Energy Strategy for Rural India : Evidence from Six States

The fieldwork for this report consisted
of a household energy survey of households living in 180
villages in six states (Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal). The report
was initiated in response to concerns that energy strategies
for rural India were not progressing toward modern energy
use.It examines energy use, including renewable energy, to
determine if households in rural areas have access to modern
forms of energy use. In addition, analysis and
recommendations are targeted toward poor households, who
spend a significant proportion of their time and income on
energy. Despite urbanization, 74 percent of India (some 120
million households) reside in rural areas, villagers still
depend on traditional fuels to meet their energy needs.
Fuelwood, crop residues, dung and other traditional fuels,
as presently used, have inherent disadvantages: collection
is arduous and time-consuming; combustion is difficult to
control; and cooking captures a fraction of these
fuels' available energy. Today, rural people who switch
to kerosene and LPG for cooking spend about one hour per day
collecting fuelwood and purchasing wood at local markets.
The Government is committed to improving energy services in
rural areas, however, the cross-sectoral nature of the
problems complicates solutions.