Constructing Change by Advancing Energy
Efficiency
In a power-deficit country like India, energy
efficiency can be a new kind of power plant that provides energy to millions
who do not have access to it, and where economic growth can be driven by the
savings from energy efficiency
A
watershed event in human history took place in 2008, when the urban population
of the world outnumbered that of the rural. Cities, which occupy a miniscule 0.05
percent of the earth’s surface, are projected to hold an immense 80
percent of the world’s total population by the end of the twenty-first century. In India too, the rate of urbanization is
unprecedented and two-thirds of the commercial and high-rise residential
structures that will exist in the country in 2030 are yet to be built.
This urban sprawl is creating unique challenges related to the natural
environment. As a result, to prepare for the coming decades, policy makers need
to think innovatively about planning for and taking action on a range of issues
from ecological and energy implications to protecting public health. The
current urban sprawl and unparalleled demand for the construction of buildings is
also creating vast opportunities. Buildings already account for more than 30
percent of India’s total electricity consumption. Looking ahead, India’s
building sector is expected
to increase five-fold from 2005
to 2050. India is thus at a unique
crossroads with a singular opportunity to lock in energy and cost savings for
the next several decades by implementing energy efficiency in buildings
that are being constructed now.
The
imperative for efficient construction is much more crucial than the individual
savings from which owners and
end-users benefit. India’s
total energy requirement is projected to grow at 6.5 percent per year between
2010-11 and 2016-17, to support the country’s projected 9 percent growth rate.
The meeting of this energy demand, however, is fraught with the challenges of peak
electricity demand shortages, dependence on energy imports and vulnerability to
the volatility in international energy prices. Furthermore, India is en route
to becoming the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases and is already
experiencing the adverse impacts of climate change. Each of these challenges
can be addressed significantly and effectively by making energy efficiency a central plank in the country’s long-term growth
planning.
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