Recognising the value of innovation, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has established a unit for fashioning devices useful for the State's power sector.
Christened ‘MIDEA’, short for Manufacturing unit for Innovative Devices, Equipment and Accessories, the specialised unit has been tasked with driving innovation within the KSEB, manufacturing useful devices, picking suitable technologies and also assessing whether concepts from outside the KSEB hold potential for the utility.
Developing innovative solutions in-house will also save money for the power utility, which operates in a technology-intensive atmosphere, the KSEB has observed.
A meeting of the full-time directors of the KSEB, which met on September 9, had given the approval for forming the unit. ''MIDEA will be based in Cherthala and we hope to operationalise it at the earliest. Initially, it will run with a skeleton staff,'' said Mini George, Director (Planning and Safety, Supply Chain Management), KSEB.
Workplace safety
In a nutshell, MIDEA is expected to develop devices that not only simplify tasks but also enhance workplace safety. The KSEB treats workplace safety as of paramount importance, given the number of electrical mishaps reported in the State every year.
Some of the technologies MIDEA will be working on in the initial phase include the ‘ACSR detector,’ an instrument that helps field staff to easily differentiate between aluminium conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) and all aluminium alloy conductor (AAAC) power cables. Designing a simpler, safer method for the staff to climb up electricity poles forms another project.
Baiju K. C., an assistant engineer at the office of the KSEB chief safety commissioner known for coming up with innovative solutions, had submitted the preliminary report on MIDEA. The full-time directors cleared the proposal based on a recommendation made by the director (distribution and HRM) in July.
