A Multiperspective Assessment of Best Available Energy End-Use Technologies in India’s Households

Abstract

Input-output (IO) analysis is a useful tool for the assessment of the inter-relations between different economic activities. Additionally, it can be combined with bottom-up data, i.e. energy-efficient technology-specific data, costs and cost structures, allowing to estimate the Economic-Energy-Environmental (E3) impacts intertwined with the investment on this type of technologies within a comprehensive and consistent framework. With the foregoing in mind, an adjusted Economic IO Lifecycle Assessment (EIO LCA) modelling framework has been built with real data based on the World IO Database to appraise the impacts of fostering the investment in nine distinct energy-efficient appliances typically used in India’s residential sector. A large platform of real data for India’s residential sector has also been gathered considering different sources of information, namely the number of operating days, the lifetime and the investment cost of each energy-efficient appliance evaluated. Finally, it was possible to compute the net E3 impacts obtainable with the use of energy-efficient technologies when contrasted with business-as-usual appliances in India. An economic analysis was also performed for the technologies under analysis specifically addressing the net present value, the savings to investment ratio and the cost of conserved energy. Finally, a correlation study of all the indicators obtained has been conducted in order to study the trade-offs involved in our multiperspective assessment.