Introduction

Sustainable development of a region depends criti­cally on the health of renewable resources such as, soil, water, vegetation, livestock, and genetic diver­sity. The integrated development of all these components is essential for environmentally sound develop­ment. This necessitates promotion of conservation activities among local communities and application of traditional environmentally sound technologies¹. This can be achieved by adopting holistic approach in energy planning, the main objective of which is to find solutions to match demand and supply of energy sources². Now the focus of energy sector planning is shifted from supply to energy demand analysis, demand management and conservation with a good understanding of the factors affecting the growth and pattern of energy demand before arriving at demand projections. Demand analysis involves assembling and presenting a consistent set of data on consump­tion and demand for various forms of energy (fuel wood, electricity, kerosene & LPG). It also involves the estimation of level of shortage or unfulfilled demand; and quantifying the relationship of demand with relevant economic and non-economic variables such as, income, population and prices of different energy sources, and their substitutes. Analysis of energy from various sources and demand (sectoral analysis) for various fuels can be made efficiently with Decision Support System (DSS). In addition the scenarios for the future take into account the changing relationships between economic growth, energy con­sumption, and the potential for fuel substitution. Thus, DSS assists in strategic decision-making activities, which help in regional energy planning of renewable sources and conservation.