MUMBAI, 22 January, 2015 – INTELECT, the three-day conference and exposition on the efficient consumption of electricity, cohosted by IEEE and Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA), was inaugurated today in Mumbai by Shri Anant Geethe, Union Minister for Heavy Industry & Commerce, Government of India. Shri Tanga Byaling Chairman, North Eastern Regional Power Committee, Minister for Home, Power & Non-Conventional Source of Energy, Government of Arunachal Pradesh and Shri. Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Minister for Energy, New & Renewable Energy, Government of Maharashtra. INTELECT, organized by the IEEE Power Energy Society, IEEE Computer Society and the IEEE Communications Society in association with IEEMA, will take place from 22–24 January at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, India.
Keeping in line with the Government of India’s vision, INTELECT will bring together, policymakers, business leaders, and academicians to discuss smarter cities, optimizing grid efficiencies and overall, improving the quality of life for the citizens of India.
Also participating in the inauguration ceremony were Howard E. Michel, President & CEO, IEEE; Vishnu Agarwal, President, IEEEMA; James Prendergast, Executive Director, IEEE; Bruce Kraemer, President, IEEE Standards Association; Babu Babel, Vice President, IEEMA; Sunil Misra, Director General, IEEMA; Laurent Schmitt — Smart Grid, Global VP, Alstom, France; and Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, Tata Consultancy Services.
Howard E. Michel, President & CEO, IEEE said, “IEEE is dedicated to advancing technology for humanity. We must integrate appropriate technologies with relevant standards to improve infrastructure and create employment opportunities. Power and Energy are crucial elements for a successful and comfortable living environment. Hence, with growing pressure on the world’s rapidly diminishing natural resources, it is important that we work toward a twofold objective, first to effectively channelize existing resources smartly and second to leverage new forms of renewable resources.”
Vishnu Agarwal, President, IEEEMA said, “INTELECT is one of the pioneering platforms, bringing together under one roof, players in the home and office electrical sector. Our vision for INTELECT is to showcase the latest innovation and technology in lighting, modular wiring, measurement, conservation, drives, HVAC, storage of electricity, off-grid generation, house and building security, and automation control systems. Conserving energy with smart and intelligent usage is the need of the hour, and we at both IEEE and IEEEMA are committed to ensuring this.”
The highlight of INTELECT is the roundtable on Distribution Reforms. The opening address on New Initiatives on Distribution Reforms was delivered by Shri B N Sharma, Joint Secretary – Distribution, Ministry of Power, Government of India. Shri Sharma’s address was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Shri P. Uma Shankar, Former Secretary, Power, Uttar Pradesh.
The distinguished panel constituted key decision and policymakers in the power sector, including:
- I C P Keshari, IAS, Principal Secretary (Energy), Government of Madhya Pradesh
- Sukhveer Singh, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh, Poorv Kshetra Vidyut Vitran Company Ltd.
- Narayan Swaroop Nigam, IAS, Chairman and Managing Director, WBSEDCL
- Prabhu N Singh, IAS, Managing Director, Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd., Government of Uttar Pradesh
- S K Negi, Managing Director, GETCO
- Raghvendra Mehta, CEO, Reliance Energy – Distribution
- P J Thakkar, Director Technical REC, and
- Avkash Saxena, Executive Director, PFC.
The other keynote addresses and tracks include subjects pertinent to the intelligent deployment and distribution of electricity including, smart cities, rural electrification, smart living technology, smarter grids and microgrids, smart living security and privacy, integration of renewables and microgrids, integration of renewables, and IEEE’s Global Humanitarian Initiative.
An estimated 10,000 delegates are scheduled to attend INTELECT, including exhibitors, for a first of its kind interactive platform on smart energy. Participating companies include Brass Copper & Alloy (I) Ltd., HEX, Chhabi Electricals Pvt Ltd., Gupta Power Infrastructure Ltd., KNX, Meco Meters Pvt Ltd., Prolite Autoglo Ltd., Schneider Electric, Secure Meters Ltd., Siemens Ltd., Siemens Technology and Services Pvt. Ltd., and Tellhow (Shenzhen) Electric Technology Co. Ltd.