Delhi's peak electricity demand hit an "all-time high" of 6,934 MW this summer in June, which was 6.25 per cent higher than last year, a city-based green body today claimed.
The peak electricity demand was recorded at 3:28 pm on June 8.
The demand was 6,526 MW on June 6, 2017, according to a new analysis of Delhi's electricity demand this summer done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which was released today.
"Delhi has crossed the 2017 record four times since June 1, and this is not the hottest day of the season so far... Delhi's peak demand has been consistently higher than that of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai taken together during this time of the year," it said.
In a statement, the CSE also recommended to the Delhi government to "introduce mandatory energy audit and effective pricing for consumption-based energy billing to improve operational efficiency of all buildings".
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It also suggested it to make obligatory for all buildings to disclose publicly the data on annual energy usage along with the built-up area, the statement said.
The CSE also recommended the city government to "implement post-construction performance, accountability and transparency to ensure that the buildings remain high-performing, and introduce penalty for high and over consumption".
Releasing the analysis, Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, said, "Without any pricing or energy efficiency measures to reduce the demand for electricity or substantial substitution with renewable energy, environmental and economic costs can escalate significantly."
This is starkly evident this summer in the growing demand for electricity and peak demand in the city which is influenced not only by the commercial use of electricity, but also by growing the use of energy-intensive appliances for cooling in the household sector, she said.
The CSE said it has carried out the analysis of electricity consumption this summer to understand the trends and nature of demand in the city and the likely impact of growing dependence on air conditioning to escape the heat.
"Electricity consumption data has been sourced from daily and monthly reports of the State Load Dispatch Center, Delhi, the apex body which ensures integrated operation of Delhi's power system.
"Historical data has been sourced from the annual and Load Generation Balance Reports of the Central Electricity Authority. Consumer and demographic data is sourced from the Delhi Statistical Handbook, while the weather data source is the India Meteorological Department (IMD) weather station at the Indira Gandhi International Airport," the CSE said.
Among other findings of the analysis, it said there was "drastic decline" in electricity demand after dust storm and temperature drop, proving the high impact of ACs on electricity demand.
"The impact of residential demand for electricity is so substantial that the average electricity demand on weekends is just four per cent lower than the demand on weekdays," the statement said.
The CSE recommended to the Centre to "include domestic sector as a designate consumer in the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 and come up with schemes to reduce energy guzzling in this sector".
Fixing the AC efficiency standards (star labelling), adopting a summer cooling action plan, and an extreme heat action plan which helps reduce formation of urban heat islands and reduces the cooling load on the grid, were among other recommendations made to the Centre, it said.
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