The IBM research team has entered into an agreement with IIT Madras and Kharagpur to develop systems that will help power grids become more efficient and resilient. Also, the systems will analyse power grid data for predictive insights to enhance productivity and reduce inefficiencies in power consumption. The team will develop open system designs that can boost the potential of phasor measurement units (PMU), a new type of sensor on power grids. The knowledge and insights gained from this collaborative research work will be made publicly available, in order to allow governments and businesses around the world to take advantage of the PMU technology.
Dr Manish Gupta, director, IBM Research – India, and chief technologist, IBM India/South Asia, said, “With the exploding world population and the increased demand for clean and cheap energy, there is a pressing need for making the power grids efficient, intelligent, and secure. The collaboration between IBM Research – India, IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur, aims at reducing the inherent inefficiencies of power grid technologies and making them optimally productive.” The project is part of IBM’s open collaborative research (OCR) program, an initiative to foster innovation through university-industry research collaborations.