Introduction
Access to energy plays a pivotal role in day-to-day life of
humans and society.. The availability and supply of energy
differ across the globe based on the accessibility, ease of
extraction, economic and social conditions
(Ramachandra & Hegde,
2016) . Energy is one the most important requirement for all
economic developments
(Zahid, 2008) , as energy is the most
determining factor in the production processes, and its scarcity
impacts the economy. Energy has a vital role in chemical
reactions, engineering, industries, transportation, cloud
formation, functioning of cells, etc. Fossils fuels have been
the main source of energy in industrial and transportation
sectors with harmful effects on the environment
(Ramachandra,
2000) . This necessitates a shift from non-renewable energy
sources to renewable energy sources (Raina & Sinha, 2019) to
meet the growing needs of energy apart fast dwindling stock of
fossil fuels.
Evolution of energy use
As human beings evolved, there were many advancements in
extracting and using energy. During prehistoric times around
1,000,000 years ago, the energy consumption of humans was only
in the form of food. The daily energy consumption of primitive
man was around 2000 Kcal (2000 dietary calories). The hunting
man had 2.5 times the energy consumption of the primitive man as
he started using wood for heating as well as cooking
(Cook,
1971) . As the man started practicing agriculture, the energy
consumption further increased three times than the hunting man.
Likewise, energy consumption kept on increasing as human beings
evolved. The industrial revolution of the 18th century, followed
by the technological improvements in the 19th century, paved the
way for more production and consumption of energy, but there was
a decreasing trend in the availability of fossil fuel
(Ramachandra, 2000) .
The global primary energy consumption was 13.9 billion oil
equivalents. With an increasing world population of around 7.7
billion people, the average primary energy intake of 58 kWh per
person per day. The world energy demand is expected to escalate
six-fold with the likely increase of population to 10 billion in
the future
(Randall & Dieter, 2020) . The increase in population
as well as the higher living standards led to an upsurge in
energy consumption and demand. It also has adverse effects,
which cause serious climatic changes and crucial environmental
problems. Hence it is necessary to explore alternate renewable
and eco-friendly resources
(Richard et al., 2020) .
The energy resources can be classified based on their
renewability. Renewable energy resources are the resources
having shorter cycling time and will not get depleted by
consumption. Solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, hydro
energy, bioenergy are examples of renewable energy.
Non-Renewable energy resources are the energy resources that
will take millions of years to generate and get exhausted over
time by consumption. Carbon-based fossil fuels like crude oil,
petroleum, coal, natural gas are examples for non-renewables.
Based on the conventionality, the energy resources are
classified as conventional energy fuels and non-conventional.
Conventional energy resources are mostly non-renewable energy
resources and have been used from time immemorial hence there it
is likely to get depleted soon. Coal, Petroleum, Natural gas,
etc., are examples of conventional energy resources.
Non-conventional energy resources are eco-friendly and renewable
energy resources like that of solar, hydro, wind, biomass etc.,
which will not get replenished.
The total primary energy supply (TPES) is the cumulative
value of production and imports, exempting the exports and
storage variations
(Jordan & Jason, 2020) . Secondary energy is
the energy that is derived from primary energy resources by the
human activated alterations which can be either by a chemical or
physical process, as it cannot be harvested directly from
nature. Secondary energy includes gasoline, liquid fuel oils,
biofuels, electricity, etc.
(Allison et al., 2020 ).
Energy Scenario in India
India is the 2nd most populous country in the world. As per
the census, the population of India is 1.39 Billion in the year
2021, which is roughly one-sixth of the world’s total
population(India Population (2020), 2020). India is the seventh
largest in geographic area and ranks third among high energy
consuming countries in the world
(Ramachandra & Hegde, 2016 ) .
The energy consumption in different parts of India varies
depending on population density, geography, industrial and
commercial development, etc.
The power network in India is distributed in five regions:
(1) The Northern Region, (2) The Western Region, (3) The
Southern Region, (4) The Eastern Region and (5) The
North-Eastern Region
(Madurai Elavarasan et al., 2020) . India
being the 3rd largest energy consumer of the world and the
availability of energy reflects in the improvements in the
living standards of the people of India. Energy consumption
witnessed a doubling in its quantity since the year 2000, and
80% of the energy demand in India was met by coal, oil, and
solid biomass (
India Energy Outlook 2021 – Analysis - IEA,
2021). The rural population in India contributes 66.40% of the
total population (
World Bank Group, 2019). Nearly 75% of the
rural household in India depends upon firewood, 10% on dung
cakes, 5% on liquified petroleum gas for domestic purposes
(Ramachandra & Hegde, 2016) .
In India, the main energy resources are coal, lignite,
natural gas (conventional energy resources); solar, hydro, wind,
bioenergy (non-conventional energy resources). It was seen that
the consumption of the coal and lignite remained almost
unchanged, but there was an increase of 6.6% of natural gas
consumption by 2018. As per the 2017-2018 data, the highest
consumer of the energy was the industrial sector (289.54 mtoe)
followed by the transport sector (94.35 mtoe), residential
consumption (56.83 mtoe) and the agricultural sector (27.18
mtoe)
(TERI, 2019) .
Figure 1 shows the total installed capacity of India as on
February 2021. The installed capacity of the thermal power
plants in the country is 233171 which is more than 60% of the
total.
Fig.1. Power Sector in India: Installed capacity as on
28.02.2021 (Source: Ministry of Power)
Energy Scenario in Karnataka
Karnataka is the eighth largest state in India, having a
geographical area of 191791 sq. km and has a population of
approximately 611.31 million as per the 2011 census
(SSA
Booklet, 2011) . Karnataka relies on commercial energy sources
like coal, oil, petroleum, electricity, etc. and non-commercial
sources of energy like fuelwood, dung-cakes, agricultural and
horticultural residues, etc. During the year 1990-1991, nearly
55% of the commercial energy was in the form of electricity, and
a major share of energy was from bioresources like fuelwood. As
the years passed, there was an abrupt increase in the
electricity share
(Ramachandra, 2000) . The Karnataka state can
easily manage its energy demand in the upcoming decades with the
advantage of the available renewable energy resources. The state
helps India in its decarbonisation programme as it reduces
emissions by using renewable energy rather than fossil fuels to
meet the energy demand and bolster the economy. In 2019
Karnataka’s solar capacity makes up nearly 22% of India’s total
installed capacity
(Udetanshu et al., 2020) . As per Renewable
Energy Progress Report (up to March 2021) from Karnataka
Renewable Energy Development Ltd, the commissioned solar
capacity of Karnataka is 7389.01MW.
Fig. 2 Power Generation in Karnataka: Source-wise
Installed capacity as on 31.12.2020 (Source: Karnataka Energy
Department)
Figure 2 gives the source-wise installed capacity of
Karnataka. The total installed capacity of Karnataka state as on
31.12.2020 is 30208 MW in which Solar Energy Source constitutes
more than 7000 MW.
Over the past years there was huge economic growth in the
state of Karnataka due to the growth and development in the
industrial and services sector. The state has also emerged to be
India’s IT hub
(Singhvi et al., 2014) . This study investigates
the energy trajectory in Karnataka. The assemblage of factors
like the state's growing population, increase in energy
consumption, the supply-demand gap, climate change, etc.
necessitated the energy budgeting in Karnataka to develop a
green growth strategy meeting all its developmental goals of the
state.
The focus of the current issue of Shayadri E-News are:
⦁ Assessment of the resource status in the state of
Karnataka by estimating the resource availability and assessing
the resource share based on commercial or non-commercial energy
sources.
⦁ Quantifying the energy generated by analysing the progress
in the installed capacities and generation from different power
plants, including bio-energy (biogas and biomass).
⦁ Analysing the district-wise energy demand in Karnataka by
calculating the sector-wise per capita consumption.
⦁ Evaluating the per capita electricity consumption and
fuelwood consumption district-wise based on the data from the
latest census report as well as calculating the fuel consumed in
power generating stations, industries, and transportation
sector.
⦁ Studying the prospects of renewable energy for an
eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable energy use.
Evaluating the district-wise generation potential of renewable
energy like solar energy, wind energy and the bio-energy with
the help of distributed generation and smart grids.
