F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui Wednesday said that Pakistan was disembarking on digitalization with proliferating innovative invention replacing conventional modes of energy and development.
The ElectroCure (Meter-less Smart Metering) contraption developed with the collaboration of Ignite under the auspices of MOITT created by Director Company of Intelligent Systems Networks Research (CISNR) Dr Gul Muhammad would help reduce 80-90 percent line losses and electricity theft as the country was undergoing energy crisis, the minister said.
Dr Khalid said that the government would support every innovative idea and invention bringing transformation and relief to the life of common man and support improving the national economy.
He said, “I have met Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Omar Ayub Khan and apprised him about the meter-less smart metering invention which he appreciated and has taken the project under his consideration for implementation.”
He said the ElectroCure was one of the twenty five projects being taken up by the ministry under its patronage of Ignite which was a success story.
The minister was addressing the seminar organized by the Ignite to create awareness among the policy stakeholders about how Pakistan could address its energy crisis using ElectroCure developed by CISNR that reduces electricity losses using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).
Ignite a national network of incubators under the sponsorship of MOITT focuses on fourth industrial wave tech and on ecosystem development initiatives to fulfill its mission of creating a knowledge economy in the country.
Speaking on the occasion Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Yusuf Hussain said that knowledge-based economy has turned the dimensions of innovation where as ElectroCure an AI made device was far better equipment than imported gadgets to tackle the issue of electricity crisis.
He remarked that it had been globally admired concept that innovative technology and inventions could help developing poor countries alleviate poverty as China had progressed. The project developer Dr Gul Mohammad said that his Ignite funded product ElectroCure which was commercially available aims at reducing electricity losses up to 90 percent through theft detection, load balancing and identifying other administrative or technical losses reduction procedures within the electricity infrastructure.
“ElectroCure is an innovative idea for effective and efficient electricity data management with meter-less architecture that also provides a low-cost smart metering solution with added features of both prepaid and post-paid billing systems. The advance feature of ElectroCure introduces a Smart High Voltage Distribution System (HVDS) for reliable and secure electricity distribution,” he added.
Former chairman Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Shakeel Durrani said that power pilferage had grown to be a serious issue over the past 15 years whereas it had become necessary to use force and show deterrence through policing.
He said that the distribution companies (Discos) had outperformed which needs to be outsourced or leased along with feeders to enhance power distribution and performance.
“Daily losses in the power sector worth half a billion rupees whereas only 150 million rupees has been recovered from various areas identified undergoing power pilferage which is a trite amount,” he added. He said the present government has stopped using furnace oil for electricity generation which was appreciable, however hydro power projects were a necessary option for power generation which should not be ignored.
