Activity 3(a) Work Package 2
Analyzing Rural Energy Transitions and Inequities

Background

India faces a significant challenge in providing access to adequate, affordable, and clean sources of energy, especially cooking fuel to a large section of population, most of which live in rural areas. As per the 2011 Census, 55.3% rural households had access to electricity and almost 85% of rural households were dependent on traditional biomass fuels for their cooking energy requirements. Further, as per the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) Reports (55th, 61st and 66th Rounds), there has been an increase in biomass fuel use in terms of absolute quantity consumed over the past decade among rural households. This is an area of concern, given the considerable health impacts of burning biomass fuels apart from being a hindrance to achieving developmental goals, i.e. ensuring a minimum standard of living and provisioning of basic minimum needs. Thus, a transition to cleaner forms of energy in terms of access to electricity and other modern energy forms would have implications not only on energy security, but also with respect to enabling gender equality and bringing about greater development and social progress.

Objectives

The main objectives of the 'Rural Energy Transition' project are:

• Analyzing existing rural energy inequities and determining how transitions to clean energy can be enabled in rural India.
• Analyzing variations in energy consumption patterns for different end uses at both, intra and inter agro-climatic zone level.
• Conducting a household level survey to determine the factors driving fuel choices, the relationship between socio-economic parameters, household fuel choice, and energy demand.
• Focusing on the differential impacts of clean energy interventions on men and women.
• Developing an in-depth understanding of the barriers and drivers to transition into cleaner energy forms among rural households.

Expected Outcomes

A very significant outcome of the study would be a comprehensive understanding of the barriers and drivers of transitions to clean energy forms in rural India. There may also be other positive externalities from the project in terms of making the surveyed populations more aware of gender issues that may affect energy use patterns and the findings would certainly facilitate policy. Other outcomes will include publications in the form of journal papers which would improve outreach to a larger section of researchers of the issues on energy access and poverty in rural India.