Energy efficiency: low-hanging fruit for India

Journal article

At the Copenhagen Conference of Parties (COP) in 2009, India voluntarily committed to reducing its emissions intensity of GDP by 20–25 per cent from 2005 levels, by the year 2020. Although it is currently on track to meet (and perhaps even overachieve) this target, India faces challenges in sustaining this momentum; its population is rapidly urbanizing, but over 50 per cent still work in agriculture, and a third currently lack access to any form of modern commercial energy. Several factors – such as subsidized energy, delays in the adoption of efficient technologies, a large unorganized industrial sector, and the lack of mandatory building codes – pose further impediments to this target. In this context, energy efficiency could arguably be the biggest determinant of whether, and of the extent to which, India will achieve its target.

Authors: Jain, AK

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
• Journal: Oxford Energy Forum
• Issue: 99
• Pages: 34-36
• Publication date: 2015-03-09
• ISSN: 0959-7727
• Language: English
• Keywords: OIES