Demand for electricity surged in national capital in last one year due to rising temperatures, says report

A new analysis published on Friday revealed that Delhi has experienced a significant increase in temperature-related electricity demand over the past 12 months. On the hottest and most humid days, peak demand rose by an average of 711 megawatts, news agency PTI reported.

The report by the independent think tank, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, indicates that Delhi’s peak power demand increased by an average of 506 MW on cold and dry days, but only by 188 MW on days with moderate temperature and humidity. The analysis used the wet-bulb temperature as a measure.

The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature to which a person or object can be cooled solely through the evaporation of water.

“On moderate days, Delhi’s peak demand grew by a modest 188 megawatts, but on the hottest and most humid days, the annual increase was 3.8 times higher at 711 MW,” said the report.

At the other end of the temperature scale, the increase in power demand on very cold and dry days was smaller but still significant at 506 MW, which is 2.7 times higher than the increase on moderate days.

This suggests that Delhi’s recent power demand growth can largely be attributed to cooling and heating needs, with other year-round factors playing a much smaller role.

The analysis also revealed a marked increase in the number of very hot and humid days.

“There were 24 such hot and humid days in 2022-23, which jumped to 40 days in the 12-month period just completed,” it said.

Wet-bulb temperatures (WBTs) above 35 degrees Celsius are considered fatal if experienced for more than a few hours. During this year’s heatwave, temperature levels that directly threaten human health have been surpassed more frequently. On such days, cooling is life-saving, making it crucial to reliably meet electricity demand.

With heatwaves potentially becoming the norm, the burden of power generation cannot be solely borne by thermal plants, which are operating closer to full capacity than in recent years. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) suggests that India should ramp up utility-scale solar rather than increase thermal capacity.

Moderating the rate of growth in power demand is also an urgent goal. This includes prioritizing challenging yet vital programs at both the central and state levels to improve energy efficiency in buildings, as well as encouraging demand-side management initiatives through flexible tariffs and other incentives to curb peak demand growth.

A prolonged heatwave drove Delhi’s peak power demand to 8,647 MW on June 19, the highest ever for the city, according to power distribution company officials. Since May 13, Delhi has experienced 40 consecutive days of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, leading to approximately 60 heat-related deaths this year, according to media reports.