IntelliSmart INSTINCT 2.0: winning ideas exhibit potential to disrupt smart metering

IntelliSmart INSTINCT 2.0: winning ideas exhibit potential to disrupt smart metering, power distribution through digitalisation

Finalist teams showcased powerful technology-led solutions for meter infrastructure enhancement in the flagship innovation challenge and hackathon

Individual and team registrations saw a 38% uptick over last year revealing growing popularity of INSTINCT 2.0 among student community, start-ups & tech varsities

Mumbai – May 18, 2022: IntelliSmart Infrastructure Private Limited (IntelliSmart), a JV of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), has successfully concluded INSTINCT 2.0, its flagship innovation challenge. The program received an overwhelming response. While both individual and team registrations rose 38% compared to the first edition, participation from students (37%), start-ups (35%) and professionals (40%) also saw a significant uptick.

IntelliSmart’s flagship innovation challenge aims to create an active tech ecosystem in the power sector by nurturing ideas and talents and enable the industry to push the envelope of digitalisation.

INSTINCT 2.0 focused on four critical challenges relevant to smart metering and energy sector:

§ Re-usability or safe disposal of outdated meters

§ Hybrid communication modules for smart meters

§ Device level data trimming to reduce stress on AMI systems

§ Developing cost effective and indigenous solutions to achieve plug and play interchangeability or integration among CCMS

The winning ideas and concepts showed deep solution-focussed thinking with the potential of mass-scale commercialisation. For the hybrid communication modules challenge, the winner developed an AI-based device concept that can trim AMI data by cutting down DLMS payloads and expand network capacity.

For the hybrid communication modules challenge, the winner built a NIC with dual radio frequency which can ensure data assurance and cost efficiencies of smart meter deployment. For both the challenges, the winner was Team Boltron, constituted by Ravi Subramanyam, Bhautik Ramoliya and Somaraju Pitchika.

For the fourth challenge on CCMS, the winner Vishal Kumar Saw proposed a concept of common dashboard with an intermediate layer that can handle all disparate data and carry out necessary data transformation before feeding them into a common dashboard.

Lauding the initiative, Shri R Lakshmanan, Executive Director, REC and CEO, RECPDCL and the eminent Jury Chair of INSTINCT 2.0 said, “Smart metering and smart grid form a vital link in the country’s energy transition efforts. In the two consecutive years, INSTINCT has intrigued and excited the power industry with its ability to hone innovative ideas to solve practical challenges of the power sector and have far-reaching implications for India’s smart metering journey.”

Shri Anil Rawal, MD & CEO, IntelliSmart said, “I am glad to see such overwhelming response for INSTINCT 2.0 from the innovation community. In our bid to pioneer digitalisation in the power sector, it is our responsibility to create an enabling ecosystem which can breed transformative ideas and solutions that can tackle some of the most difficult industry issues. In this effort, INSTINCT has emerged as a prime proposition.”

This year, the jury comprised of eminent industry leaders and academicians -- Shri R. Lakshmanan, Chief Executive Officer, Rural Electrification Corporation Limited; Shri Arun Kumar Mishra, Chief Executive Officer, EESL; Prof. Sukumar Mishra, Associate Dean, Department of Electrical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; and Shri Anil Rawal, MD and CEO, IntelliSmart.