Building an energy-efficient India:

Case study of Delhi NCR

Presented By:
Nawneet Vibhaw
Assistant Professor & Assistant Dean
Assistant Director, Centre for Environment and Climate Change
Jindal Global Law School, New Delhi, India

India: Population Statistics

Population in 2012: 1.237 Billion

[as per World Bank, US Census Bureau]

Growth in urban population between 2001-11 17.7%

Percent of urban population 31.2%
Highest proportion of urban population 97.5% [Delhi NCR]
Total population of Delhi NCR 21.7 million

States with highest proportion of

urban population
Name of the
State

Percentage of
urban
population

Total population
(in millions)

Goa

62.2

1.459

Mizoram

52.1

1.091

Tamil Nadu

48.4

72.15

Kerala

47.7

17.45

Maharashtra

45.2

112

Density of population (2011)

Country/ State
India

Persons per sq.

km.
382

Delhi

11320

Tamil Nadu

555

Maharashtra

365

Why are these figures important?

The new government had proposed 100 smart cities in its
election manifesto
Most of it is to be constructed along the Delhi-Mumbai
Industrial Corridor (DMIC) [1483 kms. stretch across 5
states]
Partnership with various countries like Japan, Singapore and
France in the pipeline
Companies like Cisco keen to bag projects

What is a smart-city?
Economic opportunities
Mobility (efficient public transportation)
Clean Environment (minimal pollution levels, maximum
recycling, water and waste management)
Energy Efficiency
Self-sustainable habitats

 Sustainable economic development

Job creation
Minimum impact on environment

Better quality of life

Better mobility
Better healthcare
Better education
Clean environment

Efficient public transportation

Population of Delhi NCR 21.7 million
More than 7.5 million vehicles [2012]
2.3 million commuters per day in Delhi metro [Feb.,
2013]

Clean Environment
Minimal pollution levels
Maximum recycling (waste management)
Water management

Minimum Pollution Levels

Delhi is the most polluted city in the world (World Health
Organization Study published on May 7, 2014)
Reasons:
reliance on fossil fuels such as coal fired power plants
dependence on private transport motor vehicles
inefficient use of energy in buildings
use of biomass for cooking and heating

Waste management
85% of the city doesnt have a formal door-to-door trash pickup system
Landfills coming up in neighbourhoods
Rainwater filtering through it makes groundwater toxic,
methane produced pollutes air
High court intervened, Delhi government maintained its
helplessness

Water management

Green Buildings
Green Buildings make up less than 5 percent of the
building market in India
Primary rating systems:

GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment)

IGBC (Indian Green building Council) which provides for LEED
rating (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
BEE (The Bureau of Energy Efficiency)

Government still working on a draft policy to finalise

incentives for the sector?!

Example of Godrej Bhavan

(Retrofits)
Electricity costs down by 28 %
Total electricity usage down 12 %
Potential 15 year savings of INR 6,980,000
Largest energy and cost savings came from upgrading the
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
Building management system (BMS) adds by allowing the
building operators to monitor, control and modify the
buildings energy use, such as through lighting sensors
and HVAC systems to control temperature.

So, does the solution lie in building

smart cities or in (re)building our
cities smartly?