India’s total electricity demand from residential air conditioners in 2050 is most likely to exceed the total amount of electricity consumed across Africa now, the International Energy Agency said in a report this month.
The World Energy Outlook 2023 report has said that India will see the largest energy demand growth of any country or region in the world over the next three decades. In the same period, India’s annual carbon dioxide emissions will be the largest as they will climb to nearly 30% by 2050.
India has reported over 700 heat wave events in the past five decades that have claimed over 17,000 lives, the report said. Hence, the demand for air conditioners in the country has been on the rise, tripling since 2010 to reach 24 units per 100 households.
The demand for air conditioners is estimated to increase by nine times by 2050. It is also estimated to outpace the growth in ownership of every other major household appliance including televisions, refrigerators and washing machines, the report said.
“Electricity demand is sensitive to temperatures, and in India’s case there is a sharp increase in demand as temperatures cross the 25 degree Celsius threshold,” the IEA said. “Electricity consumption due to space cooling increased 21% between 2019 and 2022, and today nearly 10% of electricity demand comes from space cooling requirements.”
Cooling will account for nearly half of India’s peak electricity demand increase of 60% from 2022 to 2030.
“Although solar PV [photovoltaic] matches well with daytime cooling needs, cooling demand is also significant in India during the late evening and at night,” the report said. “Lowering cooling demand through energy efficiency policies therefore reduces the need for investment in batteries or expensive standby generation capacity, and thus helps to integrate renewables more cost effectively”
The International Energy Agency also said that India is expected to meet its 2030 target to have half of its electricity capacity consisting of non-fossil resources well before the end of the decade.
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