New Delhi [India], September 24 : The digital public infrastructure (DPI) model that has already transformed India's payment system and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) can also be applied in the power sector, said Ram Sewak Sharma, Chair of the India Energy Stack Task Force and Former Mission Director of UIDAI.
Speaking at the 6th International Energy Conference & Exhibition 2025, Sharma delivered an insightful presentation on the India Energy Stack and Utility Intelligence Platform, highlighting innovations that could drive India's energy transition.
He explained that India has already demonstrated the effectiveness of DPI in multiple sectors such as banking, payments, healthcare, and e-commerce.
He stated, "So, Scalability, Unbundling, Open Source, Open Standards, and Interoperability all these concepts that we learnt in digital public infrastructure. We have used it in Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), we have used it for Ayushman Bharat and Digital Mission. So we think we can enable the same principles of digital public infrastructure in the power sector also."
In the banking and payment system, he pointed out that earlier, each bank had its own application, limiting access and interoperability.
However, through unbundling, today there are payment service providers like Google Pay, PhonePe, and others that seamlessly connect to multiple banks.
This system of scale, interoperability, and unbundling has brought significant convenience to consumers and businesses.
Ram Sewak Sharma stressed that the same principles can be applied to the power sector. The fundamentals of DPI lie in scalability, unbundling, open source, open standards, and interoperability. These, he said, can help address the challenges currently faced by utilities.
At present, each power distribution company (discom) uses its own software, leading to a silo problem. If a common channel and a uniform way of communication can be developed, these silos can be broken, and efficiency can be improved.
Creating common components that can be used by multiple players is the key to enabling such transformation.
According to Sharma, the power grid today requires a different kind of solution that must be inclusive. Inclusivity, he explained, means both large players such as NTPC and small producers like a household with four rooftop solar panels should be able to participate in the system.
He noted that such individuals could even earn money by selling excess energy to the grid if the system allows seamless participation.
The session also highlighted the importance of overcoming data silos in utilities and improving digitalisation for better energy management.
Sharma pointed out that strong frameworks are required to protect digital energy assets from cyber threats. He also underlined the role of artificial intelligence in providing accurate forecasting to enhance grid flexibility and renewable energy integration. Furthermore, he emphasised the use of blockchain technology for peer-to-peer energy trading and carbon credit verification.
So, implementing DPI principles in the power sector would not only improve efficiency and interoperability but also make the system inclusive.
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