Vizag smart city project: Call for green buildings

Visakhapatnam: Dr Anuradha Ramaswami, a sustainable technology expert from the USA, called on the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited’s (APEPDCL) office on Wednesday in an effort to support Vizag Smart City. The EPDCL officials, including directors B. Seshu Kumar and TVS. Chandrasekhar and executive director (Quality Control and World Bank Projects) B. Ramesh Prasad, explained how the APEPDCL has achieved the lowest 5.48% transmission and distribution (T&D) losses in 2015-16 and how they conserved lakhs of units of electricity through LED bulbs, solar power, etc.

Later, they gave a power-point presentation on Eastern Power and Vidyut Pravah apps and explained how these apps provide information about power availability, current demand and peak demand 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 this occasion, Dr Ramaswami commented that knowing ward-wise power consumption helps understand the socio-economic status of a particular area. “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 Ramaswami also gave a power-point presentation on energy efficiency measures they have adopted in Colorado in USA and asked the EPDCL officials to see if they could replicate some of the measures in the jurisdiction of EPDCL. Dr Ramaswami is in India to visit Jaipur, Ajmer, Allahabad and Visakhapatnam as part of the exchange. 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.