Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation services

Access to reliable sources of energy is a central component of development. Raising the standard of living requires access to energy sources that can support and enhance the functions of daily life. The Saubhagya scheme of the Indian government has succeeded in connecting almost 100% of households across the country to the power grid. However, large portions of the population continue to lack access to clean and reliable energy sources of energy. Grid connectivity does not ensure a steady supply of electricity owing to various infrastructure challenges.

The demand for cooling is rising in tandem with the rise in global temperatures. This is especially true of a largely tropical, developing economy like India where rising temperatures, population growth and rising incomes are fuelling the demand for cooling. With summers bringing along increasingly intense and frequent heatwaves, access to cooling is no longer a luxury but a necessity for survival. However, as of 2018, only 5% of households in India owned air-conditioners according to an IEA survey. Cooling is not just used by residential consumers. Commercial buildings, cold-chains, refrigeration, transportation, and industries also require cooling and this demand will increase as the economy grows. At present, India has one of the lowest access to cooling across the world, which is reflected in its low per capita levels of energy consumption for space cooling, at 69 kWh, as compared to the world average of 272 kWh.