ENERGY  ALTERNATIVES: RENEWABLE
ENERGY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION
TECHNOLOGIES



Generation of Energy Databases

  The elaborate  structure of the local  government, which goes 
  down to the village panchayath and its electoral wards can be 
  effectively used for the generation of useful data.  A simple 
  methodology   for  obtaining   information  at  both  village 
  panchayath and household levels has been demonstrated in this 
  study.  It  may  be  pointed  out that, besides collection of 
  basic facts and  figures, this kind of micro-level survey can 
  also be used to assess  problems and  solutions  perceived by 
  local  groups.  This  was  particularly true of fuel wood for 
  which the rapid rate of forest depletion, and not the limited 
  area under forest, was conceived as a major problem or stress.  
  This reckoning obviously is a positive factor and needs to be 
  used effectively by involving  representatives of such groups 
  in  the  energy  planning  and  development  processes at the 
  grassroots  level. The household  survey  generated extensive 
  data  on  energy   which  provided   insights   into   energy 
  consumption  patterns (communitywise and landholding category-
  wise) use of cooking devices, possession of energy appliances, 
  and the changing  trends in energy use in the domestic sector.  
  These  surveys  also  indicated  that the  existing system of 
  local  government  can  be  easily   mobilised  to  build  an 
  effective  energy  information   system  for   planning   and 
  development  at  the  district  and   local  levels   without 
  incurring any significant additional financial burden.