Planning for rural energy system: part I

This paper presents a two pronged approach for identifying the important parameters which control the economy in the rural system, particularly in relation with energy inputs and outputs leading to a comprehensive analysis of the energy scene in the rural system. On one hand, related literature was collected, and segregated into various categories like household, agriculture, application of technologies and their impacts in the rural system, energy planning, etc. and are examined. On the other hand, a systematic methodology for primary survey of ground level realities about rural energy consumption taking into account the most significant parameters that influence the pattern and intensity of energy use has been employed. Multiple interactions in the rural system due to the several products having multiple uses have been taken into account. Details of the design of the sampling and the method of administering the survey along with brief account of some of the more salient results obtained from the survey have been presented. The study concludes by identifying several parameters which influence energy consumption in a rural economic system. This paper also discusses the relevance of surveys for realistic planning at micro level by drawing attention to the large discrepancies that account between statistics obtained from primary and secondary sources.