ABB India signs MoU with IIT Roorkee for Smart Cities mission pilot project

The ABB (India) Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) to technical cooperation for the construction of an operational smart electricity distribution network and management system in the campus. The move is aimed to serve as a pilot project for the Smart Cities mission of the Narendra Modi government.

Talking about the initiative, ABB India managing director Sanjeev Sharma said, "The project signed today serves as a proof of concept of using smart grids and intelligent automation to efficiently manage power distribution. It would make India’s vision of power to all a reality and ultimately realise ABB’s goal of building technology that runs the world without consuming the earth."

IIT Roorkee director Professor Ajit Chaturvedi also lauded the move saying, “The smart energy management and distribution agreement with ABB takes us many steps closer to creating a 100 percent green campus and achieving zero carbon dioxide emission in the long run.”

He further said, “Concern for sustainability has always driven all major campus development related activities of IIT Roorkee, making us one of the pioneers in this space. IIT Roorkee has been harnessing solar energy not only for electricity generation but also for providing direct hot water to all its hostels and residences in the campus, and also carries out solar based cooking in the hostels.”

The government has so far selected 100 cities as part of the Smart Cities Mission, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 25, 2015. Under the mission, the selected cities would take up various project, including 'smart' roads, rejuvenation of water bodies, building cycle tracks, walking paths, smart classrooms, skill development centres, upgradation of health facilities and pan-city projects like integrated command control centre.

Under the scheme, each city will get Rs 500 crore from the Centre for implementing various projects. An equal amount, on matching basis, will have to be contributed by the state or urban local bodies.