Title: Growth of electricity use in India, and strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Authors: Rajan Sivaramakrishnan, Toufiq A. Siddiqi

Addresses: Program on Environment, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii 96848, USA. ' Program on Environment, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii 96848, USA

Abstract: India was a major actor in the drafting of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and is a signatory to the Convention. It is thus obligated to assess current emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from human activities and to formulate policies to reduce future emissions of these gases, which are believed to be the principal cause of global climate change. At the same time, energy use in India and many other developing countries is growing rapidly due to economic growth and population increases. This is leading to corresponding increases in the emissions of carbon dioxide, the principal GHG, as well as methane and other GHGs. Electricity use is growing at an even faster rate than overall energy use in most developing countries, including India, and this trend is expected to continue for the next several decades. In this paper, we examine three different scenarios for meeting India|s projected needs for electricity up to 2025 AD: (i) a continuation of the present emphasis on coal for electricity generation; (ii) improvements in energy efficiency, along with accelerated development of hydro and nuclear power; and (iii) increased use of newer renewable sources of energy, along with imports of natural gas. Emissions of carbon dioxide are calculated for each of the scenarios, and some of the implications of each scenario for policies dealing with global climate change are discussed.

Keywords: electricity use; emissions control; energy policy; greenhouse gases; GHG emissions; India; carbon dioxide; CO2; carbon emissions; coal; electricity generation; energy efficiency; hydro power; nuclear power; nuclear energy; renewable energy; natural gas.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGEI.1997.063337

International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 1997 Vol.9 No.4/5/6, pp.225-236

Published online: 10 Jul 2014 *

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