Smart grids are said to improve asset utilization efficiency, while lowering operation and maintenance cost as well as cost of investment. Learn more about the experience of DESCO, a power distribution company in pushing in using SMART grids.

How can the global energy trilemma or quadlemma be solved? How can energy that is sustainable, reliable and secure, and affordable be delivered? Why is it important to rethink engineering models that incorporate socio-economic aspects in the transition to sustainable low-carbon energy systems? These are some of the questions raised and addressed in this presentation.

How can smart grid technologies and systems contribute to reducing poverty, addressing social inclusion, and improving gender equality and women empowerment?

This session features welcome remarks from representatives of ADB and the Government of Sri Lanka, followed by a discussion of the workshop objectives.

Enter the prosumer, as smart grid will bring in a new paradigm of active distribution that can dramatically change the roles of consumers and communities, transforming passive users into active players—both as producers and consumers or prosumers with potentially important implications for gender equality and social inclusion.

This session explains demand side management in relation to the power system and electricity network, from generation to end users. It discusses the enhanced role of demand management for smart grid systems and examines the case of the Sri Lanka experience.

The number of jobs in the renewable energy industry worldwide is growing and studies indicate that much of this employment is shifting to Asia. Smarter grid will require a highly skilled workforce, with implications for retraining, training, and education. Some studies also find that the renewable energy industry indicates more gender parity than the broader energy sector. This session discusses the implications of this emerging new industry for the education system, the power sector, and the labor force.

Read about the energy sector in India and how its development is supported by ADB’s portfolio. Learn about mainstreamed interventions on gender equality and social inclusion in the country’s energy sector.

What are the tools necessary to develop pathways to facilitate an orderly transition from the old grid to smarter grids and low-carbon systems? How can models be designed to address affordability, sustainability, and system reliability? System resilience to extreme weather conditions is also an emerging and important consideration in addressing reliability. This session looks at various modelling methodologies that address these considerations.

Research and development is an important aspect of smart grid innovation and development. In this session, researchers from leading universities introduce and outline their research programs in smart grid and power systems design and control, and specifically assess how socio-economic considerations such as affordability and access are relevant to this work.

Developed as part of a series of training programs by the Melbourne School of Engineering for ADB, this learning program aimed to further improve and update the technical expertise of ADB’s executing and implementing agencies, partner organizations, and staff on the integration of high-level technology for inclusive energy solutions with a focus on enhancing gender equality and social inclusion results and benefits. It provided scope for a dynamic learning exchange taking off from the examples and experiences of Sri Lanka.