US expert all praise for EPDCL

Visakhapatnam: Prof Anuradha Ramaswamy of University of Minnesota and a sustainable technology expert from the US, visited the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited office here on Wednesday. She was here to help local offices in building Smart City. The EPDCL officials, including directors B Seshu Kumar and T V S Chandrasekhar and executive director (Quality Control and World Bank Projects) B Ramesh Prasad, explained how the APEPDCL achieved the lowest 5.48 per cent transmission and distribution losses in 2015-16.

Later, they gave a PowerPoint presentation on Eastern Power and Vidyut Pravah apps and explained how these apps provide information about power availability, current demand and shortage, if any, and an array of services on a real-time basis, bringing transparency in power supply and empowering the common man. All India Principal Programme Advisor at American Embassy Mandeep Kaur was also present. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ramaswamy, commented that knowing ward-wise power consumption helps understand the socio-economic status of a particular area.

She said that various energy conservation and consumer satisfaction measures initiated by the EPDCL are of cutting edge technology. “My students in Colorado had created an app to connect building characteristics with energy efficiency,” she added. Dr Ramaswamy also gave PowerPoint presentation on energy efficiency measures they had adopted in Colorado of USA and asked the EPDCL officials to see if they could replicate some of the measures in the jurisdiction of EPDCL.

Dr Ramaswamy is in India to visit Jaipur, Ajmer, Allahabad and Visakhapatnam as part of the exchange programme. She is currently the Denny Chair Professor of Science, Technology & Public Policy, Director, Centre for Science Technology & Public Policy Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota.