State Energy Efficiency Index ’20 Out: #1 Karnataka; #2 Rajasthan

Karnataka has ranked no. 1 on the State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2020 as a result of undertaking various initiatives to upscale energy efficiency in the state, beyond notifications of relevant regulations, said the Ministry of Power.

In SEEI 2020, 36 states and union territories have been assessed. Based on their efforts and achievements, states have been classified as ‘Front runner’ (with above 60 points score), ‘Achiever’ (with a score of 50-60), ‘Contender’ (with a score in the range of 30-50) and ‘Aspirant’ (with a score below 30 points).

The top-performing state is Karnataka, with a score of 70 out of 100, and is included in the ‘Front runner’ category. It should be noted that, in SEEI 2019, there was no state in the ‘Front runner’ category.

The Karnataka SDA carried out an assessment study of the EE initiatives across all sectors in the state. This study evaluated the impacts of these initiatives, in terms of the energy savings, economic savings, emission mitigation, social impacts, and percentage of fund utilisation against all input resources. “As a result, the state was able to provide sufficient data on even the outcome-based indicators, which seem to be the Achilles’ heel for most states,” says the SEEI 2020 report.

Other than that, it has developed multiple innovative programmes to promote energy efficiency in street lighting, water pumping, sewage treatment, electric mobility (e-mobility) and charging infrastructure, a smart grid pilot project, model energy-efficient village campaign programme, programmes to replace conventional fans, air conditioners (ACs), and light bulbs, and the “Hosa Belakhu” project, which entails providing light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs to consumers at an affordable rate.

The second-highest performer, Rajasthan, scoring 61 out of 100, is another state in the ‘Front runner’ category. Rajasthan is the only state to have constituted an ECBC cell in its Public Works Department (PWD) from the state fund, which operates under guidance of the Chief Architect, PWD.

The other top performers are Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, all in the ‘Achiever’ category. In SEEI 2020, as many as 27 states and UTs improved their scores compared to SEEI 2019. The two most improved states in SEEI 2020 are Rajasthan and Maharashtra.