Page 227 - DECO502_INDIAN_ECONOMIC_POLICY_ENGLISH

Unit 19: Sectoral Performance II: Role of Infrastructure in Economic Development

Non-conventional Sources of Energy in India Notes
While the above sources of energy--both commercial and non-commercial--are known as conventional
sources of energy, there are three other sources of energy which are commonly called as non-
conventional sources of energy. They are : solar energy, wind energy and tidal power. Solar energy
potential is almost unlimited in India, a tropical country. Likewise, wind energy is available in
abundance, especially in coastal areas and in hilly regions, but both solar energy and wind energy
are not so far utilisied in the absence of cost-effective technologies. However, in the context of acute
shortage of conventional sources of energy, many countries are exploring the possibilities of using
these non-conventional sources of energy. Accordingly, they would assume more significance in the
years to come.
Trends in the Consumption of Commercial Energy

The sectoral pattern of consumption of commercial energy (i.e. coal including lignite, oil and gas and
electric power) is given in Table 2.
The transport sector was the largest consumer of commercial energy (44%) in 1953-54. However,
there has been a continuous fall in the share of the transport sector in the total commercial energy
consumption. For instance, its share declined to 22 per cent in 2005-06. The industrial sector is now
the largest consumer of commercial energy in the country.
During this period, the agricultural sector has, however, registered sharp increase in the consumption
of commercial energy, i.e., from one per cent to 9 per cent.
Table 2 : Sectoral trends in commercial energy consumption
(in percentage)

1953-54 1970-71 2005-06
Household sector 10 12 12
Agriculture 1 3 9
Industries 40 50 42
Transport 44 28 22
Others 5 7 15
100 100 100

Source : Ninth Five Year Plan, Vol. II. Ch 6.
Table 3 brings out the percentage share of different fuels in commercial energy consumption.
Table 3 : Percentage share of different fuels in commercial energy consumption
(in percentage)
1953-54 1970-71 2005-06

1. Coal 80 56 29
2. Oil and gas 17 35 54
3. Electricity 3 9 17
100 100 100

Source : Same as for Table 1.
It is interesting observe that (a) the share of coal in the total commercial energy consumption has
declined steadily over the years; and (b) the share of oil and electricity, however, has steadily increased.
These figures do not really reflect the real significance of coal. As these figures relate to final energy
consumption, only the direct consumption of coal in industry, household sector, transport, etc., is

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