Tech Mahindra, Power Ledger to test MaaS-based electricity solution

NEW DELHI: IT firm Tech Mahindra, in collaboration with electricity trade platform provider Power Ledger, on Friday announced a series of trials to develop a new mechanism of electricity production through 'Microgrid-as-a-Service' (MaaS).

MaaS is an integrated platform incubated by Tech Mahindra to create a new model in the electricity market which will enable building owners, campuses, Smart Cities and other communities to produce and manage their own electricity affordably and even trade in case of excess generation.

"This disruptive technology will provide a model for energy service provision for thousands of communities across India and will also benefit markets like the US, Canada and the UK for modernisation of grid through microgrids," said Atul Kunwar, President and CTO, Tech Mahindra, in a statement.

Power Ledger is using Blockchain technology to create an immutable record of energy generation and consumption, allowing buying and selling of energy in a simple and autonomous manner.

The trial will begin in late 2017 at Tech Mahindra's campuses in India and run for a period of 12 months.

"Trialling the energy trading platform in a market like India is a major opportunity to change the way communities source the energy required to take part in a modern global economy," added David Martin, Managing Director, Power Ledger.