A tale of two power zones

While the grid-connected consumer opts for diesel power, the off-grid consumer burns kerosene

India’s supply of power exceeded demand in June 2017, according to the latest data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). Not only that, peak demand was also lower than peak supply yet again. This yielded somewhat deceptive negative numbers on the peak deficit, numbers that do not mean that India is a power-surplus country or that there were no power cuts. Consumers willing and able to pay for power would have found themselves without power, and have been forced to crank up their diesel generators to keep their homes, industries or commercial establishments running.

The utilisation rates of coal-fired plants, meanwhile,