Towards Accessibility, Availability, Affordability and Accountability Sustainable Energy for All in India Women in rural West Bengal making a clean cook stove that will reduce indoor air pollution and consumption of firewood
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR ALL The provision of modern energy services is a concern globally. Over 1.2 billion people - 20 per cent of the world s population - are still without access to electricity, almost all of whom live in developing countries. Nearly three billion people use wood, coal, charcoal or animal dung to cook their meals and heat their homes; and nearly two million die every year due to respiratory disorders caused by exposure to indoor pollution from traditional cook stoves. The key solution to these challenges lies in providing sustainable energy, which is accessible, available and affordable. With sustainable energy, countries can leapfrog over the limits of the energy systems of the past and build clean energy economies of the future. The UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon launched the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative in 2011, with three global targets: to ensure universal access to modern energy services, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix, all by 2030. The 2014 SE4ALL Forum is a new, annual opportunity for partners to meet and report on progress on the initiative and to refine our focus towards meeting these global targets. It is estimated that by 2030, three billion people in the world will move into the rising middle class segment, which will increase the demand for energy by 50 per cent. [ 1 ] Towards Accessibility, Availability, Affordability and Accountability
INDIA AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR ALL India faces a significant challenge in providing access to adequate, affordable and clean sources of energy. Nearly 400 million people, mostly in rural areas, still lack access to modern energy supplies, resulting in the absence of a level playing field for economic opportunities and development. This has also led to inequalities in delivery of services to society, especially between urban and rural areas. Today, an estimated 76 million households are without electricity and 143 million households are dependent on traditional biomass for cooking. While the non-electrified rural households are dependent on kerosene for lighting needs, those that have been connected to the grid also often depend on kerosene due to non-availability of electricity. These constraints impact the delivery of services related to health, education and livelihoods. According to the 2013 UN Human Development Index, India ranks 136 out of 186 countries, being at the at the near-bottom of countries which have reached medium development. A key factor affecting India s ranking is the lack of access to reliable and modern energy supplies that can cater to a significant proportion of the population. Achieving Sustainable Energy for All requires that the four As - Accessibility Availability, Affordability INDIA NIGERIA BANGLADESH ETHIOPIA CONGO. DR TANZANIA KENYA SUDAN UGANDA MYANMAR MOZAMBIQUE AFGHANISTAN KOREA. DR MADAGASCAR PHILIPPINES PAKISTAN BURKINA FASO NIGER INDONESIA MALAWI ELECTRICITY ACCESS DEFICIT (MILLIONS OF PEOPLE) 82.4 66.6 63.9 55.9 38.2 31.2 30.9 28.5 24.6 19.9 18.5 18 17.8 15.6 15 14.3 14.1 14 13.6 and Accountability are met. These are inter-related as interventions focused on one will lead to achievements across the critical areas. 306.2 INDIA CHINA BANGLADESH INDONESIA NIGERIA PAKISTAN ETHIOPIA CONGO. DR VIETNAM PHILIPPINES MYANMAR TANZANIA SUDAN KENYA UGANDA AFGHANISTAN NEPAL MOZAMBIQUE KOREA. DR GHANA NON-SOLID FUEL ACCESS DEFICIT (MILLIONS OF PEOPLE) 134.9 131.2 117.8 110.8 81.1 61.3 49.4 46.2 44 42.3 34.6 32.6 32.2 26.7 24.6 22.2 22.2 20.4 The global tracking framework released in 2013 has identified two overlapping groups of 20 countries in Asia and Africa that account for about 67 per cent of the global electrification shortfall and about 80 per cent of the global shortfall in access to clean cooking fuels. India stands at the top of this list as the country with the highest number of people lacking access to electricity and clean fuel for cooking. (World Bank, 2013) 612.8 705 [ 2 ] Sustainable Energy for All in India
ACCESSIBILITY Sustainable development without energy is inconceivable; hence, need is to providing real access, while focusing on equitable pattern of consumption. - Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Chief Executive of the Initiative on Sustainable Energy for All Accessibility is defined as the existence of modern energy in the form of electricity and clean cooking fuel to address energy poverty in a location. It is measured in terms of electrification rate and percentage use of clean cooking fuels. More than two-thirds of India s one billion population continues to rely on traditional biomass and dung based fuel to meet the energy needs for cooking. Families spend about five to eight hours or more per week, collecting fuel which often entails carrying loads weighing 20-30 kilograms of traditional fuels over a long distance. This greatly reduces the time available for alternate economic activity. These traditional biomass or animal dung based fuels are the source of high indoor pollution with particulate matter (PM10) levels 6 to 75 times higher than the standards for outdoor air. Without achieving universal sustainable energy access, it is impossible to achieve sustainable development or effectively fight against climate change. According to the World Health Organization, inhaling indoor smoke doubles the risk of pneumonia and other acute infections of the lower respiratory tract among children under five years of age. Women exposed to indoor smoke are three times more likely to suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, than women who cook with electricity, gas or other cleaner fuels. [ 3 ] Towards Accessibility, Availability, Affordability and Accountability
AVAILABILITY By 2030 we will need 35 per cent more food, 40 per cent more water and 50 per cent more energy. -UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon While there has been impressive progress in increasing the installed capacity for electricity generation and extension of the grid in rural areas, the availability of electricity and other modern energy supplies continues to remain a concern. Due to perennial demand-supply mismatch in the grid, electricity supply especially in the rural areas remains erratic and unreliable with consumers receiving electricity supply for less than eight hours a day. For these end-users the reliability and quality of electricity supply remains unaddressed. Investments in building last-mile electricity distribution infrastructure have not yet provided tangible improvements in living conditions. The per capita consumption of electricity in rural households is only around eight units per month, which is just one-third of the reported consumption in urban areas. In the rural grid connected area, solar street lights are preferred due to their reliability. Energy is valued when it is available on time and in time for productive use. UNIDO is working with the Government of India to demonstrate technologies such as micro-turbine that are readily available and can provide reliable energy to villages without harming the local environment. Increasing the deployment of such solutions will help to improve energy availability in rural areas. [ 4 ] Sustainable Energy for All in India
AFFORDABILITY Clean energy; sustainable production and consumption and environmentally sound transport and urban planning can create new jobs, new markets and boost economies. -UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon consumption is 3.6 billion liters to meet lighting needs, resulting in recurring kerosene subsidy costs of Rs. 108 billion (USD 2.2 billion) annually, in addition to the vast foreign exchange earnings that are spent in importing petroleum products. In rural areas, all routine activities such as cooking, studying, skilled work are planned so that they are completed before sunset or the kerosene runs out. This constrains the possibility of income generating activities which is necessary for improving living conditions. A small solar lighting system has a low initial cost and negligible running costs making it an easily affordable replacement to kerosene lanterns. Affordability is defined as the price of energy required for maintaining sustained energy generation, and the maximum cost per unit which a customer would be willing to pay. There are several technologies available to provide off grid electricity, however, it is not enough to just identify the technology. Efforts are needed to ensure that such alternative energy solutions are available at a price that encourages market development. The 76 million households in India that are without electricity use kerosene mainly for lighting purposes. At the all India level, annual kerosene Affordability of technology is also important for its long-term use. Due to limited availability of oil and gas, India imports over 75 per cent of its domestic requirement. In 2012-13, the oil and gas imports were of Rs. 7,84,652 crores (USD 156 billion) - nearly 8 per cent of India s GDP. Affordable and reliable energy supply from conventional as well as alternative energy sources will help in reducing consumption of fuels such as kerosene. [ 5 ] Towards Accessibility, Availability, Affordability and Accountability
ACCOUNTABILITY Sustainable energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity, a stable climate and a healthy environment -UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Accountability cuts across the previous three critical areas of accessibility, availability and affordability and ensures that these remain relevant for providing sustainable energy. Accountability delineates the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders in the energy supply planning, delivery and utilization. The SE4All initiative seeks to bring strategic focus to individual actions, replicate and scale-up existing best practices and successful initiatives, foster partnerships and provide all stakeholders with clear indicators of progress towards the initiative s objectives, especially of ensuring access to modern energy supplies. The achievement of a sustainable energy programme can be realized when various stakeholders including planners, energy systems providers and consumer groups work together. This ensures that energy interventions remain effective and Shared responsibility and collective action in planning, supply, distribution and efficient end-use of energy can catalyze clean energy revolution that benefits humanity. self-sustaining over the long-term. Various state and central government schemes such as the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana on rural electrification have gradually built the required infrastructure for supply of electricity. Progress in increasing the installed capacity for electricity generation and extension of the grid in rural areas has been impressive; however, these assets remain under-utilized as availability of energy remains uncertain. Cohesive action is necessary to close the gap between progress achieved and de facto improvement of the energy situation on the ground. Unless the accessibility, availability and affordability of energy is achieved, improvements in the actual living conditions of people will continue to be a challenge. Many renewable energy projects in rural areas are being developed around the key factors of responsibility and ownership by the local community that benefit from such systems. Some interventions by the United Nations, such as the micro-hydro project by IFAD in Odisha and UNIDO in Uttarakhand, aim at ensuring the village committee remained as the owner of the projects, responsible for its design, construction, installation, overall management, operation and maintenance. [ 6 ] Sustainable Energy for All in India
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