Electronics Bazaar takes a quick look at the opportunities for the electronics industry in the energy meters sector, with special focus on the capacitors used by it
The Indian government has a major role to play in the energy meters sector, primarily because the state electricity boards are the main buyers of these devices. In short, the government drives the growth of this sector.
The two main electronic components supplied to the energy meter manufacturers are magnetic wound components and capacitors. Both these components are instrumental in controlling the high voltage current according to the requirement of the meter. While the coil wound components act as conductors of current and enable the desired voltage current, the capacitors, known as voltage dropping capacitors in this case, are used for dropping the voltage.
The supply of voltage dropping capacitors has been an area of concern, of late. This started sometime back during a period when a few capacitor manufacturers were supplying sub-standard products to the energy meter manufacturers. This, in turn, caused the performance of the energy meters to deteriorate, leading to a lot of companies being blacklisted by the government. Due to this, the state electricity boards even insisted on replacement guarantees from the energy meter manufacturers. As a result, the latter have become really careful and picky about the quality of electronic components, especially capacitors, that they source. The electronic component manufacturers have also become quality conscious ever since and now supply quality products to the energy meters sector.
With the use of smart energy meters growing gradually, the opportunities in the electronic components sector are also set to rise in the years to come. The following illustration highlights these opportunities, with a special focus on the capacitor business.
“It is a good thing that the government is promoting the use of smart energy meters. It will prove beneficial and open up opportunities for the electronic components manufacturers
— Anil Bali, vice president, Deki Electronics
By Samonway Duttagupta
