Proper planning needed to deal with power crisis

TWO SENIOR professors of the Electrical Department at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) Dr Prem Kumar Kalra and Dr Rajiv Shekhar have discussed the grim power crisis the city is facing, in the India Infrastructure Report -2006 (IIR). They are the consultants in many power units of the country.

TWO SENIOR professors of the Electrical Department at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) Dr Prem Kumar Kalra and Dr Rajiv Shekhar have discussed the grim power crisis the city is facing, in the India Infrastructure Report -2006 (IIR). They are the consultants in many power units of the country.

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In their comprehensive study which appeared in the IIR, Dr Kalra and Dr Shekhar have observed that Urban Energy Management (UEM) was needed to face the growing crisis of power in Kanpur industrial city as it ensures a coordinated and long-term approach to ensure that the city’s energy needs are met at the minimum cost to all sections of the society without any discrimination. The strategic energy management programme should be reflected in an energy master plan of the city.

The two professors held that unfortunately, beyond the ad hoc arithmetic of supply and demand and court-mandated implementation of green energy, management of energy for sustainable development has not attracted the attention it deserved. In fact, the concept of the urban energy management has not been well-understood, they said.

They said that with the rise in income, the demand for energy evolves from basic energy end uses – cooking, lighting, mobility, communication, space conditioning and entertainments — all needed energy in a large quantity and in different forms. In Kanpur, citizens have reacted violently on several occasions to the continuous power cuts imposed by KESCo, the local distribution company
Besides, poor power quality was taking its toll on the life of transformers, industrial machines and domestic appliances. Commercial establishments respond to power cuts by using generators, which not only increases cost but also contributes significantly to air and noise pollution. In fact, the air pollution caused by diesel-powered generators was a major concern today. the professors remarked in their report.

They have further observed that energy efficiency and conservation measures, beyond compact florescent lamps (CFL) are conspicuous by their absence. Most electrical appliances and even LPG burners are not benchmarked for efficiency as the major concern for the manufacturers being the cost. They observed in their report that with the failure of the public distribution system, the urban poor are forced to either buy low efficient fuels such as kerosene or low quality coal.