1. Why energy conservation is important?

The World is always on move and energy is central to it.

There is a large demand for energy  in order for people to
have reasonable incomes and a decent quality of life.
Presently the major share of energy needs is full filled by
the fossil fuels. This has caused almost irreversible
environmental damage.
The idea of ‘energy conservation’ is to meet the dual
objectives of promoting sustainable development and also
fulfilling the economic development requirements.
1.1 Global warming
Fossil fuel combustion is a major source of green house
gases emissions

So,  Energy Saved = Emissions Reduced

1.2 Sustainable development
Sustainable development is economic development
together with environmental protection. The environmental
protection can be achieved by
1. Resources sustainability –   Taken care in the
generation side to include more renewables in the
energy mix to prevent resource depletion
2. Pollution Control – Shifting towards efficient methods
like supercritical technologies and non-polluting fuels
like wind and solar, for decreasing emissions and
pollution
3. Energy Conservation – Efficient   use the energy in
the demand side and also in industries to reduce
wastage, thus reducing the demand

2. How can we conserve energy?

The various dimensions of energy conservation are,
The different conservation techniques can be discussed
below.

2.1 Improving Energy Efficiency

Energy can neither be created or destroyed, it can only be

transformed into different forms. If the technology can
harness the energy in the desirable form with out much
wastage, it can be considered energy efficient.
For example,
1. Incandescent lights used to transform only a
maximum upto 10% of electrical energy to useful
light, where as LED light the converts at least 25% of
the energy input into visible light energy. 
2. Supercritical technologies for coal-fired power plants
have efficiencies above 45%, where as the
conventional coal-fired power plants have efficiency
of about 32%. 
3. Compressed Natural Gas(CNG), a clean burning fuel,
can be used in vehicles, instead of petrol or diesel

2.2 Preventing Wastage

Fuel consumption can be reduced in may ways

1. Improving consumer awareness – Ex, Use public
transportation as much as possible instead of using
own vehicles
2. Change in habits – Ex, switching of appliances when
not in use
3. Changing the industrial processes – Ex, Older and
inefficient equipments can been replaced by new and
efficient ones
 4. Technical Advancements – Ex, Elimination of
Transmission losses using Ultra High Voltage
Transmission and smart grid network

2.3 Optimum Utilisation of resources

Optimum resource utilisation is a holistic approach,

• taking care of the whole environment
• to reduce the total energy consumption
• planning right from the design and material selection
• maximum use of renewable resources like solar
energy and wind
The approach find its application mainly in construction of
buildings and urban planning

A. Green Buildings
Green buildings in general terms imply to a new approach
to the way we construct, redesign, renovate and develop
our residential areas and the surrounding community.  
Green Building Certifications
The buildings are certified as green based on the
following criteria,
1. conformation to all environment and building codes
2. reduction in energy and water usage
3. minimum impact on environment
Some of the common certifications are,

Energy Conservation Building Code of India (ECBC)

• Formulated by Bureau of Energy Efficiency

• sets minimum energy standards for commercial
buildings
• The ECBC has been integrated in other rating &
compliance systems in India
• The Ministry of Urban Development’s Model Building
Bye-Laws, 2016, says that all buildings with plot size
above 200 sq m would comply with these green
building norms
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)

• Is a global certification
• LEED works for all buildings—from homes to
corporate headquarters
• Based on the number of points achieved, a project
then receives one of four LEED rating levels:
Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
• Awarded by Indian Green Building Council(managed
by CII-The Confederation of Indian Industry) in India
• The certification is  voluntary
Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) 

• Is an Indian rating system, adopted as the national

rating system for green buildings by the Government
of India in 2007 
• Developed by TERI(The Energy and Resources
Institute)
• considers varied climate of India
• Gives 1 to 5 star ratings
•
CIDC Comprehensive Green Rating(CCGR)

• Developed by Construction Industry development

council(CIDC)
• applies to new and upcoming housing stock of all
varieties- residential, commercial, institutional and
industrial
• special emphasis is given to account the total
comparative energy consumed – both on site and off
site, including in production of materials used

B. Green Cities
Effective use of land resources can be a way of energy
conservation.
 A model plan by the U.S Green Building Council
•  The developmental densities should be highest
towards the centre of the town
• High density areas should be served by municipal
water and sewer and public transport facilities
• The public transport system should be efficient to
reduce the use of private vehicles
• Land use planning should be to avoid the travelling
distances for the various needs of the inhabitants
• Outlying areas should not have more constructions
• The buildings should be constructed as per the
green building norms
• The inhabitants practice energy conservation and
eco-friendly way of life
2.4 Clean Fuels
Clean fuels produces nil or reduced emissions.
For example,  
1. Using LPG instead of fuel wood or dried dung or
kerosene in households reduces pollution, as LPG
burns almost completely and generates less
pollutants.
2. Non- fossil fuels like  solar, wind, geothermal etc are
completely pollution free

2.5 Clean Technologies

Refers to any process, product, or service that reduces
the negative environmental impacts. It can be achieved
through significant energy efficiency improvements, the
sustainable use of resources, or environmental protection
activities. It includes new technologies, discovery of  new
resources, policy and financial mechanisms
Ex:- 
1. Cogeneration is a industrial process that helps to
utilise the steam left over from electricity generation,
for heating
2. Off grid renewable power project is a system, which
uses wind energy, biomass energy, hydro power and
hybrid systems  to meet the energy requirements of
isolated communities in an eco friendly way
3. Perform Achieve and Trade(PAT) is a financial service
that helps energy intensive industries, to enhance the
cost effectiveness through trading the energy savings
certificates

2.6 Renewable Resources

Fuels which are replenishable in nature, can take care of
energy needs, without fear of resources depletion. The
various renewable energy resources are discussed in the
following session.

3. Renewable Energy
Various renewable energy resources relevant to Indian
situations are discussed here.
India’s Target – 175 GW by the year 2022, includes 60
GW from wind power, 100 GW from solar power, 10 GW
from biomass power and 5 GW from small hydro power
The potential resources are,

3.1 Solar
• Solar power capacity in India reached 10 GW in 2017
• India has both large-scale grid connected solar PV
initiatives such as the solar park scheme and grid-
 connected solar rooftop scheme and specialised
schemes such as defence scheme, canal-top
scheme, Indo-Pak border scheme etc
• Solar Radiation Resource Assessment stations have
been installed across India by the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy to create a database of solar
energy potential.
• Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (The
National Solar Mission) 
• The mission aims at reducing the cost of solar
power generation in the country
• Aims to make India a global leader in solar
energy
• Government has revised the target of Grid
Connected Solar Power Projects from 20,000
MW by the year 2021-22 to 100,000 MW by the
year 2021-22 
• There are schemes for development of Solar
Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects 
• Solar Energy Corporation India (SECI) will
administer the scheme under the direction of
MNRE.

3.2 Wind
• Wind leads India’s renewable power sector
• At present, India is the fourth largest wind energy
producer in the World.
• India added a record 5,400 megawatts (MW) of wind
power in 2016-17, exceeding its 4,000MW target.
• National Offshore Wind Energy Policy – aiming to
harness wind power along India’s 7,600 km coastline
• Draft National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy aims to
provide a framework for promotion of large grid
 connected wind-solar PV system for achieving better
grid stability
• The National Wind Energy Mission aims to add 60
GW Wind Energy Capacity by 2022 and State
specific wind energy schemes aims to achieve over
4000 MW in various states

3.3 Biofuels
National Policy on Biofuels aims to bring about
accelerated development and promotion of the cultivation,
production and use of Biofuels to increasingly substitute
petrol and diesel for transport and be used in stationary
and other applications
1. Bio-diesel production will be taken up from non-edible
oil seeds in waste /degraded / marginal lands
2. An indicative target of 20% blending of bio-fuels, both
for bio-diesel and bio- ethanol, by 2017 has been
proposed
3. Major thrust is being given to development of second
generation Biofuels
4. An Indo-US MoU has been signed on Biofuels with
focus on joint R&D, particularly on second generation
biofuels such as, cellulosic ethanol and algal
biodiesel

3.4 Small Hydro

Large hydro power projects are considered
environmentally unsustainable due to its 
• Effect on natural flow of rivers
• Inundation of large area under reservoir, including
forest lands, which causes increased methane
emissions
• Problems of deforestation, siltation etc
 • Issues associated with relocation and rehabilitation of
human settlements
Small Hydro Power (SHP) projects(upto 25 MW) are
preferred  in place of large projects.
Class Station Capacity in kW

Micro Hydro Up to 100

Mini Hydro 101 to 2000

Small Hydro 2001 to 25000

The SHP programme in India is now essentially private
investment driven.
3.5 Waste to Energy
• Any organic waste from urban and rural areas and
industries is a resource due to its ability to get
degraded, resulting in energy generation.
• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency
(IREDA) estimates indicate that India has so far
realised only about 2% of its waste-to-energy
potential
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is
promoting all the Technology Options available for
setting up projects for recovery of energy from urban
wastes.
• India’s largest waste-to-energy plant was inaugurated
at Narela-Bawana, Delhi in 2017

4. Mechanisms for Energy conservation

in India
There are several missions, policies, institutions and the
projects aimed to achieve energy conservation. Apart from
these, there are several implementation mechanisms like
PAT, energy ratings etc

4.1 National Mission for enhanced energy

efficiency(NMEEE)
The NMEEE is one of the eight missions under the
National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
The mission aims to strengthen the market for energy
efficiency. There four initiatives for the energy intensive
industries are,
1. Perform Achieve and Trade Scheme (PAT) – a
regulatory instrument to reduce specific energy
consumption in energy intensive industries. There is
market based mechanism to trade  excess energy
savings.
2. Market Transformation for Energy Efficiency (MTEE)
– for accelerating the shift to energy efficient
appliances in designated sectors. Bachat Lamp
Yojana (BLY) – for energy efficient lighting is under
this scheme
3. Energy Efficiency Financing Platform (EEFP) – for
creation of mechanisms to finance the energy saving
projects
4. Framework for Energy Efficient Economic
Development (FEEED) – for development of fiscal
instruments to promote energy efficiency

4.2 The Energy Conservation Act

• The Energy Conservation Act (EC Act) was enacted
in 2001 with the goal of reducing energy intensity of
Indian economy
 • Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was set up to
facilitate the implementation of the Act
• The Act provides regulatory mandate for:
• standards & labelling of equipment and
appliances;
• energy conservation building codes for
commercial buildings;
• energy consumption norms for energy intensive
industries.
A. Standards & labelling of equipment and appliances
• The programme was initiated in 2006 to provide the
consumer an informed choice about the energy
saving
• The scheme is invoked for 19 equipment/appliances
• The 4 products – Room Air Conditioners, Fluorescent
Tube Lights, Frost Free Refrigerators and Distribution
Transformers have been notified under mandatory
labelling from 2010
• The other appliances are presently under voluntary
labelling phase.
B.The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC)
• ECBC sets minimum energy standards for new
commercial buildings having a connected load of
100kW or contract demand of 120 KVA and above
• The state governments have the flexibility to modify
the code to suit local or regional needs
• Bureau of Energy Efficiency developed a voluntary
Star Rating Programme for buildings
C. Demand Side Management (DSM) Scheme
The scheme aims to achieve energy efficiency in
individual sectors like agriculture, municipality through
energy efficient appliances, conducting energy audit etc
4.3 Renewable power purchase obligations(RPOs)
• RPOs mandates a certain minimum percentage of
total power consumption to be achieved through
renewable energy.
• It is applicable to electricity distribution companies
and some large power consumers.
• They can either generate or to purchase from
renewable energy (RE) sources.
• This obligation creates market for the renewable
power .
• Renewable Energy Certificate(REC) is used to trade
the renewable power.
• The National Action Plan on Climate Change
(NAPCC) has set an ambitious RPO target of 15% by
2020

4.4 National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF)

This fund was created in 2010-11 using the carbon
tax(clean energy cess)  as a non lapsable fund
under Public Accounts. Any project or scheme relating to
Innovative methods to adopt to Clean Energy technology
and Research & Development are eligible for funding
under the NCEF. They can include
• Smart grid technology
• Renewable applications with solar, wind, tidal and
geothermal energy
• Renewable energy infrastructure areas such as
Silicon Manufacturing
• Clean Fossil Energy including coal gasification, shale
gas, Coal Bed Methane, advanced turbine and
technology etc
 • Advanced research, carbon capture and
sequestration as also carbon capture and reformation
• Basic Energy Sciences including energy storage for
hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, solid state
lighting, catalysis, biological and environmental
research, advanced computing, high energy and
nuclear physics etc
• Mission projects identified in the National Action Plan
on Climate Change

4.5 Biofuel blending Scheme

• Ethanol blending is blending petrol with ethanol. In
order to reduce vehicle exhaust emissions and also to
reduce the import burden on account of crude
petroleum.
• As per National Policy on Bio-fuels, oil companies
were required to sell petrol blended with at least 5%
of ethanol. It proposed that the blending level be
increased to 20% by 2017.
• Government is planning a new policy to take up
ethanol blending in petrol to 22.5 per cent and in
diesel to 15 per cent.

4.6 Green Energy Corridor project

• For integrating renewable energy with the main grid.
• Many Intra-State and Inter-State transmission system
has been identified as a part of ‘Green Energy
Corridors’.
• The work for the first  green energy corridor project
with an ultra high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) link
 over 1,800km from Raigarh in Central India to
Pugalur in Tamil Nadu was started in May 2017.

4.7 Net metering 

If there is a net metering incentive policy in the state and if
there is a net meter on the rooftop, then individuals can
get  financial incentives for the power generated in their
households.

4.8 Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid &

Electric Vehicles (FAME India)
• Is under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan for
2020
• To promote eco- friendly vehicles
• Government has been offering incentives on electric
and hybrid vehicles under the scheme in pilot mode

4.9 R&D for Clean Coal Technologies

In 2016, R&D Project for “Development of Advanced Ultra
Supercritical Technology for Thermal Power Plants” on a
Mission Mode was approved.

5. Institutions
5.1 The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI)
TERI was established in 1974 as an information centre on
energy issues. Now it is a major research institute, whose
key focus lies in promoting:
• Clean energy
• Water management
• Pollution management
 • Sustainable agriculture
• Climate resilience

5.2 Bureau of Energy Efficiency(BEE)

• Set up under the provisions of the Energy
Conservation Act, 2001.
• To develop policies and strategies with a thrust on
self-regulation and market principles
• Primary objective is reducing energy intensity of the
Indian economy
• Has introduced energy star ratings for electrical
appliances. A new star rating methodology called
Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER)
developed for air conditioners.
• The Corporate Average Fuel Consumption
Standards (CAFC) for passenger cars
• Has developed building codes
• Regulates the energy auditing 

5.3 Energy Efficiency Services Limited ( EESL)

• Is a Joint Venture of PSUs  under Ministry of Power
• Is implementing ‘UJALA’ or ‘Unnat Jyoti by Affordable
LEDs for All’ Programme
• The National LED programme  aims to convert all
conventional street lights with LED street lights 
• Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP)
aims to provide LED bulbs to domestic
households, is renamed as “UJALA”
• Implements  the schemes – National Energy Efficient
Agriculture Pumps Programme and National Energy
Efficient Fan Programme
5.4 Petroleum Conservation Research
Association(PCRA)
• Is a national government agency engaged in
promoting energy efficiency in various sectors of
economy. 
• It helps the government in proposing policies and
strategies for petroleum conservation.

5.5 The Indian Renewable Energy Development

Agency (IREDA)
• Is a Public Limited Government Company established
as a Non-Banking Financial Institution
• Engaged in promoting, developing and extending
financial assistance for setting up projects relating to
new and renewable sources of energy, energy
efficiency and energy conservation
• It has been awarded Mini Ratna Status

5.6 The Solar Energy Corporation of India(SECI)

• To implement the solar mission and other projects
and also trading the solar power
• Has initiated various activities for setting up of solar
power plants as also for the promotion and
commercialisation of solar energy technologies
• The Union Cabinet gave its approval to rename it as
the Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI)
5.7 National Institute of Wind Energy
• An autonomous R&D institution by the Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) at Chennai
• To find complete solutions for the kinds of difficulties
and improvements in the entire spectrum of the wind
energy sector 

5.8 International Solar Alliance(ISA)

• The Prime Minister of India and the President of
France laid the foundation stone for the International
Solar Alliance in 2016
• The ISA will focus on promoting and developing solar
energy and solar products for countries lying wholly
or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the
Tropic of Capricorn
• Aims to facilitate increased deployment of solar
technologies, including in poor and remote regions