India Plans Major Overhaul Of Energy Database, Targets EV & Biofuel Data Gaps

India is preparing to overhaul its national energy statistics framework by addressing long-standing gaps in data collection related to biofuels, electric vehicle (EV) charging, off-grid electricity generation, captive power and sector-wise energy consumption. The recommendations, outlined in the Report of the Expert Committee on Energy Statistics released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), aim to create a more comprehensive, reliable and internationally comparable energy database.

Bridging major gaps in energy statistics

The expert committee noted that India's existing energy statistics framework does not fully capture several critical aspects of the country's energy ecosystem, limiting policymakers' ability to assess energy production, consumption and demand accurately.

According to the report, key shortcomings include the "non-capturing of end-use consumption of imported coal, the industry-wise consumption break-up of electricity, the demand-side statistics of the energy in India, the generation/consumption of electricity via off-grid (like in Rooftop Solar System, Street Lighting System etc.) mode, use of electricity in charging of Electric Vehicles (EVs), a systematic sub-national level energy statistics etc", which prompted the formation of the expert committee.

To address these deficiencies, the committee recommended harmonising data collection across ministries while adopting new methodologies to improve the quality, consistency and global comparability of India's energy statistics.

On biofuels, the report recommended that "the entire data on biofuel ought to be captured systematically using the proposed methodology" and that while preparing the national energy profile, "MoSPI should include Biofuels in the Energy Balance / Energy Account tables of India."

Focus on EVs and off-grid electricity

The committee stressed that electricity consumed by electric vehicles must be tracked systematically as India accelerates its clean mobility transition.

It said, "In line with the International commitments made by Govt. of India, the vision like EV30@30, it's indispensable to systematically estimate and disseminate the electricity consumption by EVs in India." It further added that the proposed methodology should be refined "for more accurate and structured statistics and effective policy intervention."

The report also recommended establishing a framework to estimate electricity generated and consumed through off-grid systems, including rooftop solar installations and street lighting networks.

It stated that the methodology developed by Prayas and TERI "may be used as the first-cut for better refinement and adaptation by the line energy-Ministries."

Integrated database proposed for better policymaking

The committee underlined the importance of building a comprehensive demand-side energy database alongside existing supply-side statistics to better understand India's evolving energy consumption patterns.

According to the report, "an energy database consisting of both demand side and supply side data is important to better understand the flow of different forms of energy and generate future trends on energy generation and consumption."

It also observed that "at present, no dedicated survey or mechanism exists to track the specific demand for various energy resources like electricity, LPG, coal, etc. at the household or individual consumer level."

To bridge this gap, the committee recommended that the framework developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) "may be developed and detailed for its' effective implementation."

Additionally, it proposed creating a "Single Integrated Energy Statistics Database" jointly reconciled by MoSPI and BEE to improve data quality, strengthen sector-wise tracking of coal and electricity consumption, better estimate imported coal use, industry-wise electricity consumption and captive power generation, and establish common reporting standards across energy ministries.

(With inputs from ANI)