya’s system is designed to be flexible and can be customized to suit various microgrid configurations, said Viraj Pathi, Founder & CEO, Adya Smart Metering in an interview with Abha Rustagi, Associate Editor, Energetica India.
Que: Can you share the inspiration behind founding Adya Smart Metering and how it aligns with the increasing demand for energy-efficient and sustainable solutions globally?
Ans: By around 2010-2011 we had started to realize that there are a lot of transmission distribution losses primarily and we felt that a lot of those losses could have been avoided if there was proper monitoring and data centric decision making, but it was far more challenging to create a solution to address that problem. One of the solutions that evolved out of all of those brainstorming was the ability to build out and install smart meters at a consumer level to be able to collect all of the data and utilize the data effectively to prevent transmission distribution losses. That was probably the genesis of the requirement of the smart meter.
But the more we thought about it, the more we realized how complex creating a smart meter was when compared to a normal digital meter. Because a smart meter actually is a combination of multiple technologies which are put together. For example, the smart meter system requires specialists from Meter manufacturing, communications, Big data management, Data analysis etc. and that is what Adya is about, it brought these specialists together from all these sectors with the focussed purpose of building out an end to end smart meter platform to suit for not only Indian but global requirements.
Que: The smart metering market is projected to reach USD 42.4 billion by 2026.
What factors are driving this growth, particularly in India?
Que: Adya’s Generation 3 Smart Meters and patented RF Mesh Networks are said to reduce infrastructure costs by 20-40 per cent. Can you elaborate on how this is achieved?
Ans: Most of the costs in the smart metering solution stack is in the physical Meter which is about 35 percent of the cost and also the communication costs. Imagine a meter which works on the cellular solution to upload the data. Even at Rs. 10 per month with 25 Cr meters that’s Rs.3000 Cr/ year. With Adya’s patented RF mesh system we will need only 1 Sim for approx. 150 meters. Imagine the savings in OpEx. We are not even debating the savings on the additional cellular infrastructure Capex.
Most meters are built with run of the mill components. Adya’s proprietary components suppresses the unit cost of the meter. Most of our software are open sourced which further suppresses the cost. As a combination of all these factors we are able to see a
20 – 30 percent reduction in costs.
Que: Your Digi2Smart solution transforms traditional meters into advanced smart meters. What challenges does this address for utilities and consumers?
Ans: Adya’s Digi2Smart solution is a patented transformative technology that upgrades traditional digital electricity meters into advanced smart meters. This approach addresses several critical challenges faced by both utilities and consumers.
The Capex is cut down by half as the digismart module is a plug n play unit which just plugs into any existing digital meter so you don’t actually have to replace the meter.
Imagine the environmental damage and E waste that the disused meters would have created.
On the Operational front the deployment cycle is shrunk rapidly leading to faster transition. Imaging the tie it would take to replace 25 Cr meters. The Digi2smart is literally as easy as plugging in a device into an existing digital meter. No power disruptions or specialized installation teams. In the Indian context 2 major aspects that any product has to solve for is adoption at scale and price sensitivity. Digi2smart solves both problems effectively.
Que: Adya’s Generation 3 Smart Meters and patented RF Mesh Networks are said to reduce infrastructure costs by 20-40 per cent. Can you elaborate on how this is achieved?
Ans: Most of the costs in the smart metering solution stack is in the physical Meter which is about 35 percent of the cost and also the communication costs. Imagine a meter which works on the cellular solution to upload the data. Even at Rs. 10 per month with 25 Cr meters that’s Rs.3000 Cr/ year. With Adya’s patented RF mesh system we will need only 1 Sim for approx. 150 meters. Imagine the savings in OpEx. we are not even debating the savings on the additional cellular infrastructure Capex.
Most meters are built with run of the mill components. Adya’s proprietary components suppresses the unit cost of the meter. Most of our software are open sourced which further suppresses the cost. As a combination of all these factors we are able to see a
20 – 30 percent reduction in costs.
Que: Your Digi2Smart solution transforms traditional meters into advanced smart meters. What challenges does this address for utilities and consumers?
Ans: Adya’s Digi2Smart solution is a patented transformative technology that upgrades traditional digital electricity meters into advanced smart meters. This approach addresses several critical challenges faced by both utilities and consumers.
The Capex is cut down by half as the digismart module is a plug n play unit which just plugs into any existing digital meter so you don’t actually have to replace the meter.
Imagine the environmental damage and E waste that the disused meters would have created.
On the Operational front the deployment cycle is shrunk rapidly leading to faster transition. Imaging the tie it would take to replace 25 Cr meters. The Digi2smart is literally as easy as plugging in a device into an existing digital meter. No power disruptions or specialized installation teams. In the Indian context 2 major aspects that any product has to solve for is adoption at scale and price sensitivity. Digi2smart solves both problems effectively.