Amulya Kumar N Reddy Gladys D Sumithra P Balachandra Antonette d'Sa Energy planning, and the associated decision-making, requires choices between energy technologies. Thus far, these have been restricted to choices between supply options in particular, centralised energy technologies. But, this restriction to centralised sources is running into two major difficulties; (a) shortages of capital, and (b) popular opposition to the resulting local and global environmental degradation. Furthermore, what matters to a consumer of energy is not energy per se, but the services that energy provides. Hence, the true indicator of development is not the magnitude of energy used, but the level of energy services provided, It has, therefore, become essential to extend the list of options for energy decision-making so as to include both decentralised sources of supply, and energy efficiency improvements and other conservation options.
