An approach to determine non-technical energy losses in India

Electricity losses during transmission and distribution are extremely high in India. One of the principal reasons for this is the presence of non-technical energy losses (NTL), that is, energy losses caused due to theft, meter malfunction, etc. Identifying non-technical energy losses is an open research problem and various methods are being proposed to deliver an optimal solution for the same. The efficacy of any solution depends on the ability to customize it to the infrastructure available at the location of deployment. This paper presents a new methodology based on smart metering and advanced communication protocols to identify NTL due to theft as well as tampered or malfunctioning meters, considering the infrastructure and economy of India. Also, an analysis some of the existing methods/practices is done, and their feasibility in the Indian power sector is discussed.