40-Degree Torture: Scorching Heat Breaks Records, Weather Department Issues Warning

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Heat has started wreaking havoc in the month of March itself. The situation is such that the temperature has crossed 40 degrees in many states including Delhi. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted heatwaves in the coming days.

The Meteorological Department is not technically considering it a heatwave. The Meteorological Department says that if the temperature remains above 40 for two consecutive days, then a heatwave can occur. On the other hand, the demand for electricity in India has also increased rapidly. Due to which the maximum electricity demand of the country can increase to more than 180 gigawatts (GW) by the year 2035 and this will put pressure on the power system. A study conducted by the India Energy and Climate Center (IECC) at the University of California (UC) in Berkeley says that this fastest growing major economy can avoid severe power shortages and save consumers up to Rs 2.2 lakh crore ($26 billion) by doubling the energy efficiency of room ACs in the next 10 years.

The latest study says India adds 10-15 million new ACs annually. Without policy intervention, ACs alone could add 120 GW of peak electricity demand by 2030 and 180 GW by 2035, representing about 30 percent of the projected total demand. This growth is outpacing India's electricity supply and could lead to severe power shortages as early as 2026, said Nikit Abhyankar, lead author of the study and faculty at UC Berkeley.