Its northern state of Uttar Pradesh saw its peak electricity demand spike in the past three months amid unrelenting heat.
Sweltering heat forced many to run air conditioners for longer durations, increasing power demand and causing residents in several areas to face daily power outages.
The spike in energy consumption led to another problem – increased carbon emissions.
India relies on coal, one of the dirtiest fuels, to meet more than 70 per cent of its energy needs.
In June, the country generated more than 10,500 million units of electricity from thermal coal sources, leading to roughly 10,000 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions – equivalent to greenhouse emissions from more than 2,000 petrol cars driven for a year.
The country is currently the world’s third largest emitter of fossil fuels after the United States and China.
It has promised to build renewable energy generation structures, but these sources currently add up to less than 30 per cent of installed conventional power generation capacity.
Given the extreme weather patterns, analysts expect continued significant impact on India’s energy systems.
Source: CNA
