IIT Delhi partners with NRLDC to develop advance solutions for restoring power after blackout

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, has collaborated with the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC) to develop advanced solutions for restoring power after a blackout. The partnership aims at enhancing India’s energy infrastructure and improving grid resilience, as per the official statement.

Both IIT Delhi and NRLDC will work under Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India) and their primary focus will be to improve start capabilities which is important for restoring power after a blackout, the institute said. With the continuous use of renewable energy, black start readiness using inverter-based resources (IBRs) is necessary, the institute said.

Nabarun Roy, executive director, NRLDC said: “Due to unprecedented expansion in power system’s size and complexity in the country, newer industry oriented technological innovations are needed to manage expansion & advancement in the energy sector. This industry-academia collaborative effort is another step forward towards the strategic innovation that would benefit the evolving energy sector.”

The research will ensure smooth transition between “grid-forming and grid-following” inverter modes to stabilise voltage and frequency during power restoration, the institute added.

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IIT Delhi to test IBR-based black start operations

This collaboration will test and validate IBR-based black start operations through hardware simulations and real-world scenarios. A key aspect of this research is managing the transition between grid-forming and grid-following inverter modes to ensure stable voltage and frequency during power restoration, minimizing disruptions.

NRLDC, one of five Regional Load Dispatch Centres (RLDCs) managed by Grid-India, oversees grid operations across multiple states, “optimizing electricity distribution through real-time monitoring, load balancing, and coordination with State Load Dispatch Centres (SLDCs),” the university also added.

Explaining the importance of the collaboration, Preeti Ranjan Panda, dean of corporate relations at IIT Delhi, said that it will strengthen India’s energy infrastructure and improve grid resilience. “This collaboration represents a major advancement in India’s efforts toward a more resilient and sustainable energy system, reinforcing the vital role of industry-academia partnerships in shaping the future of power management,” Panda added.

Avanish Tripathi and Rabindra Mohanty, professors from IIT Delhi’s department of energy science and engineering, will be in the forefront of the proposed project to develop solutions in strengthening India’s power grid and ensuring uninterrupted renewable energy integration.